C15 - IU Health Center for Limb Loss: Developing a Clinical Model for Comprehensive Limb Loss Care

Comprehensive care coordination for patients with limb differences and amputations can be challenging, but it is essential for optimal functional outcomes. Many factors involved in complicating the care of patients with limb loss include the number of providers involved in their care, the potential for a nonlinear clinical course, communication breakdowns, and insurance requirements/limitations. The Center for Limb Loss at IU Health was established to provide comprehensive clinical evaluation and management for patients with limb differences and amputations. Patients who receive coordinated care have been shown to have better functional outcomes and fewer complications and are less likely to experience delays in ADL’s. The CLL team have Physicians, Pt’s, prosthetist, and wound experts in attendance at all patient appointments to support the best possible outcome and keep communication open between departments. An overview of this comprehensive care will be discussed from the time of surgery to evaluation for prescribed prosthetic devices, to PT interaction, and relationship building with local prosthetist. The team will share how they have successfully collaborated with Indiana University to incorpo¬rate research data and outcomes into patient appointments and decision making. Outcomes based data has played a role in positively encouraging patients, showing progress and areas of improvements needed to improve ADL’s. Panel discussion will share the rationale for developing this clinical model and the steps taken to establish and grow the CLL. Panelists will present their roles in relation to the CLL and highlight relevant consider¬ations from their clinical perspectives. The benefits of the care continuum to providers and patients as well as challenges with implementation and future directions will be emphasized.