Frequently Asked Questions
Don’t NPWT dressings have to contact the wound surface to work?
No, According to one of the basic laws of physics Boyle’s Law, in a closed system, at the same temperature, the pressure throughout the chamber is the same. The simplest image is that of a balloon in which the pressure is the same everywhere inside it. The same holds true for a negative pressure in a closed system such as underneath these unique dressings.
How can the pressures used be so much lower than other dressings?
The literature available on all forms of negative pressure shows that many different pressures have been shown to help heal wounds. Whereas, those systems that use foam tend to have higher pressures (possible due to “extra” pressure needed to deform the foam into the wound), non-foam dressings tend to recommend lower pressures. The Miller line of "non-contact dressings" use even lower pressures such as 60mmHg and less to accomplish their task. Pressures higher than this tend to invert the Miller Non-contact dressings into the wound so they contact and exert pressure on the wounds that may in fact be detrimental.
Can I use a wound contact layer dressing with the Miller non-contact dressings?
Absolutely. If you feel that your wound would benefit from the addition of a topical wound contact layer such as silver, honey, etc. there is no contraindication. It is important that this dressing is porous so that the negative pressure within the device can get to all aspects of the wound surface.
What if the wound has drainage, how does it get out using these dressings?
Fluids will tend to move up the sides of the dressings by capillary action. Also, natural body motion during therapy will bring fluids in to proximity of the suction and easily be removed.
Are these dressings reimbursed by insurance?
At the present time, the Miller DermiVex Drain (MDD) and Miller Dermivex Encompass Drains (MDED) have previously received reimbursement HCPCS code A6550. All of these Mobility Solutions dressings are immediately available for use in the hospital and nursing care facilities regardless of the pump system you are currently using, including "wall" suction. However, certain pump systems require special connectors and or have specific dressings designed solely for their pumps and so use of and connection to our dressings is solely at the discretion of the health care provider.
The situation regarding home health care and other "direct reimbursement" situations is somewhat different from the "lump sum" payments for hospitals and nursing care facilities. Since each Negative Pressure System currently in (and coming to) the market must list all of it's accessories as part of the system to recieve a "package" reimbursement code as well as individual accesory codes, these individual companies will need to submit information on Mobility Solutions Miller line of dressings to have them reimbursed as part of their systems.
Mobility Solution's will provide (upon request) all necessary information to these NPWT pump companies to facilitate this process which can take up to 30 days.
Do these dressings really work?
These dressings have been used on numerous cases since initially introduced in 2005. Due to a change in the ownership of the original parent company, these extraordinary, unique dressings were not reintroduced after the transition. Mobility Solutions has acquired these licensing to bring these much requested dressings back to the market.
How do I obtain them?
Simply move your cursor over your location on the map and the name of your dealer should appear. Otherwise, fill out a “Contact Us” form and we will have the appropriate dealer contact you right away.