MINNEAPOLIS, June 22, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Tactile Systems Technology, Inc. (“Tactile Medical”) (Nasdaq: TCMD ), a medical technology company focused on developing medical devices for the treatment of chronic diseases at home, today announced the publication of a new clinical study demonstrating the health and economic benefits of the Flexitouch system for chronic venous insufficiency-related lymphedema (“CVI-related lymphedema,” also known as “Phlebolymphedema”), compared to other treatment modalities. Some experts have indicated that phlebolymphedema, not cancer, as is usually referenced, may be the leading cause of lower extremity lymphedema in the U.S. today.
“These data highlight the dramatic positive impact of our Flexitouch system on healthcare utilization and costs in a large and important patient population,” said Gerald Mattys, Tactile Medical CEO. He continued, “The data also supports our claim that all pneumatic compression devices are not clinically equivalent.”
The study, titled Health and Economic Benefits of Advanced Pneumatic Compression Devices in Patients with Phlebolymphedema , was conducted by Lerman et al. and published in the Journal of Vascular Surgery. It evaluated the impact of multiple treatment modalities including conservative therapy, simple pneumatic compression devices, the Flexitouch system, and other advanced pneumatic compression devices on phlebolymphedema medical resource utilization and costs.
The study involved a longitudinal matched case-control analysis utilizing de-identified private insurance claims information from the Blue Health Intelligence ® data repository, which leverages the power of medical and pharmacy claims data from more than 180 million Americans who have been members of a Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance plan in the last ten years. Patients included in the study had continuous health plan enrollment for at least 18 months, were diagnosed with phlebolymphedema, and had at least one claim for conservative therapy, either alone or in addition to a pneumatic compression device.
Researchers found that management of phlebolymphedema with Flexitouch in addition to conservative therapy was associated with significant reductions in per patient per year total costs (69% lower than management with conservative therapy alone (P=0.001), 85% lower compared to simple pneumatic compression devices (P=0.008), and 53% lower than with other advanced pneumatic compression devices (P=0.032), each illustrating statistical significance). The lower per patient per year total costs were largely due to lower inpatient and outpatient hospital costs. Mattys also said, “This new publication highlights the potential for retrospective analyses of large institutional health plans in order to better understand the potential impact of devices on patient well-being and outcomes.”
Additionally, researchers found that the receipt of a Flexitouch system was associated with 50% lower rates of cellulitis, skin infections that are endemic to this patient population, compared with other advanced pneumatic compression devices. The researchers concluded that this finding represented a major direct health benefit for the Flexitouch system over the broader class of advanced pneumatic compression devices and supports previously published Flexitouch clinical data.
Based on the findings of the study, the researchers recommended Flexitouch with conservative therapy to reduce costs in patients with chronic venous insufficiency-related lymphedema, compared to the other treatment modalities.
Results of the study will be presented at the 14th annual Medical Device and Reimbursement Conference in Chicago, IL, during a presentation hosted by Blue Health Intelligence CEO, Swati Abbott, on July 11 2018. The presentation is titled “Bridging Data, Analytics and Insights to Develop a Medical Device Value Proposition” and focuses on the increasing need for medical device manufacturers to use real-world evidence and analytics to produce unique, product-specific insights that inform a range of healthcare cost and outcome questions.
The study may be found online at: https://www.jvascsurg.org/article/S0741-5214(18)30983-2/pdf
About Tactile Medical
Tactile Medical is a leader in developing and marketing at-home therapy devices that treat chronic swelling conditions such as lymphedema and chronic venous insufficiency. Tactile Medical’s Mission is to help people suffering from chronic diseases live better and care for themselves at home. The Company’s unique offering includes advanced, clinically proven pneumatic compression devices, as well as continuity of care services provided by a national network of product specialists and trainers, reimbursement experts, patient advocates and clinicians. This combination of products and services ensures that tens of thousands of patients annually receive the at-home treatment necessary to better manage their chronic conditions. Tactile Medical takes pride in the fact that our solutions help increase clinical efficacy, reduce overall healthcare costs and improve the quality of life for patients with chronic conditions.
Legal Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This release contains forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are generally identifiable by the use of words like “may,” “will,” “should,” “could,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “believe,” “intend,” “confident,” or “project” or the negative of these words or other variations on these words or comparable terminology. These also include statements about potential long-term outcomes from the use of Flexitouch. The reader is cautioned not to put undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, as these statements are subject to numerous factors and uncertainties outside of the Company’s control that can make such statements untrue, including, but not limited to, adverse results to patients; adverse federal, state and local government regulation; technological obsolescence of the Company’s products; and technical problems with the Company’s research and products. In addition, other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially are discussed in the Company’s filings with the SEC. Investors and security holders are urged to read these documents free of charge on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise its forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
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