Medela and Apria Announce Nationwide Distribution Agreement for Negative Pressure Wound Therapy

Medela LLC announced today that Apria Healthcare, one of the nation's largest providers of home healthcare and equipment services, will begin distributing Medela's negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) product line on a national basis.

Under the terms of the agreement, Apria will expand its wound care portfolio to include the full line of Medela's negative pressure wound therapy products, including the Invia® NPWT System with FitPad.  Apria will offer the Medela products through its more than 300 local branch offices and its nearly 1,900 commercial payers and preferred provider arrangements with integrated health systems across the country.

"I am excited about bringing Apria and Medela together," said Kevin Ackermann, vice president of healthcare for Medela USA.  "By offering a united front, these two companies can help remove the complexities that occur in coordinating patient care from hospital to home, providing wider access to Medela's leading technology nationwide."

Medela's proprietary wound care system, featuring intelligent pressure control and dynamic exudate removal, provides users with the confidence that the prescribed therapy is being delivered at the wound site.  This same system can be used in both the acute care and home care settings. 

"We believe that our patients, prescribers and healthcare providers will immediately see the benefit of using the Invia NPWT system with FitPad in both the acute care and home care space, and of having Apria's dedicated sales team assist in safely getting these patients back home and coordinating their ongoing care," said Jeff C. Johnson, vice president business development for Apria.