MDVIP,
the leader in personalized preventive medicine with a nationwide network
of over 750 affiliated primary care physicians, announced today that Cologuard®,
the first and only Food
and Drug Administration (FDA) approved, noninvasive stool DNA
screening test for colorectal cancer will now be available by
prescription through their physicians. MDVIP is the first personalized
healthcare network to partner with Exact Sciences to bring this
innovative new test to its primary care physicians.
“MDVIP physicians have traditionally been early adopters of medical
innovation,” says Dr.
Andrea Klemes, Chief Medical Officer of MDVIP. “Cologuard, a
significant advancement in colorectal cancer detection, will allow our
patients who are 50 years and older and at average risk for colorectal
cancer, an easy to use screening test which they can do in the privacy
of their own home.”
Colorectal cancer is highly preventable with screening. However, 23
million Americans between ages 50 and 75 are not getting screened as
recommended and, as a result, colorectal cancer remains the
second-leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States. For
those whose cancer is detected at an earlier stage, the five-year
survival rate can be greater than 90 percent.
“A study
published in The International Journal of Person Centered Medicine
shows that patients in MDVIP practices comply with recommended
preventive guidelines due to the fact that our doctors can spend more
time with them and create a personalized wellness plan for each
patient,” says Dr. Klemes. “It is our hope that this new tool will lead
to even greater numbers of our patients being screened for colorectal
cancer.”
“MDVIP’s adoption of Cologuard marks an important step for Exact
Sciences in allowing a growing number of patients access to this
clinically important cancer screening technology,” said Kevin Conroy,
President, CEO and Chairman of Exact Sciences. “Colorectal cancer is
often considered the most preventable, yet least prevented cancer due to
the lack of patient compliance with screening. We look forward to
working with MDVIP’s broad network of physicians toward a future where
colorectal cancer is identified earlier and survived more often.”
The process is a simple one. Once an MDVIP physician orders the test, a
kit is mailed directly to the patient’s home. Cologuard does not require
dietary restrictions or bowel preparation prior to taking the test. The
patient then collects a stool sample in the Cologuard collection kit and
sends the kit back in a pre-paid mailer to the Exact Sciences lab for
testing. At the lab, the stool sample is analyzed to yield a single test
result—positive or negative for the presence of precancerous polyps or
cancer. Patients learn of their results from their physician in as
little as two weeks. Cologuard analyzes both stool-based DNA and blood
biomarkers and is designed to detect DNA alterations and blood released
from cancer and precancerous colon lesions. If a patient has a positive
result, he or she will need to undergo colonoscopy.
--Dr. Andrea Klemes, Chief Medical Officer, MDVIP is available for
interview--
About MDVIP, Inc.
MDVIP, Inc. is the national leader in affordable personalized
healthcare. With prevention at the center of its program, MDVIP has
proven that its carefully chosen affiliated physicians provide
exceptional care and achieve exceptional outcomes. Published results
include lower hospitalization rates which yield significant cost savings
to patients, employers and the healthcare system. MDVIP-affiliated
physicians limit their practices to no more than 600 patients in order
to provide a customized wellness and preventive care program. There are
currently over 750 MDVIP-affiliated physicians in the network throughout
the country. MDVIP, Inc. was founded in 2000 and is headquartered in
Boca Raton, Florida. For more information, visit www.MDVIP.com.
About Dr. Andrea Klemes
Dr. Andrea Klemes is the Chief Medical Officer of MDVIP. She also serves
as the executive and organizational leader of MDVIP’s Medical Advisory
Board that supports quality and innovation in the delivery of the
healthcare model drawing expertise from the affiliated physicians. Dr.
Klemes is board certified in internal medicine and endocrinology and
received her medical degree from the New York College of Osteopathic
Medicine. She completed an internal medicine residency at Cabrini
Medical Center in Manhattan, New York, and an endocrine and metabolism
fellowship at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta. Prior to
joining MDVIP, Dr. Klemes worked at Procter & Gamble in the areas of
personal healthcare, women’s health and digestive wellness and served as
North American Medical Director for bone health. She spent 10 years in
private practice specializing in endocrinology and metabolism in
Tallahassee, Florida.
About Exact Sciences Corp.
Exact Sciences Corp. (NASDAQ:EXAS) is a molecular diagnostics company
focused on the early detection and prevention of colorectal cancer. The
company has exclusive intellectual property protecting its noninvasive,
molecular screening technology for the detection of colorectal cancer.
Stool DNA technology is included in the colorectal cancer screening
guidelines of the American Cancer Society and the U.S. Multi-Society
Task Force on Colorectal Cancer. For more information, please visit the
company's website at www.exactsciences.com,
follow us on Twitter @ExactSciences or find us on Facebook.
The Cologuard technology platform was co-developed by Exact Sciences
Corp. and Mayo Clinic as part of a broad, exclusive collaboration.
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