Dehydrated human amnion/chorion membrane to treat venous leg ulcers: a cost-effectiveness analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of dehydrated human amnion/chorion membrane (DHACM) in Medicare enrolees who developed a venous leg ulcer (VLU). METHOD: This economic evaluation used a four-state Markov model to simulate the disease progression of VLUs for patients receiving advanced treatment (AT) with DHACM or no advanced treatment (NAT) over a three-year time horizon from a US Medicare perspective. DHACM treatments were assessed when following parameters for use (FPFU), whereby applications were initiated 30-45 days after the initial VLU diagnosis claim, and reapplications occurred on a weekly to biweekly basis until completion of the treatment episode. The cohort was modelled on the claims of 530,220 Medicare enrolees who developed a VLU between 2015-2019. Direct medical costs, quality-adjusted life years (QALYs), and the net monetary benefit (NMB) at a willingness-to-pay threshold of $100,000/QALY were applied. Univariate and probabilistic sensitivity analyses (PSA) were performed to test the uncertainty of model results. RESULTS: DHACM applied FPFU dominated NAT, yielding a lower per-patient cost of $170 and an increase of 0.010 QALYs over three years. The resulting NMB was $1178 per patient in favour of DHACM FPFU over the same time horizon. The rate of VLU recurrence had a notable impact on model uncertainty. In the PSA, DHACM FPFU was cost-effective in 63.01% of simulations at the $100,000/QALY threshold. CONCLUSION: In this analysis, DHACM FPFU was the dominant strategy compared to NAT, as it was cost-saving and generated a greater number of QALYs over three years from the US Medicare perspective. A companion VLU Medicare outcomes analysis revealed that patients who received AT with a cellular, acellular and matrix-like product (CAMP) compared to patients who received NAT had the best outcomes. Given the added clinical benefits to patients at lower cost, providers should recommend DHACM FPFU to patients with VLU who qualify. Decision-makers for public insurers (e.g., Medicare and Medicaid) and commercial payers should establish preferential formulary placement for reimbursement of DHACM to reduce budget impact and improve the long-term health of their patient populations dealing with these chronic wounds. DECLARATION OF INTEREST: Support for this analysis was provided by MiMedx Group, Inc., US. JLD, and RAF are employees of MiMedx Group, Inc. WHT, BH, PS, BGC and WVP were consultants to MiMedx Group, Inc. VD, AO, MRK, JAN, NW and GAM served on the MiMedx Group, Inc. Advisory Board. MRK and JAN served on a speaker's bureau. WVP declares personal fees and equity holdings from Stage Analytics, US.

Treatment patterns and outcomes of Medicare enrolees who developed venous leg ulcers.

OBJECTIVE: To retrospectively evaluate the comorbidities, treatment patterns and outcomes of Medicare enrolees who developed venous leg ulcers (VLUs). METHOD: Medicare Limited Data Standard Analytic Hospital Inpatient and Outpatient Department Files were used to follow patients who received medical care for a VLU between 1 October 2015 and 2 October 2019. Patients diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) and a VLU were propensity matched into four groups based on their treatment regimen. Episode claims were used to document demographics, comorbidities and treatments of Medicare enrolees who developed VLUs, as well as important outcomes, such as time to ulcer closure, rates of complications and hospital utilisation rates. Outcomes were compared across key propensity-matched groups. RESULTS: In total, 42% of Medicare enrolees with CVI (n=1,225,278), developed at least one VLU during the study, and 79% had their episode claim completed within one year. However, 59% of patients developed another VLU during the study period. This analysis shows that only 38.4% of VLU episodes received documented VLU conservative care treatment. Propensity-matched episodes that received an advanced treatment or high-cost skin substitutes for a wound which had not progressed by 30 days demonstrated the best outcomes when their cellular, acellular, matrix-like product (CAMP) treatment was applied weekly or biweekly (following parameters for use). Complications such as rates of infection (33%) and emergency department visits (>50%) decreased among patients who received an advanced treatment (following parameters for use). CONCLUSION: Medicare enrolees with CVI have diverse comorbidities and many do not receive sufficient management, which contributes to high rates of VLUs and subsequent complications. Medicare patients at risk of a VLU who receive early identification and advanced CAMP treatment demonstrated improved quality of life and significantly reduced healthcare resource utilisation.

