September 28, 2012 — Accumetrics Inc., developer of the VerifyNow System, the first rapid and easy-to-use point-of-care system for measuring platelet reactivity to multiple antiplatelet agents, announced the launch of its Quality Improvement and Value Assessment Program. The program is designed to help hospitals measure the potential reduction in 30-day hospital readmissions and length of stay as a result of integrating platelet reactivity testing into cardiovascular patient care. As a key quality metric, 30-day readmissions were recently highlighted by Medicare, which next month will begin penalizing hospitals for excess 30-day readmission rates.
“With the advent of Medicare’s Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program, healthcare providers face increasing pressure to improve patient care while reducing overall cost. To do this, they must rely on innovative technologies and medical solutions, supported by solid data, that will help them coordinate care and reduce preventable hospital readmissions,” said Timothy I. Still, President and CEO of Accumetrics. "The VerifyNow System and our Quality Improvement Program are important tools to help healthcare providers deliver the most clinically appropriate and cost-effective care for patients on antiplatelet medications.”
A cornerstone of Accumetrics’ Quality Improvement Program is the company’s proprietary Value Assessment Model. Based on published data, the model was featured in an award-winning scientific poster at the recent American Association for Clinical Chemistry (AACC) scientific meeting. It can be completed for any hospital by Accumetrics’ team of representatives, and will project reductions in 30-day readmissions and preoperative length of stay. Additionally, Accumetrics’ Clinical Liaisons are available to work directly with clinicians and healthcare institutions to measure the clinical quality and economic impact of implementing platelet reactivity testing as part of clinical practice.
"We are in an interesting era of medicine where we have to be extremely cost conscious while trying to maintain the highest standards in quality care," said Paul Teirstein, chief of cardiology, Scripps Clinic, La Jolla, Calif. "At Scripps, we feel that incorporating platelet reactivity testing provides us critical information to assess the chosen antiplatelet treatment strategy and make any modifications that we feel gives our patients the best chance to remain event-free."
The VerifyNow System is currently used clinically by physicians in more than 800 facilities in the United States and more than 70 countries worldwide where antiplatelet medications are prescribed to reduce the occurrence of future thrombotic events such as heart attack and stroke.
For more information: www.accumetrics.com