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ROCHESTER — UR Medicine’s Strong Wound Healing Center has earned reaccreditation for hyperbaric oxygen therapy from the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society (UHMS), an international association of providers, scientists and associates focused on research, science and medicine related to hyperbaric medicine.
Though there are more than 1,300 hyperbaric programs in the U.S., only 253 have earned this distinction. Accredited since 2014, Strong Would Healing Center offers hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) as an advanced therapy for specific medical conditions.
“We are pleased to have earned this reaccreditation as it validates the safe, high quality of care we continue to provide at the center and also reinforces the medical excellence that patients can expect from UR Medicine,” said Howard N. Langstein, M.D., medical director for the Strong Wound Healing Center.
HBOT is a safe treatment proven to speed the healing process in certain types of wounds. By quickly increasing the concentration of oxygen in the bloodstream, HBOT heals from the inside out. It can help reduce swelling, fight infection, and build new blood vessels, ultimately producing healthy tissue. It is effective in treating diabetic wounds of the lower extremities, necrotizing infection, acute peripheral arterial insufficiency, compromised skin grafts and flaps, chronic refractory osteomyelitis, and delayed radiation injury including soft tissue and bony necrosis.
The Center has two hyperbaric chambers, with capacity to add chambers as demand for HBOT grows. It offers comprehensive wound care to manage chronic or non-healing wounds caused by diabetes, circulatory problems, and other conditions. Non-healing wounds occur most frequently in the elderly and in people with diabetes and are associated with inadequate circulation, poorly functioning veins, and immobility.
Accreditation for clinical hyperbaric treatment is voluntary, though some health insurers require accreditation to cover the therapy. To earn this seal of approval, a center must undergo a rigorous survey that reviews all staffing, equipment, and quality care aspects of HBOT. The center also must have HBOT technicians and nurses certified in hyperbaric medicine.
In 2012, Strong partnered with Healogics, the world’s largest wound care management company, to expand and relocate its wound center from the hospital’s ambulatory care facility to its current site at 160 Sawgrass Drive in Rochester.
For information about the Strong Wound Healing Center, call 585-262-9100.
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