Once upon a time there was a happy land where at least half the patients seen in a hospital-based outpatient wound center (HOPD) were Medicare Fee for Service (FFS) beneficiaries. Their treatments were covered and we got paid for providing them. The most the patient had to worry about was the 20% “patient responsible portion.” In that kingdom, only private payers required prior authorization for services like hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT), negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT), or “skin substitutes,” but at least they actually authorized those treatments upon request … read more