Beneficiaries of the New York Medicaid program have a new option to choose when dealing with chronic wounds (www.woundrx.com). The New York State Department of Health has added Topical Oxygen Wound Therapy to its list of covered wound healing therapies for New York Medicaid recipients. The use is approved for use with venous insufficiency ulcers, pressure ulcers and diabetic ulcers.

Dr. John Lantis II, chief of Division Vascular/Endovascular Surgery at St Luke’s - Roosevelt Hospital in New York, has prescribed topical oxygen for New York Medicaid members.

“Topical oxygen therapy appears to deliver increased available oxygen to the cells in the chronic wound bed, therefore improving the rate of wound closure,” he said. “It is also easy to use in the home, no matter how disabled the patient.”

Chronic wounds such as venous insufficiency ulcers, pressure ulcers and diabetic ulcers are a critical healthcare issue that affect approximately 20 percent of the hospitalized population in the United States. 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.

Paul A. Geary Jr., CEO of GWR Medical Inc., a company that manufacturers Topical Oxygen Wound Therapy, said: “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.”

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 four times a week for up to 1.5 hrs at a time, reducing overall treatment time.
•    FDA approved for use with venous insufficiency ulcers, pressure ulcers and diabetic ulcers.