Colorado Acute Long Term Hospital Earns Wound Care Certification

Hospital is first in Colorado to earn designation from The Joint Commission

Denver, CO /PRNewswire/ - Colorado Acute Long Term Hospital has earned The Joint Commission's Gold Seal of Approval® for Disease-Specific Wound Care Certification. The certification is a symbol of the level of quality and clinical excellence the hospital's Wound Healing Institute of Denver demonstrates through its commitment to providing safe and effective patient care. The 63-bed hospital is the first in the state of Colorado and the first hospital in the LifeCare Health Partners system to achieve this designation.

To qualify, Colorado Acute Long Term Hospital underwent a rigorous on-site review where a Joint Commission surveyor reviewed clinical practice guidelines and performance measures. The hospital's program, led by Dr. Glenn Herrmann, a nationally renowned plastic surgeon, provides individualized treatment plans designed for high-risk patients with impaired tissue integrity.

"Such certification is a colossal achievement," said Dr. Herrmann. "It solidifies the tremendous efforts the hospital is willing to put forth to bring world-class wound care to the patients of Colorado and the surrounding states. It is a beacon of quality for patients and families seeking professionals who are capable to treat difficult and non-healing wounds."

The Joint Commission's Disease-Specific Care Certification, which is awarded for a two-year period, evaluates clinical programs across the continuum of care and addresses three core areas:

• Compliance with consensus-based national standards
• Effective use of evidence-based clinical practice guidelines to manage and optimize care
• An organized approach to performance measurement and improvement activities

"Achieving this certification represents a milestone in our team's journey to providing world-class care for our patients," said Craig Bailey, FACHE, CEO of Colorado Acute Long Term Hospital. "It sets a standard for continuous quality and process improvement that supports the ongoing success of our patients' long-term outcomes and quality of life. It also differentiates our hospital as a preferred place to go for advanced healing of complex and non-healing wounds that are life-altering to our patient population and costly to society."

According to a recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), called "Management of Chronic Wounds—2018," it is estimated that as many as 4.5 million Americans have chronic wounds – wounds that do not heal in four weeks or less or are complicated by other underlying medical conditions.

Colorado Acute Long Term Hospital has offered wound care services to the Denver community for 20 years. Over the last five years the hospital has expanded its general wound care services to include an innovative wound closure procedure and after-care program for patients with complex, non-healing wounds. In 2017, the hospital performed wound closures for nearly 120 patients from more than 20 states using this advanced wound closure technique. The program boasts higher-than-average success rates, including a 90 percent success rate for wound closure without complications. According to recent hospital data, 86 percent of patients cited an improvement to their overall quality of life following treatment.

The Wound Healing Institute of Denver specializes in treatment of:

• Post-surgical wounds
• Pressure injuries
• Compromised muscle grafts and flap closures
• Stable necrotizing soft tissue infections or gangrene
• Complications associated with skin and bone infections

About LifeCare Health Partners
LifeCare Health Partners, headquartered in Plano, Texas, is a leading health care services provider dedicated to improving the quality of life for patients and maximizing their potential for healing and recovery. The company encompasses the LifeCare Family of Hospitals as well as a variety of post-acute services including transitional care, inpatient and outpatient behavioral health treatment and home-based care. Learn more at www.lifecarehealthpartners.com.