For patients with acute or chronic wounds, CHME offers Negative-Pressure Wound Therapy (aka Wound Vac Therapy) in tandem with homecare nurses to ensure optimal healing of wounds, such as burns or diabetic ulcers that are often hard to treat. After therapy is prescribed by a specialized physician at the hospital or an outpatient wound clinic, the patient will need the support system of a home nursing company to help with the operation of equipment and changes of dressings, which cannot be done independently by the patient. CHME has Licensed Vocational Nurses (LVN) who specialize in wound care and are familiar with the application of vacuum pumps and the selection of appropriate dressings such as foam pads and gauzes.
The LVN will set up the equipment in the patient’s home and carefully instruct the homecare support staff in the operation of the pump and the manner and frequency of dressing changes. The LVN visit often follows the day after the initial delivery of the equipment, which is drop-shipped or delivered by a driver directly to the home to make sure that the patient can discharge into a prepared and safe environment to receive continued high-level care after a hospital stay.
CHME continues to work with all nurses and physicians involved to make sure the patient has an adequate support system in place and has received the appropriate items to most efficiently treat their condition. CHME’s specially trained department for Medical Supplies helps coordinate the setup of equipment and will ship refills of dressings each month as needed and requested by homecare staff.