We have lots of important news and information to share with you this month!
NEW Cost Report Demonstrating Saving
This new report from Avalere Health, commissioned by the Lymphedema Advocacy Group, estimates the potential saving due to reduced hospitalizations when compression is used in the treatment of lymphedema. This is the first cost-savings estimate of its kind and a powerful new tool to help us gain even more congressional support! Please see the bullet points below my signature, which will help you to better understand this report.
UPDATED Congressional Information Packet
This cost report has been added to our Congressional Information packet, along with our lymphedema infographic and some other new materials. This packet is for sharing with members of Congress and their staff. Please familiarize yourself with the contents of this packet, which can be viewed and downloaded here.
NEW Advocacy Training Webinars
In mid-August we launched our first-ever Advocacy Training Webinars. Thank you to all who participated in these two live events! More will follow. Our goal is to host at least one live webinar each month, and make recorded webinars available for view through our website. We’ll keep you posted as we have more dates scheduled and links to view pre-recorded webinars.
UPDATE on our Cosponsor Status
As we entered into the August recess we had 122 cosponsors. That is an amazing 6.6 cosponsors per week, and 2.4 cosponsors per in-session day, since our bill was introduced on March 26th! We are eager to see that number continue to rise once Congress returns to session on September 8th. Please continue to contact your Representative if he or she is not yet a cosponsor! All the tools to do so are under the How You Can Help menu on our website
MORE Tools for Spreading Awareness
In addition to our free information cards, we have available a one-page facts sheet, and our lymphedema infographic in two sizes – 8.5”x11” and a poster-size 18”x24”. We also have printable table signs if you are attending or hosting an event and want to set up an information table. These items and more can all be ordered and/or downloaded from the Increasing Awareness page of our website.
NEW CafePress Store for the LTA
Want to show your support for the Lymphedema Treatment Act and help spread awareness at the same time? Why not order a t-shirt or other item from our CafePress store. Twenty percent of the proceeds from all sales are donated to us.
UPCOMING Events:
The World Congress of Lymphology (WCOL) kicks off next week in San Francisco on September 7th. If you are there, make sure to stop by our booth in the exhibit hall to say hello, and attend our Lymphedema Treatment Act briefing on Wednesday, September 9th from 2:00-3:00. For more information please visit the WCOL website.
The Lymphatic Education and Research Network’s walk across the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City takes place on September 19th. For more information please visit LE&RN’s website.
Our next Lymphedema Lobby Days will take place in March of 2016! Exact dates cannot be solidified until the 2016 congressional calendar is released. We will let you know as soon as we have more details. You can learn more and hear what participants had to say about our last event on the Lymphedema Lobby Days page of our website. We hope you can join us at this exciting, educational, and inspiring event!
Heather Ferguson
Founder & Executive Director
Lymphedema Advocacy Group
LymphedemaTreatmentAct.org
COST REPORT INFORMATION & TALKING POINTS:
We first commissioned Avalere Health to produce a cost report (also know as a “score”) for our bill last year. At that time, they were able to estimate the cost of adding coverage for compression, but lacked sufficient data to estimate the potential savings that would result from improved patient care.
The reduced score was made possible by new data showing a 92% reduction in hospital admissions following the utilization of compression items for which the Lymphedema Treatment Act seeks coverage.
The revised cost estimate from Avalere Health reduces the original net cost projection by nearly half.
In order to produce a highly conservative estimate for the Medicare population at large, Avalere chose to adjust the reported decrease in hospitalization among Medicare patients down by half. Thus, the cost savings from reduced hospitalizations may be twice as much if the full benefit shown in the study were realized. This would essentially negate the entire net cost projection.
The score is likely to be reduced even further when accounting for other anticipated expense reductions via improved disease control, e.g. fewer physical and occupational therapy visits, medications, doctor visits, and disability payments.
This newly updated and conservative score demonstrates the dramatic benefit of compression, even on a single item of healthcare expenditure!
