In May, something clicked into place when The Wound Pros attended the Spring Symposium on Advanced Wound Care (SAWC) in Grapevine, TX. Beyond the fact that our diligent research team achieved what many would consider impossible: securing three poster spots in the top 15 out of 468 submissions, the opening presentation articulated a vision we've been executing for years.
The symposium's inaugural session focused on AI's transformative power in wound management. The keynote speaker, Dr. Eric Lullove, Chief Medical Officer for the West Boca Center for Wound Healing and a long-time SAWC attendee, challenged attendees to recognize that they stood between standard wound care practice and revolutionary possibilities. AI, he argued, had evolved beyond marketing terminology into a measurable catalyst reshaping clinical workflows.
Conference Speakers Echoed Our Company Philosophy
SAWC’s core message resonated deeply with our organization’s DNA: tomorrow's wound care industry won't be determined by product improvements but by how effectively medical professionals merge AI with data insights and human empathy during patient encounters. That philosophy? It's been driving our “High-Tech”, “High-Touch” methodology since our inception.
SAWC highlighted realities that explain why we developed our Rapid Imaging Technical Assistant (RITA) and continue to invest in research and development in our AI-supported ecosystem:
- Chronic wound prevalence exceeds 6.5 million cases annually in the United States, creating systematic inefficiencies across healthcare delivery networks.
- Seventy percent of medical professionals lack exposure to AI-powered wound care applications, resulting in significant delays throughout the industry.
- Administrative documentation consumes valuable clinical time that should be focused on patient treatment.
While industry experts identify these challenges as urgent priorities, our teams have been addressing them across 15 states. Our proprietary app, RITA, utilizes AI to deliver precise wound measurements, transform care protocols, and return valuable time to clinical professionals.
Research That Reflects Our Vision
Our three top-15 submissions (Cellular and/or Tissue Product (CTP), Vascular, and “Food as Medicine”) at SAWC highlight an approach to wound care that goes far beyond standard treatment methods.
While many organizations focus on individual solutions, we've always understood that optimal healing requires addressing multiple interconnected factors: advanced skin substitutes, vascular assessment, and evidence-based nutritional interventions.
This multidisciplinary philosophy aligns with the SAWC keynote's central message: The next dressing or Cellular and/or Tissue Product (CTP) will not define the future of wound care, but by how clinicians and the industry integrate intelligence, data, and compassion at the bedside. Our recognition at the event validates that we have been actively building this future, while others were still conceptualizing it.
The SAWC keynote captured what we see daily while using RITA: "AI can act like a super suit for clinicians," with the power to "manage more patients safely, especially as the aging population grows." When Dr. Lullove emphasized in his welcome that "AI is here to augment, not replace, the clinician," he described what happens when our clinicians use RITA in patient care settings. They photograph wounds with smartphones, receive precise measurements and documentation, and access predictive insights while maintaining the human expertise that makes informed treatment decisions.
Promoting Global Health Equity Through Innovation
The keynote stressed a point that drives our implementation strategy: "We don't need another app. We need intelligent systems that integrate and support, not disrupt, clinical care." The key to patient engagement is to "show the patient their progress with a visual" because these tools help reconnect the patient to their care." RITA's visual documentation does justice to this when caring for patients locally and internationally.
Moreover, our Wound Care Without Walls program, a global initiative, promotes greater health equity by delivering advanced wound care technology to underserved populations, including the Philippines, Jamaica, Nigeria, and Ghana.
What This Achievement Means for Our Organization
Every Wound Pros team member should be proud of what we've achieved and the momentum it creates moving forward. The industry is finally embracing our vision, which will continue to provide opportunities to improve wound care outcomes and the standard of care for patients living with chronic wounds.
As the SAWC presenter noted, “data is king,” but it becomes valuable only when transformed into actionable insights that facilitate healing. That transformation occurs continuously through RITA, our clinical expertise, global outreach programs, and every team member's commitment to delivering quality service. The wound care revolution is here, and we're defining its direction.