EO2 on ADA decision: ‘It’s a big deal’

SAN ANTONIO – EO2 Concepts believes the American Diabetes Association’s recent recommendation of continuous diffusion of oxygen (CDO) therapy as a “standard of care” for the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers will improve that therapy’s chances of being paid for more widely. 

Dave Kazynski, who leads sales and marketing efforts for EO2, says the company’s CDO device, the OxyGeni, is cleared by the Food and Drug Administration and is listed as DME under code E0446, but it's only classified by Medicare “at the carrier’s discretion.” EO2 has spent significant time and money conducting and publishing studies to show the value of CDO therapy – and now the ADA has taken notice. 

“The ADA is a nonpartisan, scientific organization,” he said. “When they come out and say something is a standard of care, it’s a big deal.” 

EO2’s OxyGeni is a “mini oxygen concentrator with technology developed by NASA,” as Kazynski describes, that takes ambient air and turns it into 99% pure oxygen and delivers it directly to the wound bed by use of a dressing designed specifically for this therapy, helping it to close more quickly. 

The company has had some success getting CDO therapy paid for by Medicaid programs in various states, including New York, Florida, Arizona and Massachusetts, as well as by Veterans Affairs and Indian Health Services, Kazynski says. 

“But so many payers rely on Medicare and when Medicare doesn’t have a set rate, it’s considered experimental,” he said. 

All of this, despite CDO therapy costing less than hyperbaric oxygen therapy, negative pressure wound therapy and even moist wound dressing treatments, when considering the total cost to close a wound, Kazynski says. Furthermore, EO2’s studies show CDO can reduce pain for all types of wounds “to nearly zero,” and can significantly reduce scarring, he says. 

“The worst part of this is, we know it works so much better than anything else on the market, but we still struggle getting payment,” he said. 

EO2 is doing a lot of work behind the scenes to make COD therapy an attractive offering to HME providers. It has a sales force to provide leads and has contracted with third parties to help with billing and filing appeals for payment, Kazynski says. 

“It’s a great opportunity,” he said. “There are 37 million people with diabetes in this country and up to 34% will develop an ulcer some time in their lifetime. The advanced wound care market is huge – exceeding $7 billion annually in the United States alone.”