Leveraging Technology and Teams to Build an Amputation Prevention Program
We just returned from at the Amputation Prevention Symposium (AMP) 2021 where attendees were able to share knowledge and learn about unique approaches to treating complex diseases. The event facilitated open dialogues on strategies to treat critical limb ischemia (CLI) and peripheral artery disease (PAD).
The CarePICS team contributed to this discourse with a video presentation titled, “Building An Amputation Prevention Program.” The video features:
- Dr. Christopher Bromley, a podiatrist practicing at Premier Medical Group in New York and President of CarePICS
- Lorena Henderson, APRN, a Nurse Navigator
- Dr. Laiq Raja of the PULSE Amputation Prevention Center in El Paso, Texas
In the video, the group discusses how both Premier Medical Group and PULSE leveraged technology and teams to save limbs and lives.
CarePICS — The Connective Tissue for Treating CLI
There are 12 million PAD patients in the United States, 1 million of those patients have CLI that leads to amputations and 60% of CLI patients that receive amputations die within three years, says Dr. Raja. These alarming statistics raise the question: Why is it so difficult to treat this disease?
Healthcare providers face many challenges when treating CLI patients, including:
- Limited Communication Between Colleagues
- Lack of Care Continuity and no Standardization
- Treatment Discrepancies Depending on Location
- Clinical Data Deficiency Lacks Evidence of Efficacy
- Poor Patient Follow-up
The PULSE program overcomes these obstacles with a robust multi-disciplinary team of committed physicians guided by Henderson as the Nurse Navigator.
“As the Navigator, I help physicians navigate patients through the levels of care,” says Henderson. “Patients don’t just have wounds — they also have vascular problems. We get them to the right physician with a strong Navigation program that has greatly benefited from the addition of CarePICS.”
A Navigator ― or a team of Navigators ― are only human and constrained by real-time access to providers, communication lag time, ineffective patient tracking and more. CarePICS helped raise the level of care at PULSE through technology and tying together teams.
Use a Centralized Hub
“CarePICS bridges all the specialties including podiatrists, vascular specialists, primary care, wound care, ER, infectious disease and rehab with a centralized hub and easy accessibility,” says Henderson.
Premier Medical Group doesn’t have a Navigator and previously used traditional methods of wound measurements with cameras and rulers.
“Adopting CarePICS has been like a revolution for us,” says Dr. Bromley. “The advantage of CarePICS is I can take a picture of a wound, measure it on the picture, move that image onto the digital chart and consult colleagues through the app. Everybody is together working on the same image, the same measurements, the same patient. CarePICS is the connective tissue that brings us all together to improve patient outcomes.”
For More Information
If you missed AMP 2021 or want to experience our discussion again, view “Building An Amputation Prevention Program.” We hope our video presentation provides a tool to improve the future for CLI patients.
Visit the CarePICS website if you have any questions about our presentation, want to schedule a free trial of the CarePICS virtual hub or want to learn more from our team about the continuing fight against CLI.
About CarePICS
CarePICS® is a HIPAA-compliant telehealth platform designed to manage vascular disease and wound care patients. CarePICS enables virtual consults, telehealth visits, clinical image reporting, and automated medical supply ordering.