Helmet therapy for deformational plagiocephaly has an ideal window for treatment, and timely access to care is vital to achieving optimal benefit. A study found that patients insured through Medicaid had decreased access to helmet therapy. Overall, infants with Medicaid coverage were about three times more likely to have delayed treatment.
The retrospective analysis was conducted for helmet therapy referrals at Cranial Technologies, headquartered in Arizona, between 2014 and 2020 across 21 states. Outcome measures were the likelihood of receiving a helmet, receiving a second helmet, receiving delayed treatment, and having delayed presentation.
A total of 219,869 patients were referred and 141,513 of them received a helmet. Patients with Medicaid were less likely to receive treatment and more likely to present late or receive delayed treatment compared with patients who were commercially insured. Patients with Medicaid were less likely to receive helmet therapy in nine states, with the strongest association in Texas, and more likely to receive helmet therapy in five states, with the strongest association in Colorado. Medicaid was associated with late presentation and delayed treatment in all states.
“Our study also shows wide variation in access to helmet therapy for [deformational plagiocephaly] between states, related to state-level variations in Medicaid policy related to this common head shape deformity,” Michael Alperovich, MD, MSc, told the Wolters Kluwer Science Blog.
The paper appears as part of an expanded pediatric/craniofacial surgery section, commemorating July as National Cleft and Craniofacial Awareness and Prevention Month.
The open-access study, “Role of State Insurance Policy in Orthotic Helmet Access for Deformational Plagiocephaly,” was published in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.
