• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

Retrospective Comparison Study Demonstrates Efficacy of KCI's V.A.C.(R) System; Study Examines V.A.C.(R) Therapy's Role in Reducing Hospitalizations for Wound Related Problems

Posted on: Monday, 19 September 2005, 12:00 CDT

Kinetic Concepts, Inc. (NYSE: KCI), a global corporation that develops and markets the V.A.C.(R) System announced findings from a retrospective comparison study completed and published in Ostomy, Wound Management by Outcome Concept Systems (OCS), a leading benchmarking company in Seattle, Washington. The results showed that patients using Negative Pressure Wound Therapy delivered by KCI V.A.C.(R) System had a significantly reduced the rate of hospitalization and emergency care for wound related problems when compared to other wound care and treatment. This study contributes to the growing body of evidence for V.A.C.(R) Therapy.

Specifically, OCS tracked the progression of Stage III and Stage IV pressure ulcers in a sampling of 60 patients on V.A.C.(R) Therapy and compared it to a group of 2,288 patients treated with other wound therapies in the home care setting. It found study patients using V.A.C.(R) Therapy had a significantly lower hospitalization rate due to wound infection or deteriorating wound status. Only 5% of the V.A.C. Therapy group required hospitalization for a wound related problem, compared to 14% of those patients in the comparison group. Additionally, no patient on V.A.C. Therapy required emergency care for wound related problems.

In a complex reimbursement environment like the home health setting, agencies and caregivers are under increased pressure to balance cost and quality. Payors continue to look at home health agencies that are successful in keeping patients out of the emergency room and hospital in hopes to encourage those Agencies to adopt the practices of their successful counterparts. This retrospective comparison study investigating the role of V.A.C. (R) Therapy is one of a very few studies that link a specific therapy to hospitalization rates or the need for emergency care - two of the key quality measures tracked by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

"This is a statistically significant study that establishes a link between V.A.C.(R) Therapy and reducing the rate of hospitalization and emergent care for wound related problems," said Chris Fashek, President of KCI USA. "We view it as one of many points of evidence supporting V.A.C.'s clinical and economic efficacy across the healthcare continuum."

Home Health Agencies are required to collect a standard set of data in order to comply with Medicare Conditions of Participation. OCS pulled and analyzed this standard data set from their proprietary data warehouse, which is the largest home health database outside CMS, representing 14 million records and over 1600 Home Health Agencies. In order to estimate the prevalence of advanced stage pressure ulcers in home health, data from 1.92 million Start of Care assessments from 2003 to 2004 were evaluated.

KCI and OCS will continue to work together to further their analytical work by increasing the volume of data collected through studies based on larger sample size, and the type of information included in the data set.

Complete findings from the retrospective comparison study were published in the September 2005 issue of Ostomy, Wound Management, an HMP Communications publication. To obtain in full, please contact a local KCI representative at 1-877-WOUNDVAC or view the document online at the journal's Web site, http://www.o-wm.com/owm/

About OCS

OCS is the home health industry's premier information company and is the recognized source of comparative information across clinical, financial, visit utilization and operational practice measures. Focused on providing the home health industry with sophisticated data services, OCS is recognized for their ability to provide unbiased data analysis and data interpretation. In addition, OCS is the only company with the ability to link data at the patient-level, enabling analysis with unprecedented granularity. Having amassed the industry's largest proprietary home health benchmark data warehouse and developed the market's most sophisticated performance analysis tools, OCS is endorsed by trade associations throughout the country and recommended by major home health MIS vendors.

About KCI

Kinetic Concepts, Inc. is a global medical technology company with leadership positions in advanced wound care and therapeutic surfaces. We design, manufacture, market and service a wide range of proprietary products that can improve clinical outcomes while helping to reduce the overall cost of patient care. Our advanced wound care systems incorporate our proprietary V.A.C.(R) technology, which has been clinically demonstrated to help promote wound healing and can help reduce the cost of treating patients with serious wounds. Our therapeutic surfaces, including specialty hospital beds, mattress replacement systems and overlays, are designed to address pulmonary complications associated with immobility and to prevent skin breakdown. We have an infrastructure designed to meet the specific needs of medical professionals and patients across all health care settings including acute care hospitals, extended care facilities and patients' homes both in the United States and abroad.

Source: Business Wire

More News in this Category