Wound Care Center cited for quality care

The Yuma Regional Medical Center Wound Care Center has earned two awards for excellent care of the severe wound patients who pass through its doors.

According to program director Ian Hodge, on Tuesday the center received the Center of Distinction Award and the Robert A. Warriner III M.D. Award from Diversified Clinical Services, the world's leading wound care management company.

Both awards are based on outstanding patient outcomes, including wound healing and patient satisfaction rates, said Hodge.

The required wound heal rate for an award is 89 percent, and 90 percent for patient satisfaction within 30 median days. Hodge said the center's rates are 94 percent and 95 percent, respectively.

The Warriner award is for achieving outstanding patient outcomes for 24 consecutive months, he said, including 89 percent wound healing rate and patient satisfaction over 90 percent within 30 median days to heal, among other quality outcomes. Both criteria must be met to get the award from a patient satisfaction stance, Hodge said.

Hodge said the Warriner award, earned by less than 25 percent of the clinics in the nation, was also given to the center in part for receiving the Center of Distinction Award consecutively in 2009 and 2010. “The center of distinction award is the same criteria for 12 months.”

Hodge said he strongly feels the center earned the awards through adherence to Diversified Clinical Service's Clinical Practice Guidelines.

“It's our staff's commitment to those clinical practice guidelines and a commitment to superior outcomes. We really have a collaborative spirit here among all of our clinicians between nurses, physicians.”

Also, a large contribution to the heal rate is the group's hyperbaric oxygen therapy treatment for chronic non-healing wounds.

The Wound Care Center has treated over 16,000 patients since it opened in 2007, according to YRMC.