In This Issue:

A message from APWCA’s  Executive Director and President:

Hello to all of our APWCA Members.  First and foremost we wish for all of you a great Memorial Day weekend as we start the summer season.  Over the next 10-12 weeks we hope all of us get some time to sit back, reflect, be with family and friends and enjoy all the good things life has to offer.  Our thoughts continue to go to all those overseas who are daily in harms way and look for a safe return to your families. The Association continues to grow at a rapid rate and we have all of you to thank for that!  Remember this is your association, you make it happen, we have an open door policy so at any time drop us an eMail or give us a phone call, should you have any suggestions, concerns, or just want to say hello.  Below we have provided an abbreviated update of new material.  This starts with a list of upcoming conferences for the remainder of the year, followed by updates on news items.  As always, prior material follows for new members who have not seen prior eMail news updates and for our long-term members that want to follow-up on current and past material.   ENJOY THE HOLIDAY WEEKEND!!

Upcoming Conference Schedule

All CME/CE Earned at the Following Conferences can be applied to the Continual Education Credit
requirements for APWCA to members to maintain their designation as Fellow, Diplomate or Associate.

World Union of Wound Healing Societies, Toronto Canada, June 4-8, 2008.  All of our members have an opportunity to attend what could be a once in a lifetime opportunity.  The World Congress meets every four years and travels to different locations throughout the world.  It is doubtful that the next WUWHS will be held in North America and may very well be located in the Far East when it resumes in 2012.  Therefore, we encourage all members to take advantage that the fact the “local” Toronto location is a short flight or for some a short drive. The WUWHS 2008 Congress is expected to draw approximately 5,000 registrants from all corners of the globe.  APWCA is a hosting society and with that has been charged with organizing the Diabetic Foot Stream … so please plan to attend and meet with your other APWCA colleagues. The scientific program, social agenda, registration and hotel information can all be found by clicking to a link that is found on the APWCA homepage website.   The association encourages all members to attend; we hope to see you in Toronto in June.

Don’t wait.  Register today for Congress 2008 at www.worldunion2008.com

The APWCA Southeast Regional District is collaborating with the Princeton-Baptist Health Systems for the first Annual Birmingham Scientific Wound Care and Hyperbaric Medicine Regional Meeting, August 15 and 16th at the Sheraton Birmingham Hotel, 2101 Richard Arrington, Jr. Blvd. N, Birmingham, Alabama.  12.5 CME credits available for physicians / 12.5 CEU credits available for nurses.  For additional information, please contact Dana Dortch [dana.dortch@bhsala.com or Phone # 205-599-4818] or Carol Shedd  [Phone # 205-783-7749].

The 9th Annual “New Cardiovascular Horizons,” (NCVH). APWCA is a collaborating organization and will be presenting the AM track of a full day program on the At Risk Foot, on Wednesday September 10th.  This is a multi-disciplinary international conference offering the practicing physician, podiatrist, resident, nurse and other health care professionals a comprehensive overview of the diagnosis and management of cardiovascular disease, critical limb ischemia, and wound care.  New Orleans, Sept. 10-13, 2008, with a maximum of 30.5 AMA PRA Category 1 credits.

The 23rd Annual Clinical Symposium on Advances in Skin & Wound Care, October 27-30, 2008, at the Rio Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.  31 AMA Category 1 Credits.  http://www.symposiumonwoundcare.com/

The Veith Symposium. APWCA is a collaborating organization with Veith Symposium.   The “WOUNDS” program, will be held Wednesday, November 19; the full vascular conference runs November 19 through November 23, at the Hilton Hotel in New York City.  The one day “WOUNDS” program is fast paced and provides an exciting faculty of international speakers in wound care.  http://www.veithsymposium.org/ 

The APWCA is planning to develop a Board Review Course for the Physician’s Certification Exam by the end of the year or early 2009.  The Physician’s Certification Exam will be offered during the APWCA2009 National Conference to be held in Philadelphia, April 2-5.  The exam is administered by the Council for Medical Education and Testing.  Tentatively scheduled for January 2009 in Los Angeles, CA.

