The data from these surveys
from 2006 to 2009 demonstrated an increasing trend
in hospital acquired pressure ulcers (HAPUs) (see
Fig. 1) with approximately 22% of these wounds
occurring on units caring for surgical patients (see
Fig. 2). In 2008 the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid
Services (CMS), the largest U.S. payer of medical
care for the elderly, issued a ruling denying hospitals
reimbursement for care for Stage 3 and 4 pressure
ulcers that developed during hospitalization.