In response to the COVID-19 national crisis, Healogics has announced the launch of a Telehealth Programme. The programme is available immediately to Healogics’ 600-plus wound care centres and 4,000 associated wound care providers, providing a means and set of protocols for continuity of care specific to chronically wounded patients during this crisis.
“We recognize the important role wound care treatments have on our patient population and the impact on the health system if wound patients go untreated,” said Allan Woodward, president, hospital and physician services. “Our clinical and operational teams have worked very hard to advance our programme to offer Telehealth wound care services to our patients and hospital partners.”
Healogics’ data has shown that patients suffering from untreated wounds are twenty times more likely to end up in the emergency room or admitted to the hospital.
According to a statement, Healogics is committed to treating patients during this pandemic, while keeping them safe in their own home when necessary. As such, included in the program is the implementation of a predictive model that highlights the 30 percent of patients most likely to be hospitalized without advanced wound treatment.
“This allows our centres to be selective about the patients we bring in for physical visits, allowing us to optimally space patients without overcrowding the center,” said William Ennis, Healogics chief medical officer.
“Patients with wounds are complex and already compromised, many patients with chronic wounds have three or more comorbidities. Often, an untreated wound exacerbates the underlying comorbidities, requiring additional medical services, treatments and interventions. We implemented the Telehealth Programme to reduce hospitalisations and infections for patients with non-healing wounds during this unprecedented time with the Coronavirus outbreak.”
The Telehealth Programme provides the necessary workflow and expertise to evaluate patients remotely and limit additional strain on the hospital system during the COVID-19 outbreak.
