Federal Tag F686
Treatment / Services to Prevent or Heal Pressure Ulcers
Requires that a resident does not develop a pressure ulcer unless clinically unavoidable, and that those present receive necessary treatment and services to promote healing and prevent new ulcers.
How in-house dermatology helps
We do not provide wound care — your wound team owns that. What we add is a second set of specialty eyes: confirming whether a lesion is truly a pressure injury or another skin condition that presents similarly (a fungal or bacterial infection, moisture-associated skin damage, a vascular ulcer, dermatitis, or a skin cancer), supporting accurate staging, and documenting an active, evolving plan — the evidence surveyors look for.
We are not a wound care service and we do not replace your wound team. We work alongside them as another set of specialty eyes, catching dermatologic issues early — including the non-healing areas that turn out to be skin cancer, atypical infection, or inflammatory skin disease rather than a wound.
What surveyors look at
- Whether skin assessments were completed on admission and on a consistent schedule
- Whether the lesion type and stage in the record match what is observed at the bedside
- Whether the plan of care changed when the resident's skin did not improve as expected
- Whether specialty input was obtained when a wound stalled or the diagnosis was unclear
Common citation triggers
- A non-healing area documented for months with no change in approach and no specialty consult
- Staging in the chart that conflicts with the surveyor's own observation
- A lesion treated as a pressure injury that is actually dermatologic in origin
Strengthen the record before the next survey.
Tell us about your census and current dermatology pathway, and we'll show you what a recurring in-house round schedule would look like.