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Physician Certification Exam - Update

Are you a physician going to the Toronto Conference?  Consider being one of the first in your medical community to be certified in Wound Care by THE Physician Wound Care Certification Examination which rolls out Friday, June 6th, 2008 in Toronto Canada during the World Union of Wound Healing Societies Congress (WUWHS). The exam will be administered by the Council for Medical Testing, endorsed by the APWCA and recognized by the American College of Hyperbaric Medicine. The exam will run from 1:00pm-5:00pm and registrants should arrive to the site no later then 12:30PM.  The fee for the Toronto exam is $850.00.  We anticipate the final price of the exam to be somewhere around $1,200.00 with gradual increases.  Resources for exam preparation, registration and other information can be found by clicking the Toronto Exam button found on the homepage of our APWCA website. Click here: http://www.apwca.org/woundCareExam/

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Open Enrollment to Close Shortly

APWCA is in the process of providing public statements to inform the medical community of the imminent close of open enrollment for physicians joining the APWCA. If you have colleagues that you feel should be a member of this association, advise them that they are able to join under current policy prior to termination of open enrollment.  Current members of APWCA will continue to maintain their current designation of Associate, Diplomate or Fellow after the open Enrollment period.  After open enrollment ends, examination or other pathways will be necessary for new members to become a Fellow of AWPCA.  The effective closure date will be by the end of the year and additional details will be published as they are available in future eMail Updates. 

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Insurance Update

The APWCA Insurance Committee continues to be actively addressing such issues competitive bidding and coding for Anti-microbial dressings.   Regarding the latter, we have requested consideration for special codes for any microbial dressings which would then allow for appropriate coverage as these are more expensive, but often very beneficial to patients with infection.   Regarding competitive bidding; as a reminder the association has concern that only cost for service will be considered for which vendors are able to provide service to Medicare patients.  

Currently negative pressure therapy is THE wound care therapy that is affected for this coming year, but in 2009 there will be a significant number of services added to the competitive bidding process.  In 2010 it is likely that the entire Medicare system will be based on the competitive bidding model.  Negative pressure is a complex form of therapy used on very compromised patients and must be applied in a consistent manner with materials that are effective.  It is the APWCA’s opinion that VAC should continue to be available to physicians who prefer to use this for their patients.  The competitive bidding model should be applied in a slower manner to ensure that the physicians have choice as to which type of NPWT they choose to use for their patients until further research on other forms of NPWT is available.  The following is a portion of a release from KCI (http://www.kci1.com):

SAN ANTONIO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 15, 2008--Kinetic Concepts, Inc. (NYSE: KCI), a global medical technology company with leadership positions in advanced wound care and therapeutic support systems, today announced that it will not be a contracted negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) supplier in phase one of the competitive bidding program administered by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The program covers Medicare home placements in 10 designated metropolitan areas and is scheduled to take effect in July 2008.

"We continue to believe that NPWT has been improperly included in competitive bidding due to a demonstrable lack of comparable or effective alternatives to KCI's V.A.C.(R) Therapy system," said Catherine M. Burzik, President and Chief Executive Officer of KCI. "We believe that the CMS bidding and contracting process does not ensure access to effective NPWT in the home, and Medicare beneficiaries are likely to be harmed as a result."

APWCA2008 – Resounding Success!
March 6 – 9, 2008

APWCA2008 was another resounding success.  Reviews from new registrants were very good.  The new location in Texas has resulted in a significant increase in Midwest membership which continues to this day.  We estimate a total attendance of 550 filled the general lecture rooms.  The pre-course and post-course break-out sessions were also well attended, and food was plentiful in the Exhibit area for breakfast, lunch and breaks.  The dinner symposium on Thursday night was again well attended and the presentation provided through a grant by Vasamed was very interesting and opens a new era of peripheral material assessment that directly correlates with oxygenation of the peripheral tissues. 

Andrew Boulton, MD gave a spectacular key-note address and received our first outstanding achievement award.  We are proud to say that he has accepted an honorary membership.  A spectacular annual scientific address was delivered by PhD researchers from the University of Iowa, four tremendous speakers that were sponsored through an educational grant by McCord Research.

The oral and poster abstracts were a highlight of the new information available through APWCA2008. The three winning poster abstracts will be published in our next eMail News Update and our upcoming Summer edition of Synergy.

All in attendance will also remember that Thursday March 6th was unusual in that it was the first time in 10 years that Fort Worth Texas received a significant amount of snow closing the DFW airport for several hours. Registrants were arrivals were delayed, however all but a few finally arrived at the conference hotel. Certainly appears ironic, but looking back it was an adventure not common in that part of the country.

Mark your calendars for April 1-5, 2009 in Philadelphia for APWCA2009.  Looking for a total attendance of 1,000 with spectacular ground breaking plans already on the drawing board.

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To our Members, the following news was presented in previous eMail News Updates…

APWCA2008 formally recognized as a non-profit organization

The American Professional Wound Care Association (APWCA) is a hybrid non-profit organization unlike any other organization available and founded in 2001. Its non-profit status is a 501 (C) (6) with an effective month of April 2001.

You can be proud of being a member or participating thorough Industrial Support of the American Professional Would Care Association.  The APWCA is a non-profit 501 (C) (6). 

