New York Medicaid adds topical oxygen wound therapy benefit

Apr 1 2009

Beneficiaries of the New York Medicaid program have a new option to choose when dealing with chronic wounds.

NY State Department of Health has added Topical Oxygen Wound Therapy to its list of covered wound healing therapies for New York Medicaid recipients.

Dr. John Lantis II, Chief of Division Vascular/Endovascular Surgery at St Luke's - Roosevelt Hospital New York, NY, has prescribed topical oxygen for NY Medicaid members. Dr Lantis remarked, "Topical oxygen therapy appears to deliver increased available oxygen to the cells in the chronic wound bed, therefore improving the rate of wound closure. It is also easy to use in the home, no matter how disabled the patient."

Chronic wounds such as diabetic ulcers, pressure ulcers and venous insufficiency ulcers are a critical healthcare issue that affect approximately 20% of the hospitalized population in the U.S. Including homecare patients, elders and persons with disabilities, overall estimates of chronic wound care exceed $30 billion annually. A recently published clinical study performed by the Ohio State University demonstrated that the FDA -approved Topical Oxygen Therapy benefits wound healing in patients suffering from chronic wounds.

"Our goal has always been to offer a cost effective and non-invasive treatment using proven science to treat acute and chronic wounds. Our participation with New York Medicaid is one step in achieving this goal," stated Paul A. Geary Jr., CEO of GWR Medical, Inc.

Highlights of the new topical oxygen wound therapy benefit include:

• Applicable for home use and easy for most patients to apply independently.
• Therapy is applied 4 times a week for up to 1.5 hrs at a time, reducing overall treatment time.
• FDA approved for use with Diabetic Ulcers, Pressure Ulcers, Venous Insufficiency Ulcers.