The influence of adequate debridement and placental-derived allografts on diabetic foot ulcers.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the role of debridement when patients are using placental-derived allografts (PDAs), data from two prospective, multicentre, randomised controlled trials (RCTs) were evaluated for the quality or adequacy of debridement on diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) treated with PDAs. Results were compared with real-world findings via a retrospective analysis of 2015-2019 Medicare claims for DFUs. METHOD: Debridement adequacy in the prospective RCTs was adjudicated by three blinded wound care specialists. Treatments included two PDAs, dehydrated human amnion/chorion membrane (DHACM, n=54) or dehydrated human umbilical cord (DHUC, n=101), compared with standard of care (SOC, n=110). The key outcome was the influence of adequate debridement on rates of complete closure within 12 weeks. Additionally, a retrospective analysis of 2015-2019 Medicare claims for DFUs that received routine debridement at intervals ranging from every 1-7 days (18,900 total episodes), 8-14 days (35,728 total episodes), and every 15 days or greater (34,330 total episodes) was performed. RESULTS: Within the RCTs, adequate debridement occurred in 202/265 (76%) of patients, 90/110 (82%) SOC ulcers, 45/54 (83%) of DHACM-treated ulcers, and in 67/101 (66%) of DHUC-treated ulcers. Complete closure occurred in 150/202 (74%) of adequately debrided ulcers, and in only 13/63 (21%) of ulcers without adequate debridement, p<0.0001. Debridement was the most significant factor for closure even when controlling for other clinical characteristics. Within the Medicare claims data 21% (18,900/88,958) of episodes treated with SOC only had debridement intervals of ≤7 days. Short debridement intervals in combination with the use of DHACM demonstrated statistically significant better outcomes than SOC including: 65% fewer major amputations (p<0.0001), higher DFU resolution rates (p=0.0125), 42% fewer emergency room visits (p<0.0001) and reduced usage of other hospital resources (admissions and readmissions). CONCLUSION: Prospectively collected data examining the quality of debridement and retrospectively analysed data examining the frequency of debridement supports routine adequate wound debridement, particularly at intervals of seven days, as an essential component of wound care. Optimal use of placental-derived allografts improves outcomes and lowers the use of healthcare resources.

Cost-effectiveness of dehydrated human amnion/chorion membrane allografts in lower extremity diabetic ulcer treatment.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the cost-effectiveness and budget impact of using standard care (no advanced treatment, NAT) compared with an advanced treatment (AT), dehydrated human amnion/chorion membrane (DHACM), when following parameters for use (FPFU) in treating lower extremity diabetic ulcers (LEDUs). METHOD: We analysed a retrospective cohort of Medicare patients (2015-2019) to generate four propensity-matched cohorts of LEDU episodes. Outcomes for DHACM and NAT, such as amputations, and healthcare utilisation were tracked from claims codes, analysed and used to build a hybrid economic model, combining a one-year decision tree and a four-year Markov model. The budget impact was evaluated in the difference in per member per month spending following completion of the decision tree. Likewise, the cost-effectiveness was analysed before and after the Markov model at a willingness to pay (WTP) threshold of $100,000 per quality adjusted life year (QALY). The analysis was conducted from the healthcare sector perspective. RESULTS: There were 10,900,127 patients with a diagnosis of diabetes, of whom 1,213,614 had an LEDU. Propensity-matched Group 1 was generated from the 19,910 episodes that received AT. Only 9.2% of episodes were FPFU and DHACM was identified as the most widely used AT product among Medicare episodes. Propensity-matched Group 4 was limited by the 590 episodes that used DHACM FPFU. Episodes treated with DHACM FPFU had statistically fewer amputations and healthcare utilisation. In year one, DHACM FPFU provided an additional 0.013 QALYs, while saving $3,670 per patient. At a WTP of $100,000 per QALY, the five-year net monetary benefit was $5003. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study showed that DHACM FPFU reduced costs and improved clinical benefits compared with NAT for LEDU Medicare patients. DHACM FPFU provided better clinical outcomes than NAT by reducing major amputations, ED visits, inpatient admissions and readmissions. These clinical gains were achieved at a lower cost, in years 1-5, and were likely to be cost-effective at any WTP threshold. Adoption of best practices identified in this retrospective analysis is expected to generate clinically significant decreases in amputations and hospital utilisation while saving money.