By way of background, the APWCA never had any shareholders and no individuals have ever had financial interest in any aspect of the association.  That said, application for non-profit status was made summer of 2007.  After a full review by our legal council, audit by our accounting firm and review of records by the IRS the non-profit status was granted retroactive to an effective date of April, 2001.  This was the first month that this association functioned and the first month any members were accepted.  The scrutiny of the review of our documentation that was performed in 2007 reflects the integrity, honesty, and professionalism that this association meets.

Additionally, our Executive Director and founder has been a noted speaker in his podiatric profession in the past 20 years, Dr. Kravitz voluntarily donates any honorariums or speaking money that he obtains to the APWCA. In fact whenever possible, he requests that the money for same be drafted as a grant to the association rather then be provided to himself.

Our books are transparent and open should anyone like further review.  We strive to provide the very best: educational resources, representation for our members for insurance issues, informative consultation services for those requesting same and a budget that is lean without fat so that each dollar received through various resources goes toward providing these services with low operating expenses.

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American Wound Care Foundation Update

American Wound Care Foundation is up and running!  This has been a long term project that has finally materialized.  The foundation is a Philanthropic not profit charitable organization.  Its primary goals and objectives is to provided medical supplies and services to those with limited income who are not able to receive such either because of insurance denial or lack of insurance coverage.  The Foundation will also provide education to patients and caregivers.  Those who would like more information can contact the Foundation by clicking on the button on the APWCA website homepage or visiting http://www.AmWCF.org/

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House of Delegates Needs You

The association is actively looking for members who would like to participate and be a member of the APWCA House of Delegates.  This is an exciting opportunity for those who would like to get involved with the APWCA and serve as a grass-roots advocate for concerns of the regional area, brining these to the administration and the APWCA Board of Directors.  The House of Delegates meets annual during our APWCA National meeting which will occur April 1-5 in Philadelphia in 2009.  Please contact headquarters (wounds@apwca.org) for more information so you can then be contacted by the Chair of the House, Michael Fusaro, DPM, FAPWCA.

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CME Audit Update

If you’ve been audited for CME APWCA requirements; to maintain active status during 2007, we highly recommend you attend APWCA2008 and register for a minimal 21 contact hours of education so that you are not placed on inactive status and maintain your designation as Fellow, Diplomate, or Associate of this organization.  Your other option is to mail the APWCA HQ CME attendance documents totaling 21 hours of CME/CE in wound care in conferences provided by, or approved by the scientific committee of this association.

CME Audits have been initiated this year.  Members are to obtain 21 hours of continuing medical education credit in wound care every three years to maintain their designation of Fellow, Diplomate or Associate.  When audited, it is important that the member maintain proper documentation to fulfill this requirement.  This can be done through attending APWCA educational events or any one of a number of educational meetings approved by the APWCA Scientific Committee.

Point to Note: All of our national meetings, including APWCA2008 this past March and the upcoming APWCA2009, to be held April 1 – 5, 2009, will automatically track the CME for each member.  Therefore should an audit occur, any member who attends an APWCA national meeting will automatically default to the conference database.  If attended 21 hours or more of education the audit would then therefore be met.  This is a major advantage to members attending our annual Spring educational events.

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Membership Fees: Paid Online

Annual membership fee can now be paid on line at www.apwca.org  -  When you receive a copy of your dues notice remember payment on line is available.

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Headquarters Improvement Campaign

Federico Peguero, MD, FAPWCA, Treasurer and Board Member, will assume responsibility for managing the HQ Improvement Campaign.  He encourages all members who have not yet participated to think about doing so.  He has provided a full report, which will run in our Winter edition of printed Synergy Newsletter to be mailed shortly!!  Note that all funds are appreciated – large or small – and 100% of that donated goes directly to the improvements at the APWCA office.  Contribute on-line from our home page at www.apwca.org.

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Wound Care Essentials Practice Principles

Sharon Baranoski MSN,RN, CWOCN, APN, DAPWCA, FAAN
Elizabeth A. Ayello PhD, RN, APRN,BC, CWOCN, FAPWCA, FAAN

Publisher: Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins

ISBN: 978-1-58255-469-3

Copyright: 2008©

Page Count: 496

List price: $47.95

Written by two well-known wound care specialists and an interdisciplinary team of experts, this handbook is essential for all professionals involved in wound care, including nurses, physical therapists, physicians, podiatrists, and long-term care professionals. The book provides practical, comprehensive guidelines for assessment and management of both common and atypical wound problems and covers many topics not sufficiently addressed in other texts, such as sickle cell wounds, amputation, gene therapy, and the specific wound care needs of special populations. Features include more than 100 photographs and illustrations, recurring icons such as Evidence-Based Practice and Practice Points, case studies, and review questions.

