Don’t Leave Your Doct or’s Office WithoutIt (NAPSA)—Before you leave your doctor’s office, make sure you have the test results identifying your risk of heart disease. Today, diagnostic tests for the most predictive risk factors—cholesterol and the new high sensitivity CReactive Protein (hs-CRP)—are available while you are in your physician’s office. Available in minutes, immediate test results allow patients to speak to their physicians about lifestyle changes as well as potential treatment options in the same office visit. Because the results are proven to be as accurate and reliable as those from an outside lab, many physicians believe office-based testing produces better care for their patients. “People’s lives are busier than ever before. It’s hard enough to get them in for a check up—I need to be able to identify health risks and provide counsel in the same visit,” said Michael Witt, MD of Chatsworth, GA. “The only way to accomplish that is to do the testing myself. Using a tool like the Cholestech LDX System, I can have accurate lipid results within minutes rather than days.” Using a simple finger-stick, the LDX System can measure cholesterol, glucose and liver enzymes, and now, hs-CRP. This enhances the ability to quickly identify patients with risk factors for heart disease, enabling physicians to focus on getting patients on the right treatment sooner and making sure they stay on the right therapeutic mix. According to Dr. Witt, nearly 40 percent of patients do not have their lab tests done because of the extra time and travel involved in going to an outside lab. “If we’re BETTER HEART HEALTH CARE WhyShould You Ask for Tests in Your Doctor’s Office? Less pain: only a fingerstick required Less hassle: no need to go to an outside lob Faster information: have the results in minutes not days Better core: talk to your doctor immediately aboutlifestyle or treatment options @ going to improve heart healthcare, we have to makeit easy for people to determine their risk of heart disease, the leading cause of death in this country. This is not about convenience, it’s about giving patients the tools to take control of their healthcare.” Nearly 2,500 Americans die of heart disease daily, according to the American Heart Association. While smoking and other risk factors have declined recently, high cholesterol remains one of the most prevalent. For example, more than 50 percent of Americans have total cholesterol levels considered to be high risk. The National Cholesterol Education Program recommends that more than 200 million Americans need to be screened for cholesterol annually. Now, Medicare-eligible beneficiaries have guaranteed access to office based cholesterol blood tests for the early detection of cardiovascular disease. To learn more about office based testing and reducing their risk of heart disease, people should consult their physician or visit www.american heart.org.
