WALTHAM, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Echosens, a high-technology company offering the FibroScan family of products, announces its presentation (K7), “Modeling the Return on Investment of VCTE for Fatty Liver Disease (FLD) in a General Population Incorporating Device Costs,” at the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy’s (AMCP) virtual meeting, April 12 - 16, 2021. The presentation demonstrates that by deploying FibroScan, a non-invasive and rapid examination to screen and monitor liver stiffness and fat for members at risk, payers can realize significant cost savings.
Mazen Noureddin, M.D., director, Fatty Liver Program, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, and the study’s lead author, says, “The short-term incremental costs of device implementation and managing additional patients are modest and significantly outweighed by the downstream savings from avoidance or delay of advanced liver disease, as well as reduced aggregate diagnosis costs. There are additional cost savings when there is access to a broader patient base.”
The poster shows how high penetration of FibroScan, combined with more intensive lifestyle and behavioral intervention, yields the highest returns in both Medicare and commercial settings. Within five years, pharmaceutical treatments in clinical development for specific conditions of FLD are expected to have a significant impact on pharmacy budgets.
Dr. Noureddin continues, “Being able to quantify the impact in advance and obviate the need for pharmacotherapy in those patients who are able to maintain a healthy lifestyle can improve patient outcomes and reduce the cost burden of FLD.”
There are two major causes of FLD: alcoholic fatty liver disease (AFLD), which occurs as a result of drinking excessive quantities of alcohol, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which occurs as a result of abnormal metabolism. NAFLD, which is associated with obesity, high cholesterol and diabetes, affects between 30% and 40% of Americans, with significant associated health care and financial burdens. The presentation shows positive net savings within two to three years after device deployment. Across a five-year timespan, researchers estimate net savings up to $2.64 per member per month (PMPM) for Medicare payers and up to $1.91 PMPM for commercial payers.
Jon Gingrich, CEO, Echosens North America, states, “Despite an increase in prevalence of FLD, the disease remains highly undiagnosed with a complex and wasteful diagnostic pathway to identify appropriate treatment candidates. Attendees at the AMCP virtual event will see how this important research further emphasizes the value of efficient, early identification of this silent disease.”
About Echosens
Echosens, the developer of FibroScan®, is an innovative high-technology company offering a full range of products and services supporting physicians in their assessment and management of patients with chronic liver diseases. FibroScan is supported by over 2,500 peer-reviewed publications and examinations are covered by Medicare, Medicaid and many insurance plans. For more information, please visit http://www.echosens.us.
