Patients suffering from non-healing wounds are lining up for new hyperbaric oxygen treatment clinics thanks to new medical outsourcing companies such as Accelecare.com now offer hospitals. More importantly, research proves new hyperbaric oxygen treatment has the capacity to reduce morbidity rate among patients suffering chronic and non-healing wounds.
Chronic Wound Statistics
Current statistics and emerging trends document increasing demand for effective chronic wound care. Recognizing one in five diabetes patients suffers chronic foot ulcers, and another 60% of bed-ridden patients develop decubiti. Moreover, researchers at the Columbia University Department of Surgery report a serious and compelling need for effective wound-care among the elderly.
Chronic wounds become potentially fatal when they steadily deteriorate due to hypoxia; and life-threatening chronic wounds lead the causes of amputation in diabetes patients. Hyperbaric oxygen treatment has proven nearly 90% effective in treatment of hypoxic wounds and necrotizing soft tissue infections. Known as HBOT, hyperbaric oxygen treatment is also effective against clinical infections, combating gangrene by attacking anaerobic bacteria, enhancing leukocyte and macrophage activity. Another bonus for the patients is the increased oxygen increases antibiotics' effects even in cases where some bodies have shown resistance. Safe, non-invasive, and posing little risk of side effects, oxygen treatment stands out as the best practice for stimulating and supporting healing.
Cost of Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment
Research shows the cost of hyperbaric oxygen treatment is almost $10,000 less then standard medical care. Collaborating with Canadian physicians, researchers at the National Institutes of Health concluded simply, unequivocally, "Hyperbaric oxygen treatment is cost-effective compared with standard care." Specifically, they found, "The 12-year cost for patients receiving HBOT was $40,695 compared with $49,786 for standard care alone. Outcomes were 3.64 quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) for those receiving HBOT and 3.01 QALYs for controls."
Hospital administrators and boards of directors agree that medical outsourcing with Accelecare type companies gives them capacity to finance, build, operate, and manage state-of-the-art wound treatment centers. Collaborating with administrators, physicians, nurses, and physical therapists, Accelecare uses cutting-edge treatments and sophisticated case management information technology to improve the quality of patients' lives. According to outsource agreements the two parties share capital, start-up, and on-going operational risks. In most cases, new HBOT clinics prove profitable within four months on average. Much of the success is due to the support options included in the outsource arrangement. Accelecare trains physicians and staff to optimize the benefits of hyperbaric oxygen treatment, supplement hospital marketing initiatives, and establish a cost effective financial model for its hospital partners thereby ensuring rapid growth for new wound treatment centers.
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