Currently, the United States spends more on healthcare services than any other country, exceeding $2.6 trillion, or about 18 percent of gross domestic product, annually. Most years, medical spending rises faster than inflation and the economy as a whole, which makes this a top priority for Senators and Representatives focusing on healthcare reform in Washington, D.C.
Vasomedical, Inc. (“Vasomedical”) (OTC BB: VASO), a diversified medical technology company specializing in the design, manufacture and sale of medical devices for noninvasive cardiology, including Enhanced External Counterpulsation (or EECP) Therapy systems, the gold standard of ECP therapy, has reached out to approximately two dozen Congressmen who have medical backgrounds to introduce them to an alternative treatment that could help save the healthcare system millions of dollars annually if widely implemented.
EECP Therapy is a treatment that has demonstrated in many peer-reviewed clinical studies that, in addition to being safe, effective and economical, it could also help reduce re-hospitalizations and repeated emergency room visits for patients suffering from one of the most pervasive diseases in the United States: ischemic cardiovascular disease manifesting itself as angina congestive heart failure.
“One of the major challenges to reducing the prevalence of heart disease in the United States, and therefore reducing emergency room visits and hospitalizations, is lack of widespread education about how to effectively prevent heart disease and how to treat the disease after its onset. Many of the common treatments for heart disease – such as bypass surgery and stenting – are invasive; while they are effective choices for relieving symptoms in acute cases, they do not prolong patients’ lives or reduce re-hospitalizations, which directly impacts healthcare spending,” said Dr. Jun Ma, President and Chief Executive Officer of Vasomedical, Inc.
EECP Therapy systems have been cleared for marketing by the U.S. FDA since 1995 and are used mainly to treat heart conditions including angina and congestive heart failure. The systems are designed to increase blood flow to the coronary arteries and reduce the workload of the heart. This hemodynamic treatment works like passive exercise to increase blood flow to the heart and improve endothelial function throughout the cardiovascular system, and, most importantly, it has been proven to be clinically effective. Clinical studies published in peer reviewed medical journals demonstrate that patients who have undergone this treatment experience an elimination or significant reduction in symptoms, a reduction in major adverse cardiac events, re-hospitalizations and emergency room visits, as well as a greatly improved quality of life.
“It is critical that we reach out to policy makers who have a vested interest in healthcare reform to educate them about alternative treatments to typical invasive and costly methods, which have neither been completely effective in treating the conditions, nor successful in reducing hospital costs,” continued Dr. Ma. “To that end, we invited several members of Congress to visit a local facility in Washington D.C. or in their home states to learn more about EECP Therapy and the positive impact it could have on our current healthcare system. We hope that once these policy makers become more educated on this technology and its implications, they too will advocate for a more widespread adoption of it.” About Vasomedical Vasomedical, Inc. is a diversified medical technology company specializing in the manufacture and sale of medical devices and in the domestic sale of diagnostic imaging products. The Company’s main proprietary products are EECP@ Therapy systems, the gold standard of ECP treatment. The Company operates through three wholly owned subsidiaries: VasoSolutions, Vasomedical Global and VasoHealthcare.
VasoSolutions manages and coordinates the design, manufacture and sales of EECP@ Therapy systems, and other medical equipment operations; Vasomedical Global operates the Company’s China-based subsidiaries; and VasoHealthcare is the operating subsidiary for the exclusive sales representation of GE Healthcare diagnostic imaging products in certain market segments. Additional information is available on the Company’s website at www.vasomedical.com.
