Study Shows Biomarker ST2 Can Help Hospitals Reduce Both Rates of Rehospitalization And Death For Heart Failure Patients
Dennis Dalangin, 877-700-1250VP Marketing
Critical Diagnostics announced today the release of a company-sponsored white paper from BioBridge Strategies, LLC which demonstrates the reduction of 30-day hospital re-admission rates and mortality in cardiovascular disease patients can be accomplished through a comprehensive disease management strategy that includes use of the biomarker ST2—resulting in better patient outcomes, direct cost savings and improved quality scores for hospitals. Link:
A recent article detailed how seven metro Detroit hospitals were among 2,000 nationwide that will begin paying the biggest federal penalties -- some as much as $1 million -- because too many of their heart attack, heart failure and pneumonia patients were readmitted within 30 days. Under Medicare rules, these maximum penalties will increase next month and again next year.
The penalties address a well-known problem in health care: Far too many seniors, in particular, are readmitted within 30 days after they are released from a hospital. The federal Medicare program spends $17.5 billion a year for care for the two million Medicare beneficiaries who are readmitted within 30 days of their release from a hospital.
Intensive disease management programs have been demonstrated to reduce 30-day rehospitalization and mortality rates by an average of 25%. The Presage® ST2 Assay, developed by Critical Diagnostics, allows risk stratification of heart failure patients, which, in turn, provides an element to disease management programs that selects patients who are identified as requiring focused care. As shown in clinical studies, patients with ST2 levels above the standard cutpoint had almost three times the risk of mortality or rehospitalization.
The model shows that a disease management strategy that includes ST2 testing would reduce the 30-day rehospitalization rate by 17.3%, from 24.8% to 20.5%; It would also reduce the 30-day mortality rate by 17.6%, from 10.2% to 8.4%. For a typical 200-bed hospital, this would result in about 4 fewer annual deaths, or a gain of 25 quality adjusted life years per year. These measures would also result in a calculated net cost saving of $860 per tested patient, with an annual direct cost saving of about $200,000.
If a ST2-driven disease management program becomes the standard of care for all heart failure patients admitted to hospital each year, besides potentially saving and improving the lives of thousands of heart failure patients, the expected cost savings to hospitals could easily top $1 billion.
BioBridge Strategies, LLC creates strategic and operational solutions for product and service opportunities in the healthcare market. Its activities include market analysis, strategic assessment, new market assessment, value assessment, value development, and operational efficiency. Clients include companies in the diagnostic, pharmaceutical, and life science industries, as well as non-profit organizations, and has completed over 160 health economic analysis for over 30 companies.
Soluble ST2 has now been published in more than 50 peer-reviewed articles studying more than 31,000 patients. These clinical studies have demonstrated that high levels of soluble ST2 are predictive of adverse patient outcomes and death in a broad spectrum of cardiovascular disease. They have further shown that the prognostic information from soluble ST2 is independent and provides added information to cardiac biomarkers commonly used today, including the natriuretic peptides, BNP and NT-proBNP.
Critical Diagnostics () develops novel biomarkers to help physicians optimize patient care in cardiovascular diseases, while containing healthcare costs. The Presage ST2 Assay has been CE Marked and cleared by the US FDA for use in risk stratification with chronic heart failure patients. Critical Diagnostics has exclusive worldwide rights to ST2 for the diagnosis and prognosis of cardiovascular disease.