'Do No Harm': Advancing Debridement Documentation with Proven Clinical Efficacy & Medical Necessity with SnapshotNIR

SnapshotNIR supports a patient-centered approach by ensuring that every clinical decision is based on accurate, evidence-driven data.

CALGARY, ALBERTA, CANADA, April 14, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- As a leader in advanced medical technology, Kent Imaging designs and manufactures SnapshotNIR, a near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) imaging device. By incorporating SnapshotNIR's photo-informatics and tissue oxygenation insights into clinical workflows, the portable device provides valuable insights into medical necessity, wound healing, and clinical decision-making. Patient response, as measured by SnapshotNIR, helps providers reassess and adjust the certified plan of care. This can ensure patients are not under-treated or over-treated but receive what is medically necessary.

For excisional (surgical) and selective debridement, SnapshotNIR illustrates the thoroughness and adequacy of these procedures by measuring oxygenation and deoxygenation in the tissue pre- and post-procedure. Additionally, providers can track how the peri-wound and wound bed respond to serial debridement by measuring oxygenation and deoxygenation trends over time.

In the past several years, the United States government has filed complaints under the False Claims Act against several wound care providers, based on over-billed and medically unnecessary wound care services, particularly for surgical debridement procedures. Additionally, the Office of the Inspector General has listed serial debridement, use of 25 modifiers, and other potentially unnecessary medical procedures as a key target for probes and investigations for decades. There are key differences between surgical and selective debridement and active wound care management codes; these legal challenges highlight the critical need for clinicians to fully understand the debridement codes they are using and be precise in billing and documentation. Crucially, providers must periodically reassess the patient to see if continued debridement is warranted. This reassessment is part of doing right by the patient—doing no harm—by finding the most effective pathway for improving the wound healing trajectory.

Using thorough documentation and objective imaging procedures illustrates and supports good medical decision-making, ensuring adequate and appropriate debridement as a keystone to healing chronically stalled wounds. This, in turn, is communicated back to payors through audits, pre-payment reviews, post-payment reviews, and overall appropriate treatment decision-making. For clinicians, SnapshotNIR provides differential diagnostics to help meet medical necessity. This ability to track advanced wound care therapies has already assisted some of Kent Imaging’s clients in successfully overturning audits and avoiding potential penalties.

“Thanks to SnapshotNIR, we provided clear tissue viability photos for documented objective evidence illustrating medical necessity for our patient debridement. This documentation was crucial in supporting a successful overturn of a UPIC audit with the potential for a $400,000 clawback. The ability to objectively and visually demonstrate the clinical justification for our treatments made all the difference,” explains Martha R. Kelso, RN, CHWS, DAPWCA, HBOT, Chief Regulatory Officer and Founder of Wound Care Plus, LLC. “Healthcare fraud harms all consumers because it drives up costs, reduces access to quality care, and undermines trust in the healthcare system. With SnapshotNIR, we’ve enhanced our clinical practices and ability to support our decisions at the bedside, ensuring we provide the best care to our patients while maintaining ethical business practices and supporting the treatment decisions of our Advanced Wound Specialists.”

SnapshotNIR supports a patient-centered approach by ensuring that every clinical decision is based on accurate, evidence-driven data. By providing clear documentation that supports the medical necessity of prescribed treatments and procedures, the device allows healthcare professionals to deliver the most appropriate care for each patient. This patient-focused approach improves outcomes and ensures that the treatment provided aligns with the highest standards of medical practice, fostering trust and confidence between providers and patients.

"SnapshotNIR empowers clinicians to demonstrate the need for advanced wound care therapies and encourages the enforcement of proper documentation practices," states Dr. Jeffrey A. Niezgoda, Chief Medical Officer of Wound Care at Kent Imaging, "In a time when inappropriate and overutilization of clinical procedures, like debridement, is under intense scrutiny, our technology assists providers in adhering to the fundamental principle that guides patient well-being and medical ethics —'first, do no harm'—by ensuring that treatments are justified and necessary."

By aiding clinicians in confidently meeting the standards required to defend their decisions, SnapshotNIR provides greater assurance for healthcare providers. This technology's appropriate use helps ensure that the right care is delivered to patients at the right time.

For more information on SnapshotNIR visit www.kentimaging.com

About Kent Imaging
Kent Imaging, located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, is a leading innovator in near-infrared tissue oxygenation imaging, which develops, manufactures, and markets medical technology that supports real-time decision-making in wound care, vascular and surgical subspecialties. Kent holds multiple patents in oxygen imaging technology and continues to provide innovative and advanced diagnostic imaging solutions to aid healthcare systems nationally and internationally. SnapshotNIR is supported by clinical evidence demonstrating its ability to help improve clinical decision-making in wound care and reduce healing time. Since receiving FDA and Health Canada clearance in 2017, the technology has been featured in several published articles and peer-reviewed posters. Applying the knowledge gained from clinical trials to patient care promotes consistency of treatment and optimal outcomes.

Referenced information:
Savarise, M. T., Senkowski, C. K., Romano, T., & Nagle, J. (2016). Modifier 25 under fire: Are you using it correctly? Bulletin of the American College of Surgeons, 101(12), 65–68. https://www.facs.org/media/lakjjn3f/2016_12_modifier25.pdf

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General. (2005, November). Use of Modifier 25 (OEI-07-03-00470). https://oig.hhs.gov/documents/evaluation/2331/OEI-07-03-00470-Complete%20Report.pdf

Bolton, L. (2015). Serial debridement under scrutiny. Wounds, 27(8), 236–238. https://www.hmpgloballearningnetwork.com/site/wounds/article/evidence-corner-serial-debridement-under-scrutiny

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General. (2007, May). Medicare payments for surgical debridement services in 2004 (OEI-02-05-00390). https://www.oig.hhs.gov/oei/reports/oei-02-05-00390.pdf

AAPC. (2010, November 17). CPT 2011: 11042–11047 vs. 97597–97602: Focus on depth to distinguish codes. General Surgery Coding Alert. https://www.aapc.com/codes/coding-newsletters/my-general-surgery-coding-alert/cpt-2011-11042-11047-vs-97597-97602-focus-on-depth-to-distinguish-codes-article

Leah Pavlick
Kent Imaging Inc.
leah@kentimaging.com
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