Wound Care and Wound VAC at Home in Los Angeles
Some wounds need more than a bandage. A surgical incision, a pressure injury or a wound that has been slow to heal may need a licensed nurse to assess it, treat it as your physician orders and keep your physician informed. Wound care at home is one of the specialized services our skilled nurses provide, including nurse care for a wound VAC (negative pressure wound therapy, or NPWT) when your physician orders it. Your nurse follows your physician's wound orders, teaches you and your family how to protect the wound between visits, and reports changes to your physician.
- Your doctor orders careWe’ll help get the referral
- We check your coverageMedicare typically pays 100%
- Care starts at homeNursing visits often within 48 hours
What Wound Care at Home Includes
- Wound assessment during nursing visits, as clinically appropriate, including the wound's size, drainage and the skin around it, documented in your record
- Cleaning the wound and changing dressings as your physician orders
- Wound irrigation and packing, as ordered
- Suture or staple removal, as ordered by your physician
- Compression therapy for appropriate wounds, as ordered
- Nurse care for a wound VAC (NPWT), when ordered by your physician: dressing changes on the prescribed schedule and checks that the device is running at the settings in your physician's orders (nurses follow those orders; they do not independently adjust the therapy)
- Watching for signs of infection or other changes in the wound — for example more redness, swelling, drainage or fever — and reporting them to your physician and following through on the next steps
- Teaching you and your family or caregivers how to protect the wound between visits and what to report, including those infection signs
- Coordinating wound care supplies with your orders, and working with the DME company that supplies the wound VAC and its equipment when one is ordered. Certain medications and creams require a physician's order or prescription
- And more, based on your needs and your physician's orders
Wound VAC (Negative Pressure Wound Therapy) at Home
A wound VAC uses a sealed dressing connected to a small pump that applies gentle suction to the wound, as your physician prescribes. If you're going home with a wound VAC, or your physician orders NPWT after you're home, our nurses can care for it at home. Your nurse performs dressing changes according to the prescribed schedule, assesses the wound, checks the device's operation against your physician's orders, and teaches you and your caregivers how to recognize common alerts and when to seek assistance. The wound VAC machine and its supplies come from a DME (durable medical equipment) company, as ordered by your physician — not from Ideal Choice. We coordinate with that company and with your physician's office.
Wounds We Care For
Our nurses often care for patients with:
- Surgical wounds and incisions that need skilled care
- Pressure injuries (pressure sores or bedsores)
- Diabetic foot ulcers and other diabetic wounds
- Venous and arterial ulcers related to circulation problems
- Selected burns requiring skilled nursing care at home
- Wounds that have been slow to heal
- A wound VAC ordered at hospital discharge or by your physician
Don't see your wound type listed? Call us and we'll talk it through with you.
How Wound Care Fits With the Rest of Your Care
Wound care is part of your home health plan of care, so it is coordinated with any other services you need. Your skilled nursing visits can also cover medication teaching and other needs your physician orders. When a wound infection is treated with IV antibiotics, our nurses can provide IV infusion therapy and PICC line care at home. If you also have a drain, catheter or ostomy, see catheter and drain care. Physical therapy and occupational therapy can be part of the same plan, for example to help you move safely while a wound heals. In-home wound care also means wound VAC dressing changes and ongoing NPWT support when ordered.
More Than a Wound Care Visit
Wound care visits are only part of your care. When you call during office hours, you reach our team directly. You have a care coordinator to go to with questions, and we keep communication quick and clear. When your wound or your condition changes, we report it to your physician and follow through. Your nurse coordinates with your physician, your wound care specialist (such as a wound care nurse practitioner) if you have one, and your care team, so everyone stays informed. If you don't already have a wound care specialist, we can help you find a reputable one. Orders from a wound care specialist must be appropriately authorized and incorporated into your home health plan of care.
Wound Care at Home vs. Other Kinds of Care
Home health wound care is skilled medical care provided through scheduled nursing visits under an authorized plan of care. Your physician stays in charge of your wound treatment; nurses follow your physician's or wound care specialist's orders at home and do not replace your follow-up appointments. It differs from nonmedical caregiving. Home health isn't 24-hour care — your nurse visits on the schedule in your plan of care, and your family or caregivers continue between visits, with our team a phone call away. When included in your home health plan of care, a home health aide may also assist with bathing, grooming, dressing and personal hygiene.
For Referring Physicians and Discharge Planners
To help coordinate wound care at home, please include the wound location and diagnosis, current treatment orders, dressing type, and frequency of dressing changes. For wound VAC referrals, please include prescribed pressure settings, dressing instructions, and the DME provider when known. Our intake team can help clarify missing information and coordinate with your office. See the referral form on the physicians page.
Ideal Choice accepts completed physician referral forms and supporting clinical documents by:
- Fax: (747) 877-8441
- Approved secure email: referrals@idealchoicehomehealth.com
Phone (747) 877-8440 is for referral questions and coordination.
Do not send patient information through ordinary email, website forms or chat.
Serving Sherman Oaks and Greater Los Angeles
Our office is at 14852 Ventura Blvd Ste 207 in Sherman Oaks. We primarily serve Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Riverside counties, as well as parts of Ventura and Orange counties. Call to confirm your ZIP code. Learn about our home health care in Sherman Oaks.
Can a wound VAC be managed at home?
Yes. When your physician orders negative pressure wound therapy, our nurses care for the wound VAC at home, including dressing changes and device checks, following your physician's orders. They also teach you and your caregivers how to recognize common alerts and when to seek assistance.
Who supplies the wound VAC and dressings?
The wound VAC machine and its supplies come from a DME (durable medical equipment) company, as ordered by your physician — not from Ideal Choice. We coordinate with that company and with your physician's office. We also coordinate regular wound care supplies with your orders. Certain medications and creams require a physician's order or prescription.
How often will my nurse change the dressing?
As your physician orders. Your visits are set out in your plan of care, based on your wound and your physician's orders. As your wound changes, your physician can adjust the plan.
Who qualifies for wound care at home?
Under Original Medicare, patients generally must be homebound, need qualifying intermittent skilled nursing or therapy, and meet Medicare's certification and plan-of-care requirements. Learn what homebound means on our insurance page, or call us and we'll help you and your doctor figure out whether you qualify.
What should I do if my wound VAC alarms or my wound changes?
Your nurse will teach you how to recognize common alerts and what wound changes to report — for example more redness, swelling, drainage or fever. If the wound VAC loses suction, alarms, or your wound looks worse, contact us promptly so we can report it to your physician and follow through. For a medical emergency, call 911.
Will you communicate with my physician?
Yes. We report changes in your wound and your condition to your physician and follow through, so your doctor knows how you're doing between office visits.
How to Get Started
A physician's order is required. Ask your doctor, wound care specialist or hospital discharge planner to refer you to Ideal Choice Home Health, or call us and we'll help coordinate with your physician. If you don't already have a wound care specialist, we can help you find a reputable one. Once we have the order and eligibility is confirmed, we work to arrange care promptly. Your care coordinator contacts you to schedule your first nursing visit. Physicians can find our referral form on the physicians page.
Ideal Choice accepts completed physician referral forms and supporting clinical documents by:
- Fax: (747) 877-8441
- Approved secure email: referrals@idealchoicehomehealth.com
Phone (747) 877-8440 is for referral questions and coordination.
Do not send patient information through ordinary email, website forms or chat.
Call or text (747) 877-8440. Our office is open Monday through Friday, 10 AM to 5 PM. We accept Original Medicare and also work with the VA and select Medicare Advantage plans on a case-by-case basis. Contact us to verify coverage. See insurance.