Improving Outcomes for the Leading Cause of Death in the US
Originally published in Quest Diagnostics 2021 Corporate Responsibility Report
New biomarkers offer pathways to prevention
Quest has expanded from our original primary focus on heart disease to a multi-pronged proactive approach that focuses on critical diagnostic insights across the cardiometabolic continuum. This unique interconnected approach ensures that healthcare providers have a complete survey of a patient’s cardiometabolic health and supports earlier preventive intervention.
Our Cardiometabolic Center of Excellence™ at Cleveland HeartLab® offers clinicians novel, proprietary, specialized cardiometabolic testing, services, and education resources to shine a light on patients with high risk of heart disease and metabolic-associated conditions—aiming to improve outcomes through early identification and intervention for the leading cause of death in the US.
Quest contributes novel cardiovascular disease (CVD) biomarker implementation, population health analytics, and a national lab platform as a supporter of One Brave Idea™, a research initiative cofounded by the American Heart Association and Verily Life Sciences with significant support from AstraZeneca. One Brave Idea is dedicated to using novel diagnostic techniques to change how CVD, including stroke, is detected, prevented, and treated. Quest is providing financial and in-kind testing support.
Our Clinical Education team includes dedicated experts for peer-to-peer clinical support. We help healthcare providers stay on the forefront of care, navigate clinical science and testing, and make insight-driven decisions. The Clinical Education and 4myHeart® Patient Education teams focus on setting education strategies and supporting our provider and patient customers through one-on-one medical consultations and a range of powerful, clinically relevant online tools and resources.
Addressing racial disparities in women’s heart health
In February, as part of our American Heart Month awareness efforts, we were honored to host a webinar with a distinguished keynote speaker: Rachel M. Bond, MD, FACC, a faculty physician in cardiology at the Dignity Health Medical Group, Mercy Gilbert and Medical Director of Women’s Heart Health for Dignity Health Arizona. Dr Bond is a board-certified cardiologist and a member of the advisory board at Quest’s Cardiometabolic Center of Excellence at Cleveland HeartLab, providing her expertise on women’s heart health and racial disparities. Our event’s moderator was Trisha Winchester, Senior Manager, Clinical Education, Cleveland HeartLab. Over 500 individuals registered for the event.
To coincide with Black History Month, the webinar aimed to examine the impact that social determinants of health play in in CVD. CVD is is the leading cause of death among women in the US with 1 of every 5 deaths of American women due to heart disease.1,2 Dr Bond discussed current gaps in risk assessment, health equity, and racial disparities in heart health, emphasizing that CVD is deadliest among Black Americans, with mortality rates for Black women nearly 30% higher than for White women.3 Further, African-Americans have the highest prevalence of total CVD—including coronary artery disease, hypertension, heart failure, and stroke—among all racial and ethnic groups, affecting 60.1% of men and 57.1% of women.4
1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. Underlying Cause of Death 1999-2017 on CDC WONDER Online Database, released December 2018. Data are from the Multiple Cause of Death Files, 1999-2017, as compiled from data provided by the 57 vital statistics jurisdictions through the Vital Statistics Cooperative Program. Reviewed March 2, 2022. Accessed March 31, 2022.
2. Mosca L, Benjamin EJ, Berra K, et al. Effectiveness-based guidelines for the prevention of cardiovascular disease in women—2011 update: A guideline from the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2011;123:1–20. Accessed May 1, 2022. https://www.cdc.gov/dhdsp/pubs/docs/science_in_brief_cvd_women.pdf
3. Rosamond WD, Chambless LE, Heiss G, et al. Twenty-two–year trends in incidence of myocardial infarction, coronary heart disease mortality, and case fatality in 4 US communities, 1987–2008. Circulation. 2012;125:1848–1857.
4. Virani SS, Alonso A, Benjamin EJ, et al. Heart disease and stroke statistics—2020 update: a report from the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2020;141(9); e139-e596. doi:10.1161/CIR.0000000000000757
