36 INFECTIOUS DISEASE, DISASTER PLANNING & WOUND CARE | 2019 | www.elitecme.com A 2014 study, An Economic Evaluation of the Impact, Cost, and Medicare Policy Implications of Chronic Non- healing Wounds, found that non-healing wounds in the Medicare population is a large problem. For example, chronic non-healing wounds affect 15 percent of Medicare ben- eficiaries, which is about 8.2 million people. These wounds cost approximately $28 billion when the wound is listed as a primary diag- nosis on a Medicare claim; however, under Wound Care Breakthroughs for 2019 The Industry has no Shortage of New Options for treatment By Krystina Ostermeyer RN, BSN, CDE ISTOCK WOUND CARE |