Alliance of Wound Care Stakeholders - Promoting Quality Care and Patient Access to Wound Care Products and Services

The Alliance of Wound Care Stakeholders is a nonprofit multidisciplinary trade association of health care professional and patient organizations whose mission is to promote quality care and access to products and services for people with wounds through effective advocacy and educational outreach in the regulatory, legislative and public arenas.

Upcoming Events

FDA convening public workshop on device labeling

April 29-30
The purpose of the workshop is to discuss the growing need for medical device labeling to be delivered in a clear, concise, and readily accessible format so that patients, caregivers, and healthcare providers may access and utilize device labeling as efficiently and effectively as possible. The FDA needs input from wound care health care professionals. This will be webcast in addition to participating in person. Get more information »

CMS HCPCS Public Meetings

CMS has released the dates for its HCPCS public meetings and the link to register for the meetings to discuss pending HCPCS applications for the 2014 update.

May 8 and 9, 2013 -- Drugs/Biologicals (CTPs)
Deadline for Primary Speaker Registration -- April 24; general attendee registration deadline - May 1

May 29, 2013 -- Supplies and Other
Deadline for Primary Speaker Registration -- May 15; general attendee registration deadline - May 22)

June 4, 2013 -- Durable Medical Equipment and Accessories & Orthotics and Prosthetics
Deadline for Primary Speaker Registration -- May 22, 2013; general attendee registration deadline - May 29

CMS Open Door Forums

Home Health Hospice & DME/Quality Open Door Forum
TBA

Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF)/Long Term Care (LTC) Open Door Forum
TBA

Important News and Information

Alliances Votes to Adopt New Term "Cellular and/or Tissue Based Products for Wounds (CTPs)" to be used instead of "skin substitutes"

Dr. Charles Drueck, chair of the Alliance's CTP working group announced on its March conference call that the Alliance voted positively to adopt this new term. Dr. Drueck congratulated the Alliance organizations and stated "it was an immense undertaking and appreciate the hard and detailed work that all of you had done ---devoting many hours to ensure a thorough vetting of this issue to ensure that the process was fair and inclusive." He stated that the Alliance will now use this terminology in its written and verbal correspondence to Federal regulatory agencies and encourages all the Alliance organizations to begin to integrate this new term when speaking about this product sector in conversations or presenting at the upcoming conferences or in writing.

Click here for a press release about this issue which gives the background on the Alliance's work on this project.