Healogics announces new Wound Science Initiative

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Sept. 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Healogics, the nation's largest provider of advanced chronic wound care services, today announced the launch of the Wound Science Initiative, a strategic effort that aims to accelerate data-driven improvements in the management and treatment of chronic wounds. With over 700 hospital affiliated outpatient Wound Care Centers® that treat more than 300,000 patients and heal more than two million wounds, Healogics has the largest repository of chronic wound-specific patient data in the industry. The Healogics Wound Science Initiative recognizes the value and relevance of these data to drive continuous, collaborative learning towards a better understanding of how to efficiently utilize healthcare resources to effectively manage this growing population.

Chronic wounds are often poorly understood and insufficiently treated. In the U.S., chronic wounds affect approximately 6.7 million people.ⁱ An excess of $50 billion is spent annually on the treatment of chronic wounds and the problem is growing rapidly due to an aging population and a sharp rise in chronic diseases such as diabetes, peripheral artery disease (PAD) and heart disease. In fact, foot ulcers are the most frequently recognized complication of people with diabetes.ⁱⁱ A separate U.S. assessment of 785 million outpatient hospital visits by people with diabetes between 2007 and 2013 suggested that diabetic foot ulcers are more common reasons for emergency room and hospital admissions than congestive heart failure, renal disease, depression and most forms of cancer. ⁱⁱⁱ

These challenges, along with limited wound care research funding, a fragmented wound care industry and ongoing pressure to improve patient outcomes and lower costs, indicate that chronic wound care research and data science deserves a higher level of awareness and cross-continuum prioritization.

"Our Wound Science Initiative takes advantage of the confluence of three macro trends: availability of more and diversified data across the continuum, new technology platforms that enable real-time data gathering and sharing, and predictive analytics tools that promise to reduce waste and improve patient outcomes," said Dr. William Ennis, Chief Medical Officer of Healogics. "To successfully advance insights and perspectives on how to better manage the care of high-need patients with chronic wounds we must leverage these macro trends to extend awareness and promote cross-sector collaboration. I am delighted to be a part of an effort that pushes the frontiers of wound care, ultimately extending patient access to quality wound care to those who need it."

The Initiative will galvanize around the following activities, all in the context of chronic wound-specific patient outcomes and treatment effectiveness:

• Create new, translate existing and share unique insights and research that drive the science of wound care.
• Develop and share content from a unique wound care perspective.
• Engage, educate and extend awareness of the complicated wound care challenge.

For more information about Healogics Wound Science Initiative, visit solutions.healogics.com.  

About Healogics
Headquartered in Jacksonville, Fla., Healogics and its affiliated companies manage over 700 Wound Care Centers® across 46 states and serve over 500 skilled nursing facilities in the U.S. and Puerto Rico and multiple locations in the United Kingdom. Healogics currently has more than 3,200 employees, including nearly 300 employed physicians (Healogics Specialty Physicians) and a network of approximately 4,000 panel physicians. More than 300,000 patients were treated through the Healogics network in 2016. For more information, please visit Healogics.com.

Contact:
Banks Willis
Vice President Corporate Communications
[email protected]
202-577-5847

ⁱ Criscitelli, T. Caring for Patients With Chronic Wounds: Safety Considerations During the Surgical Experience, AORN Journal, 104(1),67 – 70. Accessed at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.aorn.2016.05.002
ⁱⁱ Abbott CA, Carrington AL, Ashe H, et al. The North-West Diabetes Foot Care Study: incidence of, and risk factors for, new diabetic foot ulceration in a community-based patient cohort. Diabet Med 2002; 19: 377-84
ⁱⁱⁱ Skrepnek GH, Mills JL Sr, Lavery LA, Armstrong DG. Health Care Service and Outcomes Among an Estimated 6.7 Million Ambulatory Care Diabetic Foot Cases in the U.S. Diabetes Care 2017 May 11

SOURCE Healogics