Alliance of Wound Care Stakeholders Celebrates 20 Years as Leading Voice for Wound Care Advocacy on Behalf of Members and Collaboration with Government Agencies

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Alliance of Wound Care Stakeholders (The Alliance), the leading voice for wound care advocacy and education to address public policy issues impacting patient access to care, marks two decades of experience in addressing many issues of commonality for its members that include clinical and patient associations, wound care clinics and business entities spanning manufacturers and distributors, providers, researchers and reimbursement experts. As an umbrella organization for the industry, The Alliance takes pride in its role as a key collaborator and resource for numerous government agencies – spanning Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and US Congress -- providing insights, guidance and participation on the many issues impacting coding, coverage and payment, as well as quality measures and wound care research.

“As we look back on our 20 years of serving multiple stakeholders across the wound care community, we are gratified to reflect on significant advocacy and educational outreach activities in the regulatory, legislative and public arenas,” says Marcia Nusgart, R.Ph., CEO, The Alliance. “These meaningful endeavors successfully elevate the visibility and united voice of wound care providers to regulators and policymakers, with benchmark achievements and strides as an agent of positive change. Our initiatives have impacted public policy issues and are overcoming barriers to accessing treatments or care for patients nationwide.”

• 2022 Highlights

  • Communicated, emphasized the unintended consequences of inconsistent Healthcare Common Procedures Coding System (HCPCS) coding for CTPs (“skin substitutes”)

  • Convened a meeting with five CMS directors across three divisions to improve key CMS policymakers’ understanding of CTPs

  • Conducted “educational seminar” customized to key policymakers who oversee policies guiding HCPCS coding, physician fee schedule and Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (OPP).

“The Alliance further established its industry-leading position by organizing and convening the inaugural Wound Care Evidence Summit™ in May 2022,” says Nusgart. “This landmark event brought together, for the first time, Alliance members with medical directors from leading healthcare payer organizations and sparked opportunities for meaningful discussions and collaborative solutions with representatives from CMS and the FDA who attended the event.”

About The Alliance of Wound Care Stakeholders

The Alliance of Wound Care Stakeholders, the leading voice of wound care advocacy for more than 20 years, unites leading wound care organizations and experts through advocacy and educational outreach in the regulatory, legislative and public arenas to advocate on public policy issues that may create barriers to patient access to treatments or care. With a key focus on coding, coverage and reimbursement, quality measures and wound care research, The Alliance has enabled the wound care clinical community to collaborate, elevating the visibility and united voice of wound care providers to regulators and policymakers. For more information visit www.woundcarestakeholders.org