5 Tips For Minimizing Litigation Risk In Long-Term Care Facilities

David Navazio, Gentell President & CEO

Limiting risk relating to wound care can be done with long-term facility resources on hand or readily available, and at virtually no added cost.

PHILADELPHIA, PA, USA, June 22, 2023/EINPresswire.com/ -- According to a report by the insurance company, CNA, wound care is the second leading source, after falls, of disputes and lawsuits against nursing homes (https://www.mcknights.com/news/falls-are-top-reason-for-lawsuits-against-skilled-nursing-facilities-report-states/). Other long-term care facilities report similar cause rankings. David Navazio, CEO of Gentell, a leader in wound care, offers some tips for reducing that risk, as it relates to wound care.

He said, "Nursing homes and other long-term care facilities can limit their risk of disputes and litigation by making wound care a priority and taking steps to make it an essential component of their operational culture."

Navazio pointed out that, in many cases, limiting risk can be done with facility resources on hand or readily available, and at virtually no added cost. He recommends 5 steps to help reduce the risk of disputes and litigation relating to wound issues:

1) Make wound care a management priority.
Develop a wound care culture in your organization. Make management, medical & caregivers part of the team, where everyone is focused on prioritizing quality wound care.

2) Take pride in your wound care program, even communicate about it.
Unfortunately, wounds are a part of long-term care life, even in the best of facilities. By having a dedicated policy and program and communicating about it, it can even become a competitive advantage. Because people will see that your organization is committed to wound care and to maintaining best practices in caring for residents, risk exposure can be reduced.

3) Make wound care continuing education important.
Develop a wound care learning & development program that refreshes and updates skills for all employees who care for residents. Some vendors offer training materials and instructors so you don't even have to develop them on your own.

4) Enable quality wound care to happen.
Provide staff with the time and materials they'll need to make frequent inspection, treatment and dressing changing possible.

5) Keep and maintain wound care records.
Install a computerized program, such as Gentell^® FastcareTM, that facilitates documentation & tracking of individual wound treatment and outcomes. Review activity and results to help fine-tune your program and measure your progress toward continually achieving and exceeding goals.

Said Navazio, "In today's litigious society, turning wound care into a positive initiative will go a long way towards minimizing the risk of disputes and litigation. As an added benefit leading to staff loyalty; cultivating a wound care culture creates an environment where team members can be proud of their accomplishments in helping patients and in improving outcomes."

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ABOUT DAVID NAVAZIO AND GENTELL David Navazio is the President and CEO of Gentell, Inc. and affiliated companies. Starting in 1994, with a small home medical equipment and respiratory company, David built Gentell to be a world leader in wound care. His pioneering vision has inspired innovations such as advanced wound healing protocols, developed uniquely for nursing homes, the creation of state-of-the-art wound care products, industry-leading wound treatment educational programs, cutting-edge wound care management technology and more.

Among many accomplishments, David worked tirelessly with the National Association for the Support of Long Term Care (NASL) and chaired the committee responsible for having the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) recognize advanced wound care products. The result was a Congressional change to the Medicare Coverage Policies (Section 2079) to not only recognize wound care but to provide coverage for advanced wound care products.

David is Board Chair Emeritus of Pearl S. Buck International, on the Advisory Board of the Salvation Army, West Central New Jersey region, and active in leadership of regional Rotary International. He is also Honorary Commander of Joint Base MDL and a Board member of the Liquori Academy.

Gentell is one of North America’s largest wound care dressing manufacturers with manufacturing plants in the U.S., Canada, and China, as well as facilities around the world. The company manufactures and supplies efficient, affordable patient-specific wound care treatments to nursing homes, hospitals, home care, hospices and other providers.

Gentell
2701 Bartram Road
Bristol, PA 19007 USA
Toll Free: 1-800-840-9041
Phone: 215-788-2700
Fax: 215-788-2715

Website: Gentell.com
LinkedIn: /in/davidnavazio /company/gentell
Twitter: @gentell 2701
Facebook: facebook.com/woundadvisor

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