Inoveon
Completes 35,000th iScan™
Helps Prevent Vision Loss in Over 2,000
Patients
For
Immediate Release: April 3,
2005
Media Contact: George Fiedler, VP Marketing |
1.405.271.9025 ext. 34777 | george-fiedler@inoveon.com
OKLAHOMA CITY (April 3, 2005 ) Inoveon Corp., the industry leader in detection, staging and monitoring of diabetic retinopathy, today announced that it has completed its 35,000th iScan - a 3-D digital eye scan for patients with diabetes to improve the management of diabetic retinopathy. Diabetic retinopathy is a leading cause of vision loss among working age adults. It cannot be cured, but early detection, timely treatment and appropriate follow-up care can reduce the risk of blindness by 90 percent, even for people with advanced diabetic retinopathy. Inoveon's test uses the highest quality methods to detect DR and is easy and conveniently done in the diabetes doctors' office.
According to HEDIS reports from the National Center for Quality Assurance (NCQA), less than half of people with diabetes in the United States receive the annual diabetic retinopathy exam as recommended by the American Academy of Ophthalmology and American Diabetes Association. Furthermore, the compliance rate drops dramatically in subsequent years. As a result, retinopathy leads to 40,000 cases of preventable blindness and 160,000 cases of moderate vision loss each year according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Having more people tested is critical to detecting the disease early.
"People with diabetes need to know that keeping track of their health can help them stay healthy and may also help to reduce the complications from diabetes," said Lloyd Hildebrand, M.D. Chief Medical Officer of Inoveon. "Having a regular dilated retinal exam is a critical part of good preventive care." The National Eye Institute (NEI) and American Diabetes Association (ADA) encourage people with diabetes to get an annual dilated eye exam.
Inoveon's iScan technology delivers the National Institutes of Health gold standard quality testing using high-resolution, seven-field, color digital retinal scans to detect, stage and monitor diabetic retinopathy. According to Inoveon's CEO and President Terry Crabtree "providers using the iScan service tell us they have shown significant improvements in patient compliance with recommended annual dilated retinal evaluations and their patients are extremely enthusiastic about the service." Inoveon has the most clinical experience in the country, having now performed more than 35,000 cases.
About Inoveon:
Inoveon Corporation is the industry leader in the detection,
staging and monitoring of diabetic retinopathy. Founded in
1997, Inoveon Corp. has successfully completed more than
35,000 clinical iScan retinal imaging studies. The service
is delivered in partnership with large primary care and
endocrinology clinics to improve the quality, convenience,
economics, and medical outcomes of patients at risk for
vision loss due to diabetes. Placing the service in the
primary care environment helps to increase patient
compliance with recommended annual dilated retinal
evaluations and provides clinically rich information to
improve patient care. For more information, visit the Web
site at www.inoveon.com.