October 7, 2020
AUSTIN, Texas, Oct. 7, 2020 – Hanger, Inc. (NYSE: HNGR) today announced results of its second IMPACT study, which evaluates the impact of receipt of a prosthesis on overall healthcare utilization. Emergency department use, a common proxy for healthcare utilization, was assessed in the context of timing of receipt of a lower limb prosthesis following amputation, as well as not receiving a prosthesis. The IMPACT 2 study utilized the IBM Watson Truven Health Marketscan, a national commercial claims database, and analyzed data on 510 patients with lower limb amputations.
Results suggest that individuals who received an early prosthesis, within three months following a lower limb amputation, were 48 percent less likely to use the emergency department compared to those who did not receive a prosthesis, which was true across all age groups. Further, the percentage of emergency department use as a measure of overall healthcare utilization appears to have an upward trend as the time from surgery to prosthesis receipt increases. Additionally, individuals who experienced a fall had 2.8 times the odds of emergency department utilization. The findings were published in the peer-reviewed scientific journal PM&R, the Journal of Injury, Function and Rehabilitation.
“The IMPACT 2 study not only underscores the significance of long-term health benefits for the patient, including reduced falls and better quality of life, it also highlights the value of cost savings in healthcare utilization that comes with receipt of a prosthesis early on in the rehabilitation process,” stated James Campbell, PhD, Hanger Chief Clinical Officer. “This is yet another illustration of the holistic benefits of early prosthetic rehabilitation.”
The collaborative research was conducted by the clinical and scientific affairs department of Hanger Clinic, including Shane R. Wurdeman, PhD, CP, FAAOP and Taavy A. Miller, PhD, CPO, and accompanied by researchers from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte’s Department of Public Health. The IMPACT 2 study is an extension of the initial IMPACT study, based on review of the Watson data. The results of the study were published in PM&R and are now available via early release online here: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/pmrj.12504, and additional information on the study is available on the Hanger Clinic website here: https://hangerclinic.com/blog/published-research/impact-2-the-role-of-earlier-receipt-of-a-lower-limb-prosthesis-on-emergency-department-utilization/.
The IMPACT series is part of a vast collection of landmark research studies already published, or in various stages of publication by Hanger Clinic’s Clinical and Scientific Affairs Department, in collaboration with leading researchers, clinicians, and academic institutions. Additional information on previously published research can be found here: https://hangerclinic.com/for-professionals/research-innovation/.
About Hanger, Inc. – Headquartered in Austin, Texas, Hanger, Inc. is a leading provider of orthotic and prosthetic (O&P) patient care services and products. The company operates as an ecosystem of diversified companies delivering complementary solutions to individuals and providers with O&P needs, and is organized in two business segments – Patient Care and Products & Services. Through its Patient Care segment, Hanger provides comprehensive, outcomes-based O&P services to individuals of all ages at more than 925 Hanger Clinic locations nationwide. Through its Products & Services segment, Hanger serves the broader O&P community and skilled nursing facilities through designing and distributing branded and private label O&P devices, products and components, providing consulting services, and offering post-acute rehabilitative solutions. Rooted in clinical research, excellence, and innovation, Hanger is a purpose-driven company focused on empowering human potential. For more information, visit corporate.hanger.com.
Contact:
Annie Myers
External Relations Manager
(210) 440-7380 or [email protected]