From The Editor: Salute to Rural Health

  We are so proud to provide you with the September issue of Today’s Wound Clinic; our journal that is growing in its circulation as well as in the breadth of topics covered — topics that are critically important to the business of running a wound clinic and in bringing quality treatment to patients who come to us for wound care.   In this month’s issue we feature three articles that highlight how clinicians who work and live in rural communities make concerted efforts to bring wound care to community members who otherwise might not benefit from appropriate care due to transportation issues and other inherent difficulties that come with rural living.   In the feature article “Establishing A Care Continuum In Rural America” , Frank Aviles Jr., PT, CWS, WCC, FACCWS, CLT, a long-time friend of mine who resides in North Central Louisiana, describes how he’s built a clinician network in his community that links providers to assure appropriate staffing coverage is available for patients widespread. Similarly, John A. Sterba, MD, PhD, FACEP, a New York physician who has made treating wound patients at the home a “ministry,” reveals the story of his Portable ER and how it’s changing the lives of area residents one house call at a time in “Wound Care on the Go.” TWC co-editor Caroline Fife, MD, FAAFP, CWS and I have both had the pleasure of meeting this unique gentleman, a selfless individual who cares for those who otherwise would likely not receive specialized treatment. And in rural Georgia, Harriett B. Loehne, PT, DPT, CWS, FACCWS, tells us how her amazing telemedicine network based out of Thomasville is impacting scores of patients in a five county surrounding region by servings as a network “hub” of resources. Read about this unbelievable operation in “Telemedicine: The Key to Opening the Door to Wound Closure in Rural Communities?”   As the practice of healthcare continues to evolve in the near and distant future, these articles will stand to illustrate approaches that could become more commonplace than we know now. But one thing certain for the future of healthcare is change, and we who are in the practice of wound care must be prepared for that.   Our recurring column Business Briefs accentuates change in its discussion of ICD-10-CM. The time to start preparing for conversion from ICD-9-CM is now, and the call to action that author Donna J. Cartwright, MPA, RHIA, CCS, RAC, FAHIMA, stresses to readers is palpable. What do you really think you know about the conversion? How ready do you think you are? Find out here.   On a somber note, this issue of TWC also shares the loss of a wound care industry pioneer and leader. Dr. Robert Warriner III, MD, passed away recently after a lengthy illness. Dr. Fife has written a poignant and endearing tribute to this great man. Having endured a similar loss unbelievably almost 2 years ago, my heart goes out to his wife and family, and I hope they know how much he was loved and respected by his peers.