Opening a wound clinic is not without its risks and challenges. These five questions will help clinicians and program directors decide if the outpatient wound care service line is truly appropriate for them.
Hospital-based outpatient wound care programs have experienced explosive growth in a relatively short period of time, despite being relatively “new” to the healthcare industry. An aging population has brought significant health concerns among older patients, including type 2 diabetes, venous insufficiency, obesity, increasingly sedentary lifestyles, tobacco use, and other comorbidities that are taxing our healthcare system. Care of chronic wounds provides a cost-effective solution for this patient demographic, with a primary goal of amputation prevention and a secondary benefit of reduced hospital admissions and/or readmissions seen as motivation. The wound care product industry has also driven outpatient care and is expected to grow to $22 billion in the United States by 2022.1 The product industry has largely driven advancements in the field of wound care research while increasing awareness about wound management. Currently, there are approximately 1,500 wound care centers nationwide, based on conservative estimates collected during the authors’ research for this article, with many more hospitals considering adding a wound care program to their outpatient service lines. There’s no question that wound care programs offer a viable solution for hospitals; however, opening and operating an outpatient wound care program is not easily accomplished. It’s a unique service line that takes committed leadership, upfront capital, and a clinical staff that deeply believes in the service line to make it operate successfully and provide long-term value to the community.
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