Assessing Economic Benefits of Diabetic Foot Ulcer Treatment
A study conducted by a team of researchers from Analysis Group and Organogenesis found that treating patients with diabetic foot ulcers (DFU) with bioengineered living cellular technologies may reduce health care services and overall medical costs. The study, "Economic Outcomes among Medicare Patients Receiving Bioengineered Cellular Technologies for Treatment of Diabetic Foot Ulcers" (Journal of Medical Economics, April 2015), followed an intent-to-treat design to assess the real-world Medicare costs associated with the use of DFU treatments Apligraf and Dermagraft compared to conventional DFU care.
The researchers, including affiliate Howard Birnbaum, Managing Principal Brad Rice, and Vice President Urvi Desai, analyzed administrative claims data of more than 20,000 Medicare patients from 2006 to 2012 and found that patients using these treatments experienced lower amputation rates and fewer hospitalizations and emergency room visits, resulting in lower per-patient health care costs.