Virtual Wound Care for Skilled Nursing Facilities
For a skilled nursing facility, a useful virtual wound consultation needs more than a camera. It needs the resident’s history, a prepared bedside team, and a clear way to carry the specialist’s recommendations back into daily care.
Make the clinical question clear.
A referral can start with a concise question: a wound is not progressing, the current plan needs another opinion, or the team needs help deciding whether in-person evaluation is appropriate. Assemble the records requested by the specialist and identify which wound is being discussed. Include the resident’s goals and the names of clinicians already directing care. Avoid sending a collection of unlabeled photographs without the context that connects them to the resident and the referral question.
Give every participant a role.
Decide who will help the resident connect, who can describe recent bedside observations, and who will document the agreed plan. Accommodations may be needed for communication or positioning. The resident should remain part of the conversation, including discussion of preferences and practical burdens. HHS recommends planning telehealth staffing, technology support, and patient accommodations before visits. HHS: planning a telehealth workflow. The facility and specialist should also agree on the process for transmitting records through approved channels.
Turn the consultation into a handoff.
After the visit, clarify which clinician is responsible for treatment decisions, how recommendations become orders, and who will organize the next appointment. If an in-person evaluation is needed, communicate transport and bedside needs to the receiving team. AI-assisted tools may eventually support documentation or measurement, but they do not replace facility staff or establish a treatment order. CWS’s connected-care direction centers on clinician review, with surgical evaluation considered when appropriate. Facilities can discuss a referral through the CWS provider pathway.
CWS Wound Care Insights · September 8, 2026. General educational information, not an individual diagnosis or treatment plan. Explore the CWS approach to AI and virtual wound care.
Start with a wound specialist.
Tell our team what is happening. We can help identify the appropriate next step for a virtual or in-person evaluation.