Purpose: To provide the wound care practitioner with information about the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) pressure ulcer present-on-admission (POA) indicators.
Target audience: This continuing education activity is intended for physicians and nurses with an interest in skin and wound care.
Objectives: After reading this article and taking this test, the reader should be able to: 1. Describe the history and rationale for the CMS financial incentives for pressure ulcer (PrU) prevention. 2. Identify the CMS Pressure Ulcer POA indicators and 2009 ICD-9 coding for PrU staging. 3. Discuss the implications of the new CMS reimbursement for PrUs on healthcare organization practices with examples of successful interventions for PrU reduction.