Empowering Rural Healthcare: How Corstrata Transforms Wound and Ostomy Care

Joseph Ebberwein, Co-Founder & CFO

In rural America, chronic wounds and ostomy needs are a silent crisis, endangering patients and straining hospitals. Rural patients with diabetic foot ulcers face a 50% higher risk of amputation and 40% greater odds of death due to limited specialist access and delayed care. For rural and Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs), this means costly readmissions, patient transfers, and financial pressure. Corstrata is turning this challenge into an opportunity—delivering expert virtual care that heals patients, cuts costs, and unlocks new revenue streams for rural providers.

The Rural Care Struggle

Rural hospitals grapple with steep barriers in wound and ostomy care:

• Specialist Shortages: Few wound and ostomy specialists are available, leaving generalists with limited training to manage complex cases.

• Geographic Barriers: Patients travel hours for specialty care, delaying treatment and worsening outcomes.

• Limited Resources: Many lack evidence-based advanced wound dressings, debridement options, or advanced therapies, resulting in suboptimal plans.

• Financial Strain: Rural patients are more likely to delay care due to costs, while readmissions and out-migration drain revenue and incur Medicare penalties.

• Systemic Disconnects: Incompatible EHRs and poor referral networks hinder collaboration with urban specialists.

The toll is heavy: patients suffer more amputations, longer stays, and preventable deaths, while hospitals face uncompensated care costs and lost reimbursements. For CAHs—vital community anchors—these burdens threaten both care quality and sustainability.

Corstrata: Specialist Care, Rural Reach

Corstrata bridges this gap with virtual access to board-certified wound and ostomy nurse specialists, delivering hospital-grade care without added overhead. Our solution empowers rural providers:

• On-Demand Expertise: Telehealth consults connect local teams with specialists, speeding healing and reducing complications.

• Proven Protocols: Evidence-based care plans enable clinicians to deliver high-quality treatment with confidence and consistency.

• Seamless Collaboration: EHR-integrated monitoring ensures continuity with urban providers, preventing delays.

• Smart Resources: Advanced supply management provides the right therapies cost-effectively, avoiding waste.

Clinical Gains, Financial Wins

Corstrata’s impact is measurable and meaningful—improving patient lives and hospital bottom lines:

• Better Outcomes: Faster healing, fewer amputations, and reduced ER visits enhance patient health and satisfaction.

• Cost Savings: Avoiding transfers, excessive stays, and unnecessary referrals lowers care costs and penalties.

• New Revenue Streams: Hospitals can bill for specialty consultations, capturing new reimbursements once lost to urban centers.

• Improved Patient Retention: Keeping care local, preventing out-migration, retaining revenue, and strengthening community ties.

• Sustained Stability for CAHs: Reduced expenses and added income streams bolster financial resilience.

By turning wound and ostomy care from a struggle into a profitable service line, Corstrata helps rural hospitals thrive while delivering top-tier care.

A Stronger Rural Future

At Corstrata, we’re driven by a mission: rural patients deserve expert care, and rural hospitals deserve to prosper. Our virtual solutions level the playing field—reducing disparities, saving limbs, and strengthening the backbone of rural healthcare.

Let’s build a stronger rural healthcare system—together.

Create a wound and ostomy “Center of Excellence” in your community by partnering with Corstrata to boost outcomes, cut costs, and drive revenue.

👉 Schedule a consultation today to learn how Corstrata can support your team

About Corstrata

Corstrata is a virtual care solution that utilizes technology to provide access to scarce certified wound, ostomy, and continence nurses (WOCNs) at the patient's bedside in multiple provider settings, including home health, hospice, skilled nursing facilities, and hospitals across all 50 states. Corstrata's team of WOC nurses provides consultations with provider staff at the patient's bedside, either through HIPAA-compliant video or through review of store-and-forward wound images, to improve clinical and financial outcomes for providers.