We Come to You: Expanding Access Through Post-Acute Mobile Wound Care
This editorial from JWC Wound Central highlights the growing importance of mobile wound care services in addressing barriers to access for patients with hard-to-heal wounds. As populations age and mobility challenges rise, many patients are unable to access advanced care through traditional outpatient clinics—whether due to location, physical limitations, social isolation, or lack of insurance coverage.
Key Highlights:
- Rising Need for Access: Post-acute mobile wound care has emerged to meet the growing need for at-home or facility-based services across hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and group homes.
- Technology On-the-Go: These mobile services offer patients access to cutting-edge tools like CAMPs (cellular, acellular, matrix-like products) and near-infrared spectroscopy previously limited to wound centers.
- iPAWS Summit 2024: The inaugural International Post-Acute Wound Society (iPAWS) Summit, held in New Orleans, convened over 200 clinicians to advance education, business models, and competency-based training for mobile wound care providers.
- Featured Sessions:
- Medical Necessity Documentation – William O’Malley, former Medicare Auditor
- The Business of the Mobile Model – Dennis Deruelle, MD; Martha Kelso, RN, CHWS, DAPWCA, HBOT; and Naz Wahab, MD
- Call to Action: As mobile wound care rapidly becomes a core element of the specialty, education and advocacy must grow alongside it to ensure equitable, expert-level care reaches every patient in need—regardless of setting.
This movement underscores a shift in wound care delivery—meeting patients where they are, while embracing technological innovation and reshaping access across the care continuum.
Keywords:
post-acute wound care,
mobile wound care,
iPAWS,
Martha Kelso,
Dennis Deruelle,
Naz Wahab,
William O’Malley,
cellular acellular matrix,
near-infrared spectroscopy,
wound access equity