Visit www.LWW.com/nursing or call 1-800-638-3030 to order your copy today!

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Name Change Announced for Honey-Based Product Line

DermaSciences, Princeton, NJ, and its partner, Comvita New Zealand, Ltd, have changed the brand name of their honey-based product line to MEDIHONEY. Both companies previously intended to market the products under the API-MED brand. The MEDIHONEY brand was acquired by Comvita through its recent purchase of Medihoney-Pty Ltd, a former subsidiary or the Australian-based Capilano group. MEDIHONEY is a line of active Leptospermum honey-based wound and burn dressings used in several countries. The first of these dressings, a calcium alginate dressing with active Manuka (Leptospermum) honey was cleared for use in the management of wounds and burns by the Food and Drug Administration in July 2007.

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New Patient Information Brochures

Brochures are now available to distribute to patients, place in waiting room, etc. They explain the benefits you as a provider offer patients through your membership.  These can be purchased through the APWCA at a nominal fee of $30.00 per 100 copies (includes $25.00/100 plus $5.00 for tax, shipping and handling).  Charge card orders can only be processed by phone or fax. Do not use email for credit card orders as our email address is for our general box and is not secured. We will also have availability to order the brochures on line through our website over the next few weeks. Until then, drop us a line and call us or fax your request.

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Lab Coat Patches

Lab Coat Patches are now also available. These are very attractive color embroidered patches for sleeve or front of lab coat with APWCA logo and the motto “Synergy of Disciplines in Wound Care”.  They are to be sewn to the garment to ensure they are secured properly. Wear them proudly to demonstrate your interest in wound care and your membership in this Association to your peers and patients. The first patch is on us at no charge or you can mail a check or charge $10.60 (includes handling, postage and tax) payable to APWCA by phone or fax and we will mail you four patches. 

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APWCA Lapel Pins

APWCA Lapel Pins came out last year. Wear these proudly on dress sport coats as well as lab coats. Our acronym, “APWCA” in center with the phrase “Synergy in Wound Care” or “Synergy in Disciplines” peripheral around pin border. They look great. Wear the lapel pin proudly today.  Be sure to pick up your pin at any APWCA conference or related event. See events schedule at bottom of this email news update.

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APWCA Members Online Directory

Online directory:  Look for this to be initiated shortly. All members will have three options available. 1. You may opt out and not participate 2.  participate a directory open to the general public 3. directory open to members only. The online directory was requested by members, voted on and unanimously approved during the annual meeting of the membership held in April during the APWCA2007.

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Power Point Slide Set for Wound Care Lectures

PowerPoint CD with nearly 100 slides, “Fundamentals of Wound Care” is available. Nearly 100 word slides with many photographs. $100.00 plus tax ($106.00) for members and $250.00 plus tax ($265.00) for non-members. Allow 4 to 6 weeks for normal delivery. Expedited 10 day turn around out to mail, additional $25.00.

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Certificate Framing

NOW AVAILABLE
American Professional Wound Care Association certificate professionally framed with superior quality materials ready for display

Your choice of two attractive ways to have your credential framed and ready for display.  The first is a traditional walnut burl with an inner gold edge made of a composite material.  The second produces a more contemporary look with a brushed gold aluminum frame, approximately 19”w x 16” h.  Neither frame will warp, crack, or release harmful chemicals that may damage the enclosed item.  Both contain your certificate, double matted with acid free materials, glazed with plexi-glass and a wire attached for immediate display. 

The cost including shipping is $185 .00 plus 6% sales tax totals $196.10

Please allow 4-6 weeks for delivery.

Telephone: 215.364.4100, e-mail: wounds@apwca.org

AMEX, Visa & MasterCard accepted

Checks made payable to APWCA:

American Professional Wound Care Association

853 Second Street Pike, Suite #A-1, Richboro, PA 18954

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APWCA 2008 Sponsors

We are proud to be able to acknowledge all of the following:

Emerald Level: McCord Research

Platinum Level: HealthPoint, Vasamed, Medline Industries, NormaTec

Gold Level: Cubist, Organogenesis Inc, Derma Sciences Inc, Kinetic Concepts Inc.

Silver Level: Advanced BioHealing, Coloplast, Earthwalk Orthotics, HyperMed Inc, Natural Step, PamLab LLC, Perry Baromedical, Smith & Nephew Wound Management

Bronze level: Medical Nutrition USA Inc, Physicians Choice Hosiery

Copper Level: Medela Healthcare, National Healing Corporation

APWCA appreciates all of these companies for their vision and support of the APWCA educational goals and objectives. They have allowed this Association to aspire and produce a gold standard, pace setting scientific program for our 2008 National.