Negative pressure wound therapy
devices help in the healing and closure
of wounds by using a pump and special
dressings to create negative pressure
(a vacuum) at well-sealed wound sites
to help remove fluids and infectious
materials while drawing wound edges
together.
In recent years, single-use or
disposable NPWT have seen use in
post-surgical wound healing and other
applications because they are simple,
can be worn by the patient, and provide
a sufficient amount of therapy time
(seven days).
However, as innovative as they are,
an obstacle in the proliferation of these
devices has been that there isn’t standardized
reimbursement for disposable
devices. An effort on Capitol Hill is
trying to change that.
In April, Reps. G.K. Butterfield (DN.C.) and Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.)
launched a bill that would update CMS
payment rules regarding home-based
wound care. That was then followed
companion legislation introduced in the
Senate that was introduced by Sens.
Richard Burr (R-N.C.) and Michael Bennet
(D-Colo.)
The bills would put disposable
items such as disposable negative
pressure wound therapy (NPWT)
devices on par with non-disposable
NPWT devices by standardizing the
payment methodology nationally.
The policy would apply a neutral area
wage index for payments made to
home health agencies (HHAs), clarify
that payments to HHAs for disposable
NPWT devices are to be made for the
device itself, not accompanying professional
services, and reduce administrative
burdens by streamlining the billing
forms.
VGM Wound Care’s Trumm says
that there are some dealers currently
offering single-use NPWT but are
doing it on a retail basis. Finally getting
reimbursement would help drive the
use of disposable devices and open up
new opportunities for DME dealers.
