Long-Term Acute Hospitals have a licensure and payment schedule that allows for the comprehensive care of patients with serious decubitus ulcers.
“Any person with a hospital or nursing home acquired decubitus ulcers require skilled physicians and facilities with the scope of services to save them with myocutaneous flaps but also the scope of services for conservative care to meet the needs of the patient and the expectations of the family members. Those who are diagnosed with a deep Grade 3 or Grade IV Decubitus ulcer need to be transfer to a Long Term Acute Hospital specialty hospital that do flaps as soon as they are diagnosed.”…Greg Vigna, MD, JD, national malpractice attorney, wound care expert
Dr. Greg Vigna, national malpractice attorney, states, “These deep Grade III and Grade IV decubitus ulcers that are caused by poor hospital and nursing home care is disgraceful. The injuries are horrific, and these are all serious injuries. These patients need to be referred to a long-term acute hospital with the scope of services that include reconstructive flap surgery. Once they are and assessed by the wound care team, then treatment options can be discussed” Dr. Vigna explains, “Long-Term Acute Hospitals have a licensure and payment schedule that allows for the comprehensive care of patients with serious decubitus ulcers. It also allows for a process to analyze outliers who require a prolonged hospitalization for extra reimbursement for the hospital for patients who cannot be safely discharged because of medical condition.” Dr. Vigna continues, “Long-term acute hospitals function like a rehabilitation hospital with the scope of services that can manage ICU type patients. They often have intensive care physicians, general surgeons, plastic surgeons, physiatrist, and therapy and nursing staff that are trained to care for the medical complex patient. Patients who suffer hospital or nursing home acquired decubitus ulcers need care by physicians with the skill, knowledge, experience, and training to manage their problems and a long-term acute care hospital with the scope of services to manage them and at that point future care, goals of care, and reasonable expectations can be discussed with patients and families.”
“It is important for patients or families of patients who have suffered a hospital or nursing home acquired decubitus ulcer understand that there are options.” — Greg Vigna, MD, JD
Dr. Vigna adds, “It is important for patients or families of patients who have suffered a hospital or nursing home acquired decubitus ulcer understand that there are options. It is not appropriate for a hospital employed physician to simply see a patient with a Grade IV wound and ask for a hospice consult. These conversations need be balanced and provided by physicians who have the skills to care for this serious injury and the goals of the family and the reasonable expectations as to outcome described by physicians who can fix the problem. At that point you are in position to discuss hospice versus cure for the injured.” Dr. Vigna, “It is important for us to litigate these cases, as these injuries are preventable, and these injuries are horrific. They occur to medically frail patients who are dependent on others for their wellbeing. Financial resources that are paid to hospitals and nursing homes need to get redirected to bedside as opposed to shareholders or administrations. We are seeing some very bad sores and we are getting busy.”
More on Flaps:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK546581/#:~:text=Myocutaneous%20flaps%20are%20 compound%20flaps,fascia%2C%20and%20the%20underlying%20muscle.
More on LTAC:
https://assets.ctfassets.net/plyq12u1bv8a/7MqV3gy1fzWD6rAkk8eBc0/fc057a4279fc8f7123a4 6deceeeecfb3/CG062_Long-Term_Acute_Care_Hospital__LTACH_.pdf
To learn more from Dr. Vigna related to decubitus ulcers:
https://vignalawgroup.com/decubitus-ulcer-help-desk/
Greg Vigna, MD, JD, is a national malpractice attorney and an expert in wound care. He is available for legal consultation for families and patients who have suffered decubitus ulcers because of poor nursing care. Nursing homes and hospitals must be held accountable for the complications they cause. The Vigna Law Group along with Ben C. Martin, Esq., of the Martin Law Group, a Dallas Texas national pharmaceutical injury law firm, jointly prosecute hospital malpractice and nursing home neglect cases, nationwide.
To learn more from Dr. Vigna related to decubitus ulcers, click here.
Greg Vigna, MD, JD
Vigna Law Group
+ +1 800-761-9206
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