Home-Acquired Pressure Injuries: Will They Become Serious Reportable Events?
- mdavis107
- Jun 30
- 3 min read
Updated: 6 days ago
Why This Topic Is Gaining National Attention
A recent blog post by Dr. Caroline Fife sparked thoughtful discussion across the wound care community. In her June 20, 2025 article, she raised a critical question:
Should pressure injuries that develop at home—under the watch of a wound care clinic or mobile provider—be considered Serious Reportable Events (SREs)?
While this proposal hasn’t yet become CMS policy, it's gaining traction through a public comment period now open via the National Quality Forum (NQF) — the same body whose definitions often shape federal expectations around safety, quality, and reimbursement.
Understanding the Connection: NQF → CMS → MIPS
Although NQF is a non-governmental organization, it plays a powerful role in healthcare policy. CMS frequently adopts NQF-endorsed quality measures into federal programs such as:
MIPS (Merit-Based Incentive Payment System)
Hospital-Acquired Condition Reduction Program
Hospital Value-Based Purchasing
In short: NQF sets the quality benchmarks, and CMS ties those benchmarks to reimbursement. That’s why this potential shift deserves close attention from wound care leaders — especially in outpatient and home-based settings.
What This Could Mean for Wound Centers
If adopted, this update may require providers to report pressure injuries that develop in the home as part of their quality oversight — particularly when a patient is already under an active plan of care through a clinic or mobile team.
Let’s be clear: This is not about assigning blame. It’s about tracking preventable harm and improving care coordination across all care settings — inpatient, outpatient, and home.
While no formal rule has been issued, these discussions may soon influence documentation workflows, compliance audits, and quality metrics tied to reimbursement.
What SHS Recommends
To help our partners stay ahead of potential policy changes, Shared Health Services recommends:
Documenting thoroughly at intake — including stage, location, and suspected onset date of any new pressure injuries
Distinguishing clearly between injuries that were present-on-arrival versus those that may have developed between visits
Monitoring updates to MIPS and other quality programs that could reflect this expanded SRE definition
Participating in the public comment period now open through NQF — SHS will be submitting a formal response, and we strongly encourage our partners to do the same
A Clinician’s Perspective: Why This Change May Do More Harm Than Good
Terrie Dittmeyer, MBA, BSN, RN, CWS, Vice President of Operations at Shared Health Services, brings over 30 years of healthcare experience and more than two decades of wound care leadership to her role. She has served as a hospital CEO, clinical consultant, and sales executive with national brands including Smith & Nephew, Hill-Rom, Shire Regenerative Medicine, and Integra LifeSciences. Her career spans wound program development, operations strategy, and performance turnaround across acute and post-acute care settings.
Today, she leads SHS’s partner implementation and operational strategy, with a focus on driving quality outcomes and long-term program stability.
As part of the NQF’s public comment process, Terrie shared the following personal perspective:
“Patients receiving wound care at home often present with complex comorbidities and significant mobility limitations… The day-to-day monitoring and execution of wound care orders fall on individuals who may lack the clinical training to identify early signs of deterioration. This raises serious questions about the intent and feasibility of the NQF’s recommendation.”
“Rather than improving care, this may create a chilling effect among already vulnerable populations.”
At SHS, we believe that regulations must strike a careful balance — one that supports prevention and quality improvement without penalizing families doing their best in challenging home environments.
SHS Will Keep You Informed
At Shared Health Services, we’re committed to helping wound care providers navigate compliance challenges, stay proactive, and adapt as quality standards evolve.
As this issue unfolds, we’ll continue monitoring developments and sharing targeted updates with our hospital and physician practice partners, including:
Template language for intake documentation
Decision trees for classifying wound origin
Talking points for compliance reviews or survey prep
Updates on NQF rulings and CMS alignment
If your team is reviewing how to document and report pressure injuries across care settings — or preparing a response to the public comment period — we’d be happy to talk.
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