Chronic wound prevalence and the associated cost of treatment in Medicare beneficiaries: changes between 2014 and 2019.

HighlightsIn 2014 chronic wounds impacted 14.5% of Medicare beneficiaries but this increased to 16.3% by 2019. The group of Medicare beneficiaries most affected in terms of chronic wound prevalence over the 5-year period were those aged <65 years (males: 12.5% to 16.3%; females: 13.4% to 17.5%). The largest changes in terms of prevalence were increases in arterial ulcers (0.4% to 0.8%), skin disorders (2.6% to 5.3%), and traumatic wounds (2.7% to 1.6%)Over the 5-year period, regardless of the method used, there was a decrease in chronic wound-related costs ($29.7 billion in 2014 to $22.5 billion in 2019 for the most conservative method: Medicare provider payments when the wound was a primary diagnosis, excluding any kind of deductible). Surgical complications still represent the largest wound category of costs with a small decrease from 2014 to 2019 of $6.1 billion to $5.9 billion. Based on the most conservative method, there was a very large cost reduction observed for outpatients from $10.5 billion to $2.5 billion with a correspondingly smaller decrease for inpatients of $5.3 billion to $4.2 billion, but an increase from $3.0 billion to $4.1 billion for physician offices. In addition, while durable medical equipment increased from $0.3 billion to $0.7 billion, home health agency expenditures decreased from $1.6 billion to $1.1 billion.Our data suggest that while most of the cost remains in the subacute setting it has shifted to the physician's office from the hospital-based outpatient department. Given the increasing prevalence of chronic wounds, especially among the disabled under 65, it will be important to know whether these shifts have positively or negatively affected outcomes.