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For the second year in a row, Fort HealthCare physicians, leaders and clinicians gathered to celebrate being named a Center of Distinction. The award was presented to the Fort HealthCare Wound & Edema Center staff in Johnson Creek.

This prestigious honor was awarded by the Center’s partner in wound healing, Diversified Clinical Services (DCS), the nation’s leading wound care management company. Benchmarks to achieve Center of Distinction status include high patient satisfaction rates, exceptional healing results and outstanding healing rates are required to receive this honor.

To be eligible for the Center of Distinction award, strict criteria must be met. The clinic must attain greater than 90 percent patient satisfaction, Fort HealthCare’s was 95 percent; the total days to heal must be under 30 days, Fort HealthCare’s was 23 days; and healing outcomes must be over 89 percent, Fort HealthCare achieved 97 percent.

The Wound & Edema Center has achieved success in treating and curing chronic or non-healing wounds and in providing excellent care to hundreds of patients since opening in September 2008. The clinic is one of over 300 DCS affiliated clinics in the United States, but one of only a handful to have received this award in a clinic’s first year of operation, which it did in 2010.

“We’re honored,” said Robert Goldman, MD, medical director of the clinic. “It’s a privilege to be part of a great collaborative effort between the hospital and Diversified Clinical Services.” He added, “This is a team effort on all levels: professional, personal, organizational. Without our skilled clinicians, dedicated staff and committed patients, this would not be possible.”

Individuals across Wisconsin suffer from chronic wounds and many are unaware that treatment is available. Many are suffering from chronic and non-healing wounds, a serious disorder that can lead to amputation of limbs and dramatically impaired quality of life. Associated with inadequate circulation, poorly functioning veins, and immobility, non-healing wounds occur most frequently in the elderly and in people with diabetes and other diseases; populations that are sharply rising as the nation ages and chronic diseases increase.

Non-healing wounds of the diabetic foot are considered one of the most significant complications of diabetes, representing a major worldwide medical, social and economic burden that greatly affects patient quality of life.

When wounds resist conventional treatment, a specialized approach is required for healing. The Wound & Edema Center generally admits these wound patients immediately, working with referring physicians to determine the most effective course of treatment. The outpatient comprehensive service offers advanced healing therapies often unavailable in primary care offices. These services use an interdisciplinary approach to treatment involving a variety of therapies and techniques, including debridement, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, dressing selection, special shoes and patient education.

The Wound & Edema Center staff can effectively utilize hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) to heal wounds. Systemic HBOT therapy has assisted wound healing for more than 40 years, and is an adjunctive treatment for problematic, non-healing wounds that meet specific criteria. It is expected that up to 20 percent of the wound care cases will meet those criteria. The HBOT chambers improve the already successful clinical results of the Center.

For individuals with chronic, non-healing wounds, more information is available online at FortHealthCare.com/Wound. Patients can self-refer to the Wound & Edema Center, but are encouraged to discuss this option with their physician. To learn more, please call the clinic at (920) 699-4245.