CarePICS SL² Digital Innovation Initiative Partners With APMA to Reduce Amputations

June 7, 2023—CarePICS, a health tech company focused on developing digital tools to foster best practices in wound care, announced the commencement of phase 2 of the SL²—Saving Limbs. Savings Lives—digital innovation initiative, which is now open for all members of the American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA) to enroll.

APMA members will have access to the CarePICS software application, which supports best practices in wound care, including electronic consults and electronic referrals for optimal collaboration with peers in the vascular community. Additionally, many of the activities facilitated within CarePICS are eligible for reimbursement. The application, which does not require any special devices, may be used via mobile phones, desktop computers, and iPads/tablets.

The company stated that the CarePICS digital tools foster best practices in wound care, including precision measurement, compliant documentation, patient self-reporting, and streamlined collaboration among all providers in the continuum. In addition to podiatry, CarePICS can be used in vascular medicine, primary care, endocrinology, cardiology, oncology, plastic surgery, dermatology, geriatrics, and other clinical disciplines. The software platform serves as the backbone of two nationwide programs, SL² and Collaborate4Wounds, which are aimed at reducing preventable lower extremity amputations.

According to CarePICS, the nationwide launch of phase 2 of the SL² initiative was announced at the New Cardiovascular Horizons 2023 annual conference held May 30 to June 2 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Phase 1 of SL² closed at the end of May after a successful 6-month pilot experience in Florida and Texas. Phase 2 will run for 12 months through June 2024, at which time the potential for a permanent program will be evaluated.

In the press release, CarePICS noted that the steadily increasing rate of lower extremity amputations in the United States—an estimated 60% of which are deemed preventable—is shown to be the result of four key variables:

1. Imprecise wound assessment and measurement (using manual tools)
2. Inadequate and inconsistent wound documentation
3. Suboptimal patient follow-up and communication
4. Fragmented coordination between providers who encounter wounds, such as podiatrists and vascular specialists who treat associated medical conditions, mainly peripheral artery disease and critical limb ischemia

SL² combats these variables through a combination of digital tools, educational courses, data analysis, and member support, advised the company.

Timothy Yates, MD, with Palm Vascular Centers in Fort Lauderdale and Miami Beach, Florida, participated in phase 1 of SL².

“When we look broadly at the medical histories of patients who have undergone lower extremity amputations, the evidence reveals that only about half have ever had a vascular evaluation or were referred to a vascular specialist,” commented Dr. Yates in the CarePICS press release. “Their condition simply progressed to a stage where the limb could not be salvaged.”

Dr. Yates continued, “This is exactly the scenario SL² is helping avoid. Using the CarePICS app, podiatrists can quickly and easily request an electronic consult with a vascular specialist, then convert it to an electronic referral when it’s indicated that the patient needs a vascular evaluation.”

Eric Lullove, DPM, of West Boca Center for Wound Care in Boca Raton, Florida, who also participated in phase 1 of SL², stated, “The CarePICS app has been a game changer for our wound care practice. Not only can we achieve precision and efficiency in our wound measurement and documentation, our patients can message with us, they can upload images, and even participate in televisits. It is also possible to order wound dressings and cellular tissue products through the app.”

SL² is governed by an advisory panel of physicians with expertise in podiatric and vascular medicine: David B. Alper, DPM; Vinod A. Chainani, MD; Paramjit “Romi” Chopra, MD; Vickie R. Driver, DPM; Matthew G. Garoufalis, DPM; Alton R. Johnson, Jr., DPM; and M. Laiq Raja, MD.

The SL² advisory panel is directed by Christopher K. Bromley, DPM, who is Chief Medical Officer of CarePICS and Adjunct Professor at Kent State University College of Podiatric Medicine in Independence, Ohio. More information on SL² is available online at carepics.com/apma/sl2.