In this new age of COVID-19, wound care has become harder than ever. Wound care specialists and clinics have seen huge drop-offs in the number of patients that they are able to treat as COVID-19 spreads across the country. Hospital-based, outpatient wound care clinics are shortening hours or closing down entirely. Patients suffering from wounds are cancelling at-home appointments and are declining to visit clinics. Post-operative patients are requiring new ways to be cared for remotely. Nursing homes around the country are banning visitors, including wound care specialists, in an attempt to stave off infection and protect vulnerable patients.
This pandemic is piled upon the long list of challenges that already face wound care. Regardless of these challenges, wound care remains essential for the lives of millions of people. Wound care is costly - Medicare estimates the cost of acute and chronic wound care treatments may range from $28.1 billion all the way up to $96.8 billion each year, with treatments for surgical wounds and diabetic foot ulcers costing billions of dollars each. Chronic, non-healing wounds affect nearly 15% of Medicare beneficiaries - over 8 million American seniors.
These treatments, per patient, can cost around $3,000 to $4,000 for every treatment. Some treatments can cost all the way up to $10,000. Wound care is also complex as nearly all patients require specialized attention for individual needs. Without the necessary care, untreated wounds can cause avoidable visits to already overcrowded hospitals and added complications to already serious ailments such as wound infection, preventable amputations, and even death.
The spotlight in these trying times has been turned to telehealth, where medical professionals can help patients without risk of infection. Learn more about how telehealth and wound care is expanding, the challenges it faces, and how it's helping stop the spread of COVID-19 here: