Smith & Nephew Negative Pressure Wound Therapy Products To Be Available To Patients Through the Medicare Part B Competitive Bidding Process

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., June 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The Advanced Wound Management Division of Smith & Nephew announced today that its negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) products will be available in nine of the ten designated metropolitan areas included in the first phase of the competitive bidding program administered by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in the U.S. The program, which is scheduled to take effect in July 2008, was established, in part, to ensure that Medicare patients have access to quality homecare products and services and that these and their providers meet Medicare's new financial and quality standards.

The Smith & Nephew EZCARE(TM) system for in-hospital use and the V1STA(TM) portable system for home use are proven treatments for hard to heal wounds based on the well-established principles of negative pressure wound therapy. The benefits of this treatment have been demonstrated since the late 1800s. The Smith & Nephew systems are FDA-cleared and have demonstrated excellent clinical results at a lower pressure than commonly used in other NPWT technologies. This lower pressure is comfortable for the patient and can improve usage rates for the treatment in the homecare environment. The clinical effectiveness of the Chariker-Jeter(TM) technique on which the Smith & Nephew NPWT dressing system is based was documented and published in 1989(1). Recent clinical research, published in the June edition of International Wound Journal and that will be presented at the 2008 World Union of Wound Healing Societies meeting in Toronto, Canada, concludes that the Smith & Nephew gauze-based NPWT systems are clinically effective with statistically significant reduction in wound volume and wound area similar to those published for foam-based NPWT systems(2).

To help ensure that homecare patients have access to clinically-proven NPWT, Smith & Nephew recently announced that it has entered into a preferred provider agreement with Apria Healthcare, Inc. , America's leading provider of integrated home healthcare products and services. Apria was awarded contracts to provide NPWT to beneficiaries in seven of the ten designated competitive bidding areas included in the first phase of the CMS competitive bidding program. With approximately 550 locations throughout the U.S., Apria serves over 2 million patients annually. The Apria/Smith & Nephew collaboration will provide a smooth transition from hospital to homecare, giving more patients access to clinically effective NPWT while reducing overall treatment costs. In addition to Apria being awarded contracts, Smith & Nephew NPWT systems will be available through existing regional providers in two further competitive bidding areas.

In addition, Smith & Nephew has been working in collaboration with Universal Hospital Services, Inc. (UHS) since October 2007, providing NPWT to the U.S. acute care and long-term care markets. The continuum of care is completed, through UHS focusing on acute care and LTACs, and Apria, along with our existing regional providers, providing NPWT to home patients upon hospital discharge.

As a global leader in wound care, Smith & Nephew is unique in that it offers a total wound management solution that includes NPWT and a comprehensive portfolio of advanced wound management products from ACTICOAT(TM) and ALLEVYN(TM) to VERSAJET(TM), along with service and education to help ensure that the right products are used at the right time on the right wounds. In addition to being FDA-cleared in the U.S., the Smith & Nephew NPWT systems are cleared for sale in Australia, Canada and South Africa as well as CE-marked for use in Europe.

For more information about Smith & Nephew NPWT products, please visit our Web site at http://www.npwt.com/

References:

1. Chariker ME, Jeter KF, Tintle TE, Ottsford JE. Effective management of incisional and cutaneous fistulae with closed suction wound draining. Contemp. Surg. 1989; 34:59-63

2. Campbell PE, Smith GS, Smith JM. Retrospective clinical evaluation of gauze-based negative pressure wound therapy. Int. Wound J. 2008; 5: 280-286

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  About Smith & Nephew

Smith & Nephew is a global medical technology business, specializing in Orthopedic Reconstruction, Orthopedic Trauma and Clinical Therapies, Endoscopy and Advanced Wound Management products. Smith & Nephew is a global leader in arthroscopy and advanced wound management and is one of the leading global orthopedics companies.

Smith & Nephew is dedicated to helping improve people's lives. The Company prides itself on the strength of its relationships with its surgeons and professional healthcare customers, with whom its name is synonymous with high standards of performance, innovation and trust. The Company operates in 32 countries around the world. Annual sales in 2007 were $3.4 billion.