The U.S Wound Registry, initiated in 2005, is a multi-purpose registry created for research pertaining to patients with chronic wounds and ulcers. The overall purpose of the U.S. Wound Registry is to provide data on outcomes and cost effectiveness of treatment among patients with chronic wounds, as well as physician compliance with practice guidelines.
The U.S. Wound Registry’s Do the Right Thing™ initiative represents a model for the development and testing of the type of wound care quality measures which can be directly reported to CMS from a certified EHR. Naturally, there are many possible wound care quality measures. What is at stake is not the loss of 3% of Medicare billing for each wound care practitioner under PQRS for “non-reporters.” The Affordable Care Act mandates that starting in 2015, a substantial portion of a hospital’s revenue be linked to the reporting of quality measures. It is likely that in the near future, physician revenue will be similarly linked to quality metrics. The wound care industry needs a collaborative approach to the selection, creation, validation and testing of an entire suite of quality measures (eventually electronically reported) so that we will not be left behind in the transition to a value based healthcare system.