Mohs Defect Repair with Dehydrated Human Amnion/Chorion Membrane.

Importance: Reconstructing cosmetically sensitive defects in an aging population undergoing multiple Mohs micrographic surgeries (MMS) may be addressed with alternatives to surgery. Objective: Patients undergoing MMS with defect reconstruction in visually prominent areas receiving placental allograft were compared with traditional autologous tissue-based procedures-flaps and full-thickness skin grafts (FTSG). Design, Setting, and Participants: This retrospective case-control study evaluated patients who underwent MMS for removal of a basal or squamous cell carcinoma with same-day repair. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary endpoint was the incidence and comparison of postoperative morbidity. Risk for developing medical or cosmetic sequelae was determined through multivariate logistic regression. Results: The study population consisted of 143 propensity score-matched pairs (n = 286) with moderate- to high-risk defects on the face, head, and neck. Compared with autologous tissue, placental allograft cases were associated with significantly lower risk for infection (p = 0.004), poor scar cosmesis (p < 0.0001), scar revision (p < 0.0001), or reoperation (p = 0.0007). Conclusions and Relevance: Postoperative complication rates for placental reconstructions did not exceed those demonstrated by autologous tissue counterparts, indicating this is a safe alternative to flap and FTSG in cosmetically sensitive repairs.

Micronized Dehydrated Human Amnion/Chorion Membrane Injection in the Treatment of Chronic Achilles Tendinitis.

Background: Human amniotic membrane contains growth factors and cytokines that promote epithelial cell migration and proliferation, stimulate metabolic processes that lead to collagen synthesis, and attract fibroblasts, while also reducing pain and inflammation. Randomized studies have shown effectiveness of micronized dehydrated human amnion/chorion membrane (mdHACM) allograft injection in treatment of plantar fasciitis. We present our experience and short-term outcomes with using mdHACM injection as a treatment for Achilles tendinopathy. Methods: Retrospective case series of patients with Achilles tendinopathy treated with mdHACM by a single physician. Participants had at least two follow-up visits within 45 days of mdHACM injection. Outcomes examined included change in reported level of pain during the 45-day observation period and treatment-associated adverse events. Results: Follow-up data were available for 32 mdHACM-treated patients. At treatment initiation, 97% of patients reported severe (66%) or moderate (31%) pain. At the first follow-up visit (mean ± SD of 8.1 ± 2.7 days postinjection), 27 patients (84%) reported improvement in pain levels, although 37% of patients continued to report severe (6%) or moderate (31%) pain. At the second follow-up visit (mean ± SD of 23.1 ± 6.2 days postinjection), no patients reported severe pain and one reported moderate pain. Within 45 days of mdHACM injection, complete symptom resolution was reported by 66% of treated patients (n = 21), with the remaining 34% (n = 11) reporting symptom improvement but not complete resolution. Two patients reported calf or quadricep pain or tightness after injection. Conclusions: In our experience, mdHACM injection reduced or eliminated pain in all 32 patients with follow-up data.

Micronized Dehydrated Human Amnion Chorion Membrane Injection in the Treatment of Knee Osteoarthritis-A Large Retrospective Case Series.

Osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee is a leading cause of chronic pain and disability in the United States. Current treatment options primarily target OA symptoms reserving surgical intervention and knee replacement for those who fail conservative measures. With average age of patients with knee OA decreasing, regenerative treatment approaches to reduce symptoms, increase quality of life, and delay the need for surgical intervention are increasingly sought. Human amniotic membrane contains growth factors and cytokines, which promote epithelial cell migration and proliferation, stimulate metabolic processes leading to collagen synthesis, and attract fibroblasts, while also reducing pain and inflammation. Micronization of the tissue allows for suspension in normal saline and injection. We conducted a retrospective review of 100 knees treated for symptomatic OA with micronized dehydrated human amnion/chorion membrane (mdHACM) and followed for 6 months. Our purpose is to present our experience and patient outcomes. Data were abstracted from electronic medical records of 82 consecutive OA patients (100 knees) injected with 100 mg mdHACM. Patient age, gender, adverse events and routinely collected Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) were evaluated. Effectiveness of mdHACM treatment was measured by serial KOOS at baseline, and posttreatment at 6 weeks, 3, and 6 months. Overall mean KOOS for the cohort was 40 at baseline, improving to 52, 62, and 65 at 6 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months post-mdHACM injection. Percent increases were 32, 56, and 65%, respectively. Quality of life and sports/recreation domains improved by 111 and 118%, respectively, at 6 months. Pain scores improved by 67% at 6 months. All scores improved throughout the observation period. The most common adverse event was pain after injection lasting 2 to 7 days, observed in 68% of cases. This represents the largest single-physician experience with mdHACM for treatment of knee OA reported to date. Injectable mdHACM appears to be a potentially useful treatment option for knee OA patients. Controlled studies are underway to confirm these observations.

Variations in study outcomes relative to intention-to-treat and per-protocol data analysis techniques in the evaluation of efficacy for treatment of venous leg ulcers with dehydrated human amnion/chorion membrane allograft.

Statistical interpretation of data collected in a randomised controlled trial (RCT) is conducted on the intention-to-treat (ITT) and/or the per-protocol (PP) study populations. ITT analysis is a comparison of treatment groups including all patients as originally allocated after randomisation regardless if treatment was initiated or completed. PP analysis is a comparison of treatment groups including only those patients who completed the treatment as originally allocated, although it is often criticised because of its potential to instil bias. A previous report from an RCT conducted to evaluate the efficacy of dehydrated human amnion/chorion membrane allograft (EpiFix) as an adjunct to standard comprehensive wound therapy consisting of moist dressings and multi-layer compression in the healing of venous leg ulcers (VLUs) only reported PP study results (n = 109, 52 EpiFix and 57 standard care patients), although there were 128 patients randomised: 64 to the EpiFix group and 64 to the standard care group. Primary study outcome was the incidence of healing at 12 weeks. The purpose of the present study is to report ITT results on all 128 randomised subjects and assess if both ITT and PP data analyses arrive at the same conclusion of the efficacy of EpiFix as a treatment for VLU. Rates of healing for the ITT and PP populations were, respectively, 50% and 60% for those receiving EpiFix and 31% and 35% for those in the standard care cohort. Within both ITT and PP analyses, these differences were statistically significant; P = 0.0473, ITT and P = 0.0128, PP. The Kaplan-Meier plot of time to heal within 12 weeks for the ITT and PP populations demonstrated a superior wound-healing trajectory for EpiFix compared with VLUs treated with standard care alone. These data provide clinicians and health policymakers an additional level of assurance regarding the effectiveness of EpiFix.

Comparative effectiveness of total population versus disease-specific neural network models in predicting medical costs.

The objective of this research was to compare the accuracy of two types of neural networks in identifying individuals at risk for high medical costs for three chronic conditions. Two neural network models-a population model and three disease-specific models-were compared regarding effectiveness predicting high costs. Subjects included 33,908 health plan members with diabetes, 19,264 with asthma, and 2,605 with cardiac conditions. For model development/ testing, only members with 24 months of continuous enrollment were included. Models were developed to predict probability of high costs in 2000 (top 15% of distribution) based on 1999 claims factors. After validation, models were applied to 2000 claims factors to predict probability of high 2001 costs. Each member received two scores-population model score applied to cohort and disease model score. Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves compared sensitivity, specificity, and total performance of population model and three disease models. Diabetes-specific model accuracy, C = 0.786 (95%CI = 0.779-0.794), was greater than that of population model applied to diabetic cohort, C = 0.767 (0.759-0.775). Asthma-specific model accuracy, C = 0.835 (0.825-0.844), was no different from that of population model applied to asthma cohort, C = 0.844 (0.835-0.853). Cardiac-specific model accuracy, C = 0.651 (0.620-0.683), was lower than that of population model applied to cardiac cohort, C = 0.726 (0.697-0.756). The population model predictive power, compared to the disease model predictive power, varied by disease; in general, the larger the cohort, the greater the advantage in predictive power of the disease model compared to the population model. Given these findings, disease management program staff should test multiple approaches before implementing predictive models.