Pressure Injuries Present on Admission: What You Can’t See Can Cost You

Pressure injuries remain one of healthcare’s most persistent—and costly—hospital-acquired conditions. Affecting 2.5 million patients annually, these wounds carry immense human, clinical, and financial consequences. They extend hospital stays, increase readmissions, and remain a top cause of litigation after wrongful death.

Pressure injuries present on admission are particularly challenging, both clinically and financially, and this webinar helps explain why.

The Hidden Cost of What You Can’t See

Pressure injuries can form three to ten days before any visible damage appears. During that window, clinicians rely on subjective visual assessments that often fail, especially for patients with darker skin tones—who face a 60% higher risk and four times greater mortality from pressure injuries.

The Provisio^® SEM Scanner offers a critical advantage: the ability to detect subepidermal moisture (SEM), an early biomarker of tissue damage, up to five days before it’s visible. This objective, skin tone–agnostic assessment empowers care teams to intervene early—reversing injury trajectories and protecting patient dignity.

Objective Data That Protects Care and Compliance

Beyond prevention, the Provisio SEM Scanner strengthens documentation and compliance. The FDA recognizes SEM as synonymous with persistent focal edema, which in 2023 was added to ICD-10 as a Stage 1 pressure injury. That means SEM readings (≥0.6) provide quantifiable, defensible proof that a pressure injury was present on admission (POA).

This matters because CMS only reimburses if a condition is documented as POA at admission. Missing or unclear documentation results in lost reimbursement. For one patient example discussed in the webinar, SEM documentation increased reimbursement by over $12,000.

Clinical and Financial Wins Through Collaboration

Accurate POA documentation is both a clinical safeguard and a financial imperative. The SEM Scanner helps nurses and wound care teams provide defensible, objective data that aligns with provider diagnosis and coding. Together, this partnership enhances compliance, protects revenue, and ensures every patient receives timely, evidence-based care.

The Bottom Line

Pressure injuries are preventable, but only if clinicians can see what’s happening beneath the skin. The Provisio SEM Scanner makes that possible—improving outcomes, ensuring equity, and preserving hospital resources.

Reach out to Bruin Biometrics for more information about how we can help your organization.