Category: Service

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PreVantage: Solutions for Outcome-Based Healthcare

Healthcare’s standard “fee-for-service” model provides compensation based on the quantity and complexity of services provided. However, rising medical costs and the intricacies of healthcare delivery has caused the industry to think outside of the box.

Enter value-based payment models.

The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) rewards providers based upon the value of services provided instead of the volume. In laymen’s terms, healthcare systems are now being heavily rewarded (or penalized!) for the efficiency of care – think measurable and positive patient outcomes – instead of the number of tests and treatments provided.

As of January 2019, the payment bonus or penalty has increased to +/- seven percent and the stakes are set to intensify even more next year when the penalty or incentive jumps to nine percent. With so much on the line, it’s essential that healthcare organizations transition smoothly into the world of value-based care.

Our existing suite of point-of-care products is uniquely positioned to meet the needs of this new age healthcare model. Fingerstick testing eliminates the need for cumbersome laboratory analysis and can provide results in minutes instead of days. These quick results may help physicians to accomplish more with each patient visit. Moreover, the risk of a patient’s health worsening between testing and results is potentially decreased.

We recently made the organizational decision to prioritize solutions that help healthcare providers to succeed in this world of value-based payment models. Consequently, the PreVantage brand was born.

PreVantage is a suite of products, strategies, and partnerships created to improve patient and provider satisfaction, increase efficiency, lower costs, and maximize reimbursements while helping healthcare providers inspire patients to live healthier, happier lives.

Simply put, it’s a customized, subscription-based solution that assists the healthcare industry with maximizing reimbursement.

Extensive research and firsthand conversations with healthcare thought leaders have led to nuanced collaborations with Rimidi and eTrueNorth, the first of numerous PreVantage partnerships.

Powered by Rimidi, PreVantage ConnectedCareTM allows for enhanced patient monitoring and coaching through the use of unique digital dashboards for both patients and providers. Unlike many other freestanding chronic disease management platforms, it works seamlessly into the physician or care team’s workflow, integrating directly with providers’ Electronic Health Records.

Powered by eTrueNorth, PreVantage ConnectedQCTM assists users of PTS Diagnostics’ solutions in managing their quality control requirements in a manner consistent with regulatory standards. PreVantage customers are also granted preferred access to eTrueNorth’s eQC suite of policy and procedure and regulatory requirement management programs.

The launch of PreVantage has just begun and we’re excited to shift from strictly a product-based company into a solutions provider that is uniquely positioned within the value-based payment environment!

Are you interested in learning more about how the PreVantage suite of solutions helps to eliminate gaps in care? Connect with a PTS Diagnostics sales rep today and follow us on LinkedIn for periodic updates regarding PreVantage and merit-based incentivization.

Stephen Riendeau | Chief Commercial Officer

Mr. Riendeau joined the PTS Diagnostics in 2007 after 17 years of industry-wide sales experience with Specialty Laboratories, Inc., Myriad Genetic Laboratories, Orca Medical Systems, and Abbott Laboratories, Inc. His professional experience prior to PTS Diagnostics included the servicing of individual accounts, territory management, field sales management, and executive direction of corporate accounts. He has overall responsibility for PTS Diagnostics’ global sales in all healthcare segments, sales distribution, and the development and execution of the company’s strategic sales plan. Mr. Riendeau received a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Florida State University.

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Impacting Underserved Populations at the Point of Care

In today’s hustle and bustle society, it’s easy to become so encapsulated in day-to-day life that we fail to think globally. I’m fortunate that my role at PTS Diagnostics allows me to escape my personal ‘bubble’ and experience firsthand the global impact that our point-of-care technology makes.

One such unforgettable experience occurred in the remote town of Santo Amaro do Maranhão in northern Brazil. The town is home to about 4,000 residents, many of whom don’t have regular access to healthcare and may drive 5+ hours to the city of São Luís just to obtain it. Needless to say, time and money prevent many from making the trip unless it’s imperative.

Through a partnership with our regional distributor, NL Diagnostica, we worked with the town’s mayor and members of the local government to organize a health event using our A1CNow®+ system. These are fantastic analyzers for such events because they provide accurate HbA1c results in minutes with just a simple fingerstick.

It was an enormous success. We tested 115 residents between the ages of 7 – 87 and identified numerous individuals who were unaware that their results fell into prediabetic and diabetic ranges. They were then directed to physicians who can help to develop and implement personalized treatment plans, potentially altering the course of these individuals’ lives.

Similarly, another recent health event in Mato Grosso, Brazil used our analyzers to test 160 individuals and identified 43 of these individuals whose results fell in ranges that may signify prediabetes or diabetes.

