Chronic wound care is an expensive, far-reaching healthcare issue, affecting approximately 20 percent of the hospitalized population and costing $30 billion annually. Thanks to Chadds Ford-based GWR Medical, more patients can use a less expensive, more convenient therapy.
Last week it was announced that beneficiaries of the New York Medicaid program now have the option to choose GWR’s Topical Oxygen Wound Therapy. The therapy delivers increased available oxygen to cells in the wound bed and is easy to use, even for disabled patients.
“Our participation with New York Medicaid is one step in achieving our goal of offering a cost effective and non-invasive treatment using proven science to treat acute and chronic wounds,” says Sean Geary, CEO of the nation’s leading manufacturer of Topical Oxygen Therapy.
The device, which is FDA-approved for use with diabetic ulcers, pressure ulcers and venous insufficiency ulcers, is secured to the patient’s body with medical tape and connected to an oxygen concentrator. The concentrator inflates the device, which is worn for up to 90 minutes per day, four times per week, reducing overall treatment time.
Early on, the company, which started 15 years ago, photographed the patients’ progress to demonstrate its effectiveness. That had a dramatic impact on insurers’ coverage and paved the way for more widespread approval.
Standard hyperbaric oxygen chambers have been approved for use for years, but they are costly and typically require a visit to a facility. Even portable chambers cost upward of $7,000.
“(Our therapy) makes a difference in evidence-based medicine,” says Geary.
Source: Sean Geary, GWR Medical
Writer: Joe Petrucci
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