WALTHAM, Mass.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Echosens, a high-technology company offering the FibroScan family of products, announces the publication of a peer-reviewed article reporting the findings of an independent assessment conducted by Santa Barbara Actuaries Inc. (SBA) to evaluate from the payer’s perspective the cost effectiveness of deploying VCTE / CAP machines (FibroScan) for detecting and monitoring fatty liver disease (FLD). Appearing in the September 2021 issue of the American Journal of Managed Care (AJMC), the study results, “Population-Based Return on Investment of Deploying Transient Elastography,” concluded that early identification of patients with FLD through broad placement of VCTE/CAP devices offers cost savings to payers.
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) affects between 30% and 40% of Americans, with significant associated healthcare and financial burdens of liver disease that currently demand payer attention and management. The scenario testing articulated in the study demonstrate 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.
Mazen Noureddin, M.D., director, Fatty Liver Program, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, and the study’s lead author, says, “These conclusions are critically important to every stakeholder in the healthcare ecosystem. The data is extremely valuable in helping providers, benefits decision-makers and payers understand how a point of care examination can not only assess, monitor and help to halt the progression of FLD, but also improve the quality of specialist referrals, thus reducing waste from unnecessary and often invasive testing.”
In an editorial commentary, A. Mark Fendrick, M.D., co-editor in chief, AJMC, professor of Medicine, School of Medicine, professor of Health Management and Policy, School of Public Health, and director, Center for Value-Based Insurance Design, University of Michigan, writes, “Scoring systems such as the Fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) index and NAFLD fibrosis score (NFS) are validated methods to risk stratify using low-cost and routine laboratory tests with high negative predictive value for advanced liver fibrosis. For those individuals who require further work-up, VCTE can provide additional clinical information. VCTE is superior to routine liver ultrasound for the objective assessment of liver scarring and fatty infiltration. VCTE offers excellent negative predictive value and fair positive predictive value.”
Echosens has been at the forefront of the fight to halt liver disease, and FibroScan technology has been supported by over 2,500 peer reviewed publications. In March 2020 in Paris and November 2020 in the US, the Company introduced FibroScan 630 Expert, a comprehensive non-invasive solution for advanced liver disease management, designed to expand clinical capabilities in liver health assessment with the addition of spleen stiffness measurement.
Jon Gingrich, CEO, Echosens North America, says, “This article further validates the economic value of FibroScan to provide a non-invasive, rapid and painless examination that is covered under commercial, Medicare and Medicaid. Stakeholders worldwide in both government and private sectors support greater understanding of NAFLD as an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Equally alarming is the data that an estimated 17.3 million with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) may be at greater risk of developing cirrhosis and liver cancer – high-cost centers for all payers.”
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.