The importance of programs like this cannot be understated. Diabetes, heart disease, and their associated comorbidities are an international epidemic. According to the World Health Organization, the global prevalence of diabetes among adults has risen from 4.7 percent in 1980 to 8.5 percent in 2014 and it rises at a much higher rate in middle and low-income countries. Grassroots initiatives such as the events in Santo Amaro do Maranhão and Mato Grosso help to reach the underserved communities that need point-of-care testing and healthcare support the most.

PTS Diagnostics is currently represented in 135 countries and we’re increasing our commitment to international events in 2018. Other global health events on the calendar for the remainder of the year include locations in South America, Europe, and numerous global trade shows and industry meetings.

Interested in learning more about the global impact of our point-of-care analyzers connect with a PTS Diagnostics sales rep and follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook for periodic updates. 

David Brandt | Senior Director, International Distribution

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Why Pharmacies Should Offer Point-of-Care A1C Testing for Customers

As a longtime diabetes advocate and the current Medical Director at PTS Diagnostics, I’d like to discuss a controversial topic which I’m particularly passionate about. The importance of pharmacies expanding their services, where allowed by law, in order to help all clientele, improve their quality of life through chronic disease management.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of adults with diabetes has more than tripled over the past 20 years. Early detection of at-risk individuals is needed to slow and ultimately reverse this alarming trend that’s bordering on a national health crisis. Expanding point-of-care testing in pharmacies is an important step to managing health.

There are several factors that magnify the importance of expanding point-of-care testing, the most relevant of which are convenience and overcrowding of physician’s offices. According to a study from Merrit Hawkins, the average wait time to schedule an appointment with a primary care physician is upwards of 24 days. To make matters worse, it can often take weeks to obtain results from lab tests scheduled by the physician, leaving too much time between a patient’s initial visit and the follow-up consultation.

This is where point-of-care testing thrives and why it must find a niche outside of physicians’ offices. Many pharmacies can’t afford or don’t have room for the same type of high-end testing equipment as professional laboratories and hospitals, but standard point-of-care medical devices are affordable, offer results in minutes, and are able to accurately measure important markers such as A1C, glucose, lipid levels and more.

I believe that all pharmacies, where allowed by law, should expand their point-of-care testing from reimbursable offerings such as flu and strep testing to A1C and other wellness tests. By opening up these testing options to more people and allowing them to see their results sooner, pharmacists can help diabetics to better manage their health.

The development of complications from Type 2 diabetes occurs over an extended period of time. It often takes eight to 10 years before a patient is clinically diagnosed. By that time, nerve and blood vessel damage from undiagnosed diabetes has already occurred. Successful care of diabetes requires the combined work of the patient and the health care team; with pharmacists serving as essential members of this team.
So, what type of point-of-care testing is best for pharmacies? All markers are relevant, but A1C testing has a slight edge because it reflects what the patient’s glucose levels have been over an extended period, and it doesn’t require fasting, which often leads to patient non-compliance and inaccurate results. A1C results offer a great deal of important insights into health risks – a topic that I’ve previously written on in Repertoire Magazine.

It’s also important to remember that diabetes is a disease not only of glucose, but also of blood lipids, which makes knowing and controlling blood lipids a major part of diabetes care. Unlike glucometers, devices like the CardioChek Plus® can provide a more complete picture of metabolic control by measuring both glucose and lipids at the point of care. Counseling and adjustment of therapy can then take place at the next clinical visit.

Once pharmacies run point-of-care tests relative to diabetes, they also need to play an active role in diabetes education. Education is key in pharmacies and beyond. People should be aware that the two factors that will make a difference in diabetes prevention and management are regular exercise and healthy eating, specifically monitoring caloric intake. Genetics might be an essential risk factor, but it can absolutely be overcome.

Combining point-of-care testing and pharmacies, where laws allow, is beneficial for all involved and can be an impactful first step towards in reducing the national diabetes rate. All distributors and pharmacies should contact PTS Diagnostics to learn more about how our point-of-care solutions are improving lives by assisting with disease management.

Dr. James H. Anderson | Medical Director

Dr. Anderson trained in Internal Medicine and specializes in Endocrinology. He has 35 years of clinical and research experience, including Interim CEO at Antigen Express, Inc.; Director and Senior Scientific Advisor of Generex Biotechnology Corporation; CEO and President of Symcopeia Company; Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine at Indiana University School of Medicine; and Senior Medical Director for Diabetes and Cardiometabolic Medicine at Eli Lilly and Company. Fellowships include the American College of Endocrinology and the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine of the Royal Colleges of Physicians (UK). Dr. Anderson has degrees from Louisiana State University School of Medicine, New Orleans, and Centenary College of Louisiana.