Data Show Remote Monitoring Technologies Significantly Lower Health Care Costs and Hospitalizations for Patients
May 14 2015 - 1:33PM
Business Wire
Data presented during a Late Breaking Clinical Trial at Heart
Rhythm 2015 demonstrate St. Jude Medical’s Merlin™ technology
contributes to reduced hospitalizations, lower health care
costs
St. Jude Medical, Inc. (NYSE:STJ), a global medical device
company, announced that data presented during a Late Breaking
Clinical Trial Session during Heart Rhythm 2015, the Heart Rhythm
Society’s Annual Scientific Sessions, found that patients with
cardiac devices who use remote monitoring have significantly fewer
hospitalizations and lower overall healthcare costs than patients
who do not use or adhere with the technology. The findings were a
result of a five-year study, one of the largest to date on remote
monitoring technologies.
“This study is the first of its kind to find an economic benefit
when remote monitoring is utilized in pacemaker, defibrillator and
cardiac resynchronization patients in the U.S.,” said Jonathan
Piccini, M.D., associate professor of medicine at Duke University
Medical Center in Durham, N.C. “Use of remote monitoring is
associated with lower risks of hospitalization, shorter hospital
stays, and lower rates of heart failure and stroke hospitalization.
Additionally, since fewer than half of cardiac device patients
currently use remote monitoring, our findings suggest a significant
opportunity for quality improvement. These important observations
should have significant implications for patient management, as
well as costs to the health care system.”
The study, which obtained data from a real-world setting,
reinforces the important role of remote monitoring in improving the
overall care of patients treated with implantable cardiac devices.
Researchers analyzed data from more than 90,000 patients with
pacemakers, implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs), and
cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) devices. The data showed
that remote monitoring with systems, such as the St. Jude Medical
Merlin.net™ Patient Care Network (PCN), eliminates 10
hospitalizations and 119 hospital days and resulted in cost savings
of more than $370,000 per 100 patients annually.
“This study adds to the growing body of evidence that remote
monitoring benefits cardiac device patients,” said Mark D. Carlson,
M.D., chief medical officer for St. Jude Medical. “In addition to
improved survival, reduced hospital stays and lower healthcare
costs, the Merlin.net Patient Care Network offers a convenient
alternative to visiting a doctor’s office several times a year,
which is typically required for patient follow-up.”
The findings offer additional evidence of the benefits of remote
monitoring. In a study presented at last year’s Heart Rhythm
Society meeting, and recently published in Journal of the American
College of Cardiology, St. Jude Medical found improved survival
rates of patients using the company’s Merlin.net PCN. Patients with
high adherence to remote monitoring had more than twice (2.4x) the
probability of survival than that of patients without remote
monitoring. High adherence was measured as weekly transmissions of
patient data from the Merlin@home™ transmitter to the Merlin.net
PCN at least 75 percent of the time. Recommendations for remote
monitoring technologies were recently updated and published by the
Heart Rhythm Society and can be found at www.hrsonline.org.
“Recent data surrounding remote monitoring technologies have
been important to advancing the understanding of the benefits these
systems provide,” said Niraj Varma, M.D., electrophysiologist at
the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, OH. “The updated recommendations
announced recently by the Heart Rhythm Society reflect the findings
from these important studies and highlight the importance of using
remote monitoring systems to improve the consistency of follow-up
care for patients. We will continue to work with industry to
further reinforce how utilization of the remote monitoring systems
can improve clinical outcomes for patients around the world.”
About the Merlin.net Patient Care Network
The Merlin.net PCN supports St. Jude Medical™ CRT, ICD, and
pacemaker devices. The system was designed to help physicians
efficiently analyze therapeutic and diagnostic data. Once a
supported device is implanted, the Merlin.net PCN gathers and
stores data from the implant procedure, in-clinic follow-up visits
and from remote device transmissions sent from a patient’s home.
Remote transmissions are sent via the Merlin@home transmitter, a
system that allows patient data from an implanted cardiac device to
be wirelessly downloaded and securely transmitted for clinician
review. Patients using a Merlin@home transmitter can send data to
their physician via a broadband Internet connection, cellular
network or standard phone line.
About St. Jude Medical’s Arrhythmia Business
St. Jude Medical’s arrhythmia business, based in St. Paul,
Minn., is one of the fastest growing divisions within St. Jude
Medical. A leader in collaborating with world-renowned
electrophysiologists, clinicians and hospital administrators, St.
Jude Medical develops safe and cost-effective treatment solutions
for patients in need of advanced cardiac rhythm management
devices.
For more information about St. Jude Medical’s focus on
arrhythmia management, visit SJM
newsroom/arrhythmias-stroke-prevention.
About St. Jude Medical
St. Jude Medical is a global medical device manufacturer
dedicated to transforming the treatment of some of the world’s most
expensive epidemic diseases. The company does this by developing
cost-effective medical technologies that save and improve lives of
patients around the world. Headquartered in St. Paul, Minn., St.
Jude Medical has four major clinical focus areas that include
cardiac rhythm management, atrial fibrillation, cardiovascular and
neuromodulation. For more information, please visit sjm.com or
follow us on Twitter @SJM_Media.
Forward-Looking Statements
This news release contains forward-looking statements within the
meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995
that involve risks and uncertainties. Such forward-looking
statements include the expectations, plans and prospects for the
Company, including potential clinical successes, anticipated
regulatory approvals and future product launches, and projected
revenues, margins, earnings and market shares. The statements made
by the Company are based upon management’s current expectations and
are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause
actual results to differ materially from those described in the
forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include
market conditions and other factors beyond the Company’s control
and the risk factors and other cautionary statements described in
the Company’s filings with the SEC, including those described in
the Risk Factors and Cautionary Statements sections of the
Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended
January 3, 2015 and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal
quarter ended April 4, 2015. The Company does not intend to update
these statements and undertakes no duty to any person to provide
any such update under any circumstance.
St. Jude Medical, Inc.J.C. Weigelt, 651-756-4347Investor
Relationsjweigelt@sjm.comorKate Stoltenberg, 651-756-3388Media
Relationskstoltenberg@sjm.com
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