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PULSE Amputation Prevention Center

How to Build an Amputation Prevention Program with CarePICS technology

Leveraging Technology and Teams to Build an Amputation Prevention Program

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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.

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PULSE Amputation Prevention Center Saves Limbs and Lives with CarePICS

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The PULSE Amputation Prevention Center, a multidisciplinary limb salvage program based in El Paso, Texas, recently adopted a new critical wound care tool — CarePICS.

“PULSE is committed to preventing amputations and saving lives,” says Lorie Henderson, PULSE’s administrator and clinical director. “CarePICS was the missing puzzle piece we needed to complete our full circle of care.”

Henderson wants to spread the word about CarePICS. The vascular and wound care solution optimized the program’s ability to treat wound care patients.

Dedicated to Amputation Prevention

PULSE focuses on awareness, treatment, identification and intervention for critical limb ischemia (CLI), peripheral artery disease (PAD) and advanced wound patients. PULSE’s goal is to provide comprehensive evaluations and treatment of complex wounds and vascular intervention by a holistic team of experts.

Because the Amputation Prevention Center is housed in two separate buildings, the program especially needed a centralized hub to strengthen continuity of care.

PULSE learned about CarePICS through Cardiovascular Systems, Inc. (CSI), a medical device company that develops revascularization solutions for patients. As Henderson explains, “I realized almost immediately that this is huge. CarePICS is so much more than a wound care app.”

How CarePICS Streamlines Processes and Provides a Centralized Hub

CarePICS creates connections not just between the primary care physicians (PCPs) who refer patients to PULSE but between the Amputation Prevention Center’s vascular and wound care staff. The virtual care platform is especially valuable for Henderson, who is a CLI navigator — connecting all disciplines and guiding the patient journey through various levels of care.

“From our first interaction with a patient, we gain immediate access to electronic medical records (EMRs) provided by their PCPs,” says Henderson. “Our physicians can then capture and upload images consistently and accurately with minimal data entry. Specialists access the data in real-time without running back and forth between buildings. They can reach out to consultants for advice and second opinions. And they can report all of their documentation, findings and recommendations into a secure server.”

CarePICS breaks down bottlenecks and improves workflows, marking cases as urgent when needed and alerting colleagues to next steps such as referrals or surgery. The virtual care platform guides the entire high-tech care team through the patient healing process.

Evolving Technology and Collaboration to Fit Clinician Needs

CarePICS understands PULSE as a clinical and operational partner, working together as part of a pilot for the multidisciplinary model. “CarePICS is a perfect fit for our multi-modal care model that has proved so successful. They’ve been receptive and fluid supporting with us and the technology evolves to fit our needs,” says Henderson.

Henderson and her team started off with the general specs for CarePICS and provided feedback and insight. CarePICS was quick to respond with modifications and enhanced functionalities. Healthcare professionals can now quickly add patients, take and drop in images, and more.

PULSE hopes to develop a vascular component moving forward and incorporate perfusion imaging to identify at-risk tissue. “It’s fresh and exciting!” says Henderson. “We’re working on a practice model. We also hope to use CarePICS for more forms of medical imaging in general. We see many possibilities for utilizing CarePICS well into the future!”  

For More Information

Change can invigorate a practice – and transition difficulties alleviated through strong partnerships. Visit the CarePICS website to find out how your healthcare organization can utilize a robust hub of coordination for wound care and vascular patients.

You can also contact PULSE Amputation Prevention Center at pulseamputationprevention.com or 915-243-FOOT (3668).

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.