Pressure sores in the WSJ

The Wall Street Journal talked about the measures hospitals and nursing facilities are taking to prevent pressure ulcers in this article. They are using fancy mattresses, playing music every 2 hours to remind nursing staff to turn the patients, and doing thorough skin checks more often. This is great news for patients, as ulcers are slow-healing, easily-infected, and preventable. They are also a significant part of the Medicare budget. But not for long. Medicare and some private insurers are slowly implementing a plan to stop paying for preventable conditions, such as pressure sores. I hope that they plan to increase compensation to facilities for the added cost of increased man hours and equipment. These are necessary and important measures to maintain a patient's quality of life, whether or not the improvement in care is cost-induced.