Study: VAP Comprehensive Cholesterol Test Improves Outcomes, Reduces Costs by 35% for Managed Care

New clinical trial results demonstrated that using the VAP® (Vertical Auto Profile) comprehensive cholesterol test in a disease management program for cardiac patients resulted in better patient care and significant direct medical cost savings (see also Heart Disease).

The study Improved Cardiac Management with a Disease Management Program Incorporating Comprehensive Lipid Profiling, recently published in the online edition of Population Health Management, suggests that the comprehensive VAP Test provides improved risk stratification to enable early intervention with more targeted and aggressive lipid treatment strategies and better disease management than the standard lipid profile.

The two-year, retrospective cohort study reviewed the cases of more than 2,000 patients enrolled in a WellMed Medical Management disease management program for individuals diagnosed with cardiovascular disease (CVD). The group of cases that had lipid levels checked with the VAP Test was compared to a control group receiving traditional lipid testing or no lipid testing. The study reported improved clinical outcomes for the group that received the VAP Test along with total treatment costs that were reduced by more than 35 percent.

WellMed Medical Management Chief Medical Officer Gary Piefer, M.D., M.S.M.M., F.A.C.P.E., F.A.A.F.P., said incorporation of the VAP Test into the disease management program significantly improved CV risk assessment and treatment.

"Our research demonstrated that WellMed achieved a positive impact on patient outcomes in its cardiac disease management program by using the comprehensive VAP Cholesterol Test," said Piefer. "The detailed VAP Test was able to identify multiple dyslipidemias in cardiac patients participating in the program. This enabled more targeted therapy for the VAP cases group, which resulted in improved health care and lower costs for enrolled cardiac patients."

Clinicians observed that dyslipidemia leading to cardiovascular disease is due to complex gene-environment interactions, and routine lipid profiles do not detect many of these abnormalities. The standard lipid profile only reports calculated LDL, HDL, triglycerides and total cholesterol, while the VAP Test directly measures 22 separate components of cholesterol, including LDL density, IDL, HDL subclasses, and Lp(a). This added information allows the clinician and the managed care organization to improve risk identification and assessment, and target the correct therapy for best results. In the clinical trial, WellMed researchers used a combination of HDL subclass and LDL density information to guide therapeutic decisions, which resulted in better lowering of LDL [bad cholesterol] and raising of HDL [good cholesterol].

Although further study is recommended, the authors concluded that using the VAP Test during the two-year trial allowed WellMed to detect more cases with dyslipidemia than the standard lipid panel and prescribe more appropriate and effective therapy leading to better outcomes. The authors said the findings suggest significant savings can be achieved when a comprehensive lipid profile is used in conjunction with treatment protocols based on the levels of detailed lipid components.

Atherotech's patented VAP Test identifies a significantly greater number of people at risk for heart disease than the standard cholesterol test, with direct and comprehensive measurements of cholesterol markers associated with heart disease, providing accurate information that can effectively identify and target risk in clinical care. Atherotech Diagnostics Lab provides physicians with a single source for the VAP Test and more than 50 other cardiovascular and metabolic tests. The company provides its unique testing services to physicians, hospitals, clinics and other laboratories throughout the U.S.

For information, visit www.Atherotech.com or call 877.901.8510. Atherotech Diagnostics Lab is on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/Atherotech and also on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/Atherotech. About Atherotech Diagnostics Lab Atherotech is a CLIA-certified clinical reference laboratory and cardiodiagnostic company focusing on cardiometabolic tests, including the company's patented VAP Cholesterol Test, which reports the cholesterol content of all lipids, components and subclasses. The VAP Test is the first cholesterol profile to comply with updated National Cholesterol Education Program ATP III recommendations for direct LDL measurement, which is accurate with non-fasting samples. The VAP Test is available through national and regional diagnostic laboratories and is reimbursed by many of the largest private insurers as well as Medicare. For more information, visit www.Atherotech.com.