The short version
How does mobile wound care work? You, or someone helping you, contact Gateway. We confirm that visits are available where you live, and a partner clinician comes to you to examine the wound and set the plan. Gateway handles the arranging around that visit: scheduling, records, orders, supplies and follow-up.
Two roles are worth keeping straight. Gateway coordinates. The treating clinician makes every clinical decision, from the assessment to the orders and treatment. The steps below show how the two fit together for mobile wound care in St. Louis and the Metro East.
Step 1: someone asks for care
A request can come from the patient, a family member or a caregiver. It can also come from a hospital, a facility, a home health agency or a doctor’s office. You can call us without a referral, although some insurance plans have referral rules of their own.
Call 314-325-0126 or send the request care form. The form asks only for a name and a phone number. Please save medical details for the phone call.
Step 2: a conversation about the situation
When we call, we ask practical questions:
- Where the patient lives, and whether that is a private home, assisted living, memory care or a nursing facility
- In general terms, what kind of wound it is and how long it has been there
- Who is already involved, such as a primary care doctor, a surgeon or a home health agency
- Which insurance plan the patient has
- Who should get calls and updates
Visit availability is confirmed by location and care setting, so we do not name a date before we have checked. Gateway is not an emergency service. For an emergency, call 911.
Step 3: records and coverage questions
A clinician who arrives knowing the history can do more at the first visit. Gateway asks for the records the treating practice needs, such as hospital discharge papers, recent office notes, current wound orders and a medication list. See wound care records and what to gather.
This is also the time for cost questions. Whether a plan pays depends on the treating provider, your plan and the care needed, so the answers come from the plan and the treating practice, not from Gateway. The insurance page lists what to ask each of them.
Step 4: the visit is scheduled
Once the pieces are in place, we schedule the visit. A family member can plan to be there in person or by phone. Our guide to getting ready for a home wound care visit has a short checklist of what to set out.
Step 5: the clinician examines the wound
The treating clinician asks about your health and the wound’s history, examines the wound and the skin around it, and explains what they found. They decide which dressing to use, how often it is changed, and whether tests, equipment or another specialist are needed.
For more detail, read what happens during a home wound care visit. Before the clinician leaves, make sure you know who changes the dressing between visits and which changes to report.
Step 6: orders, supplies and the care team
A plan only works if everyone involved has it. After the visit, Gateway coordinates what the clinician ordered:
- Dressings and equipment, through wound supply and equipment coordination
- Updated wound orders for the home health or facility nurses who do dressing changes
- Updates to your primary care doctor and other clinicians, with your permission
- Appointments and transportation arrangements when a test or specialist visit has to happen somewhere else
Suppliers and transportation companies have their own rules and costs. Arranging something does not mean Gateway or your plan pays for it.
Step 7: follow-up visits
Wounds are followed over time. The treating clinician decides how often to return, and Gateway schedules those visits. At each one the wound is checked again, and the plan is adjusted if it is not working.
Between visits, call if you notice more redness, swelling, warmth, drainage, odor or pain, or a dressing that will not stay in place. For heavy bleeding that does not stop, trouble breathing, sudden confusion or other signs of an emergency, call 911.
When visits end
Visits usually stop when the wound has closed or when care moves to another setting. Ask what to watch for afterward and whom to call if the area opens again. Gateway can send records to the clinician who takes over.
Common questions
Who actually comes to my home for a mobile wound care visit?
A partner clinician from a treating practice that works with Gateway. That clinician examines the wound and makes the clinical decisions. Gateway staff do the coordinating: scheduling, records, supply orders and updates.
Does mobile wound care replace my home health nurse?
No. They do different jobs. A home health nurse may change dressings and check on you during the week under a clinician’s order. The treating wound clinician assesses the wound, updates the wound orders and decides when the plan should change. Our guide to home health and mobile wound care explains how the two work side by side.
What if I am in the hospital now and going home soon?
Tell the discharge planner or case manager that you would like wound follow-up at home, and ask them to send a referral with your records. You or a family member can also call Gateway before discharge. Starting early leaves time to confirm availability at your address.
What if the clinician finds something that cannot be handled at home?
Some tests, procedures and specialist visits have to happen in a clinic or hospital. The clinician explains why and writes the order or referral. Gateway helps set up the appointment and transportation arrangements, then passes results back to the wound care team.
Related pages
General information to help you talk with your own clinician. It is not medical advice, and the treating clinician makes every clinical decision. For a medical emergency, call 911.
Updated October 2026