HIPAA Security Rule Course Released and Available in Core Regulatory Curriculum

       Silverchair Learning Systems (Charlottesville, Va) has released its Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Security Rule course for senior care professionals. This course provides general security awareness training for senior care staff to satisfy the requirements of the HIPAA Security Rule.
       “We are excited to deliver a course that will help senior care organizations comply with the HIPAA Security regulation that went into effect in the middle of (May),” says Mike Benzian, President of Silverchair Learning Systems. “According to a recent survey, only 18% of healthcare providers are actually meeting the regulations. We see this course as a solution to the challenge facing senior care companies related to this rule.”
       “This course was authored by leading senior care industry experts,” says Nancy Wicklin, RN, MS, Silverchair Learning Systems’ Editorial Director, who led the course-development effort and utilized qualified subject matter experts to author the course.
       “The course authors were keenly aware that the HIPAA Security Rule effectively touches all employees in a senior care building,” says Wicklin. “This course was designed with this in mind and addresses the necessary components of security awareness and training in a way that is appropriate for all members of the facility’s workforce.”
       The HIPAA Security Rule course is immediately available to all current and future customers as part of the SLS core regulatory curriculum. Like all core curriculum courses, HIPAA Security is available in English and Spanish and is designed to be appropriate for all employees (front-line, management, and administrative) working in senior care organizations. All enrollees receive a Certificate of Completion when they finish the program.
       Visit http://www.silverchairlearning.com or e-mail mbenzian@silverchairlearning.com for more information.

Coloplast Skin Health Division Announces New Contract With Novation

       The Skin Health Division of Coloplast Corp. (Marietta, Ga) has signed a 3-year contract with Novation® (Irving, Tex), the supply company of Voluntary Hospital Association, Inc., and the University HealthSystem Consortium (UHC) for the Coloplast Skin Health Division’s line of advanced wound care products.
       Novation, founded in 1998, is the largest national Group Purchasing Organization in the United States and includes 2,400 hospital members representing 386,999 beds, 30% of national admissions, and 29% of surgeries performed in the nation.
       The contract covers Coloplast’s comprehensive line of wound care products and includes Comfeel® hydrocolloid dressings, Seasorb® alginate dressings, Biatain® foam dressings, Woun’Dres®‚ PurilonTM hydrogel dressings, Sea-Clens® wound cleanser, Contreet® Foam‚ and hydrocolloid and foam silver dressings.
       Contreet Foam has had numerous clinical studies carried out to prove the effects of the dressing. One of these studies, the CONTOP study, is the largest comparative study ever conducted on a wound dressing. Over 600 patients have been enrolled in more than 10 countries. One of many findings is that Contreet reduces the ulcer area by 45–56% within 4 weeks. Odor was dramatically reduced or eliminated after just 1 week of treatment, and Contreet provides excellent exudate management.
       The Coloplast Skin Health Division offers a full line of skin and wound care products that include, in addition to wound care, bathing, moisturizing, perineal cleanser, and barrier products. These products include brands of moisturizers and skin protectant products, such as Sween® and Baza®. The Coloplast Skin Health Division is focused on providing clinical and financial outcomes for its healthcare customers.
       Call 800-533-0464 or e-mail usdhk@coloplast.com for more information.

ConvaTec Awarded for Excellence in Wound Technology

       Frost & Sullivan (San Francisco, Calif) awarded ConvaTec® (Princeton, NJ) the 2005 Advanced Wound Management Technology Innovation & Leadership of the Year Award at the Excellence in Medical Devices Awards Banquet held March 16, 2005 in San Francisco, Calif.        The award was given in recognition of the company’s leadership of the wound management market through consistently innovative products of superior quality.
       The company’s extensive line of wound care products includes DuoDERM dressings, AQUACEL® Hydrofiber® dressings, and Kaltostat® alginate dressings. The newest wound care brands are Versiva® absorbent dressing and AQUACEL® Ag antimicrobial wound dressing for acute and chronic wounds. The introduction of Versiva demonstrates ConvaTec’s pioneering attitude, which is expected to prompt further growth in the moist wound dressings market. ConvaTec pioneered the development of patented Hydrofiber® technology, which is the basis for AQUACEL, AQUACEL Ag, and Versiva.
       With the company’s focus clearly on providing advanced solutions to create high-quality, sophisticated wound dressings, and therefore meet the needs of physicians and patients, Frost & Sullivan believes ConvaTec to be the most deserving recipient of the 2005 Advanced Wound Management Technology Innovation & Leadership of the Year Award.
       Visit http://www.convatec.com for more information.

Facility’s Revised Braden Algorithm Reduces Nosocomial Pressure Ulcers

       Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center (Camden, NJ) has found success in the mission to reduce hospital-acquired pressure ulcers while updating its wound care program with the help of Premier Health Solutions, LLC (Cherry Hill, NJ).
       Nancy Tomaselli, MSN, RN, CS, CRNP, CWOCN, CLNC, a recognized wound, ostomy, and continence expert with more than 20 years experience, worked with the team to review and update facility policies and procedures regarding the prevention and treatment of pressure ulcers. Nancy also mentored Rosemary Kates, RN, CCRN, BSN, as she moved into the leadership role as wound, ostomy, and continence nurse for the hospital.
       The team implemented the use of the Braden Risk Assessment Scale to evaluate all patients upon admission to the hospital and every 48 hours thereafter. Nancy revised a Braden algorithm that places a greater focus on the individual subcategories of the Braden scale to ensure patients potentially at a high risk for pressure ulcer development are identified early in the evaluative process.
       The team implemented some best practices, such as a wound documentation record for each patient’s chart, a revised wound resource guide for facility-wide use, and a performance improvement tool developed to respond to prevalence study findings. The team also streamlined the wound care product and specialty bed formulary, which reduced supply costs.
       The team works to ensure that patients are placed on the correct surface type and have a turning schedule in place and that staff have products readily available for skin cleansing, moisturizing, and incontinence treatment. Quarterly prevalence studies by the team show that the prevention measures implemented by Nancy and the wound care team have steadily reduced the rate of nosocomial pressure ulcers.
       Visit http://www.premierhealthsolutions.com for more information.