People on Anticoagulant Therapy Who Self-Test Avoid Serious Complications

Consumer Contact:Raytel Cardiac Services, Inc.www.inrselftesting.com

Newswise — More than three million people who take anticoagulant medications daily, such as Coumadin® (or its generic, warfarin), to reduce the threat of blood clots must monitor their blood levels frequently to avoid serious complications (such as stroke or hemorrhage) that arise when they go "out of range." Now, these people, who often need to take this drug for the rest of their lives, including the growing number of individuals who have mechanical heart valves, can self-test their blood levels in the comfort and convenience of their home " or easily while they are traveling on business or pleasure " with the help of an innovative new program " the INR@HomeSM Self-Testing service from Raytel Cardiac Services.

A new study in this week's issue of The Lancet (February 4, 2006, Vol. 367, pages 404-411) shows that self-monitoring of one's oral anticoagulation therapy can keep patients in therapeutic range more frequently, reducing the risk of death by one-third from all causes. Another previous study in the Annals of Internal Medicine shows that the ease and convenience of testing INR at home increases patient compliance and reduces the incidence of complications, which can be life-threatening and extremely expensive " upwards of $10,000 in medical bills for a single bleeding episode, to cite just one example.

This Raytel INR@HomeSM service allows patients to test more frequently versus the often-inconvenient visit to their doctor, laboratory or clinic, which typically occurs every four to six weeks. More frequent testing, which takes just about 10 minutes each week at home, helps individuals stay in therapeutic range and avoid complications that can occur while taking these serious blood-thinning medications, including stroke (occurs when there is too little medication) and hemorrhage (blood clotting is excessively inhibited).

Raytel provides anticoagulant patients with an easy-to-use meter (similar in scope and size to blood glucose monitors used at home by diabetics) to check their International Normalized Ratio (INR), the accepted measurement of a patient's clotting time that is used by their physician to adjust the level of anticoagulation medication in their bloodstream. After a quick finger stick and analysis of the blood by the meter, the patient gets a reading and then communicates the results to the monitoring service, which is manned by skilled technicians at Raytel Cardiac Services, a leading remote cardiac monitoring company for the past 30 years.

"The Raytel technicians compare the patient's INR test results to their prescribed therapeutic range and these new results are plotted on an INR trend report that is transmitted electronically to the physician's office," says Richard J. Shemin, M.D., professor and chairman of the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Boston Medical Center, who recommends the service to his mechanical heart valve patients. "If INR values are found to be out of the prescribed range, the physician is immediately notified so dosage levels can be conveniently and quickly adjusted for the patient right over the phone, if necessary." Since the patient can now test once per week instead of just once a month, the physician can monitor trends and react quickly to their needs versus waiting a month or more to detect any issues that may lead to serious complications.

"Once I prescribe the service, Raytel provides the patient with the portable, self-testing meter, trains the patient how to use the meter, explains the entire service and expedites insurance billing," adds Dr. Shemin. The weekly self-testing service is fully reimbursed by Medicare for heart patients who have mechanical valves, those considered at highest risk for clotting or hemorrhaging. These patients can begin using the service three months after they have begun taking anticoagulation medication. Many insurance companies and HMOs are following in Medicare's footsteps and providing the same benefit for other patients on anticoagulants, realizing the cost-effectiveness of reducing complications via more frequent INR self-testing.

"This service allows me to be more proactive about my health, and it gives me peace of mind that I can help manage my health along with my doctor while taking a serious medication," says Barbara Varipappa, mechanical heart valve recipient who has been utilizing Raytel's INR@HomeSM service for more than two years. "It saves me so much time and allows me to get back to living my life without the frequent lab or clinic visits that cut into my personal life."

For more information about the new Raytel INR@HomeSM Self-Testing program, to determine if you may be a candidate for this service, get advice from other patients living on blood thinners and for other helpful tips, visit http://www.inrselftesting.com.