A Message From the President
March 2005
Spring has finally arrived. Soon it will be time to turn our clocks ahead to enjoy more daylight. It is a great time of the year!
Our annual spring conference in Reno earlier this month was filled with excellent speakers. Having a conference in a hotel with a casino can be a challenge, but everyone attended the sessions. The hotel atmosphere was lively and the variety of restaurants and food was terrific.
We officially welcomed our new officers for the next 2 years and said Thank You to Sandy Higelin, Wanda Johnson and Kelly Sparks for jobs well done. Hopefully we will see these ladies back in another role with PCR in the future.
During our general membership meeting, our Board was busy updating PCR Polices and Procedures as well as revising the annual awards we bestow on fellow colleagues. These items are long overdue, and will help the organization run smoother. Speaking of awards, please check our website and nominate a colleague/s for these awards. What better way to honor someone.
Looking ahead to the WOCN conference in Las Vegas in June, keep your calendars open for Sunday June 12 when PCR will again host an open house to welcome fellow colleagues. This is a time to pause before the hectic pace of the general program to chat with friends and enjoy light refreshments. While this night is prior to the official opening of the conference, you may want to arrive early to enjoy this evening.
We will again have our PCR booth in the exhibit hall and will need volunteers to man it during exhibit hours. If you are planning to attend, please get in touch with either Jan Wacker at: Jan@financiallyfree.com or Verena Esparza at: espverena@earthlink.com to sign up for booth duties. We will be selling tickets again for a great gift/s and they need your participation at our booth for it to be successful.
On a more serious note, the Medicare Coverage Advisory Committee (MCAC) of CMS, will hold a public session March 29th to discuss care of chronic wounds as it relates to sufficient scientific evidence to determine whether certain medical items and services are reasonable and necessary under the Medicare statue. Topics of discussion will include cleansing, debridement, dressings, compression, off-loading and antibiotics.
What this means to healthcare providers and patients is whether Medicare will continue to reimburse for the above services based on strength of evidence presented to them. Depending on the outcome of this session, reimbursement may or may not change. This could have a dramatic effect not only on how we treat chronic wounds, but how our patients get reimbursed. Stay tuned for results of this important meeting.
Judy Papen,
PCR President
