Derma Sciences Inc (Princeton, NJ), a medical device and pharmaceutical company focused on advanced wound care, recently announced that all five products in its novel line of Xtrasorb^® HCS Dressings have received Healthcare Common Procedural Coding System (HCPCS) codes. These codes (A6234 through A6238) were awarded by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and allow healthcare providers to bill for the dressings effective immediately. Xtrasorb HCS makes use of a patented super absorbent polymer hydrocolloidal suspension within a hydrogel matrix. Owing to this unique combination, the dressings can be used on dry wounds all the way to moderately exuding wounds acting as a “smart dressing” by providing moisture when the wound is dry and by absorbing moisture when the wound is exuding. This line of super-absorbent wound dressings have distinct advantages over traditional first-line dressings. The dressings provide the following:

• Ability to hold more fluid
• Locks fluid inside the dressing, helping to decrease the risk of maceration
• Locks fluid inside the dressing, helping to keep the harmful contents within wound fluid away from the wound and periwound skin

  With the awarding of these reimbursement codes, the company has codes that cover its entire Xtrasorb product line, including Xtrasorb Foam for the treatment of moderate to heavily exuding wounds and Xtrasorb Classic, for heavily and extra heavily exuding wounds. With this reimbursement in place and the product now in the company’s distribution center, Derma Sciences is confident that the demand for the new dressing line extensions will be robust. HCPCS codes are used by Medicare and monitored by CMS. They are based on the Current Procedural Technology (CPT) codes developed by the American Medical Association. Wound dressings and other supplies cannot be reimbursed through Medicare without set HCPCS codes. Additionally, most private health insurance companies follow the lead of Medicare with these types of products. The company estimates that approximately 50% of the potential market for the dressing relies on HCPCS codes.

  Visit www.dermasciences.com for more information.