Offer an Easier Cholesterol Test

One problem in getting patients tohave their cholesterol checked isfear. Many patients avoid doctor visits,rather then face the needle in the armthat traditional blood tests require.

Now there's a Clinical LaboratoryImprovement Act (CLIA)-waived devicethat can provide a full lipid profile plusglucose from a simple finger stick (1drop of whole blood), much like theglucometers that diabetics use to measureblood sugar. There are a number ofdifferent tests that can be run on theLDX® Analyzer made by Cholestech. Alipid profile test (eg, total cholesterol,triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein[HDL], low-density lipoprotein, verylow-density lipoprotein, and a totalcholesterol/HDL ratio) and a lipid profile plus glucose test are available.

There is also a new CLIA-waivedtest for alanine transaminase for measuringliver enzymes. This newest testalso works with just a drop of bloodand takes approximately 5 minutes.All tests run on the LDX® Analyzerare so simple to perform that the FDAhas granted them CLIA-waived status.Another benefit to your practice isthat Medicare reimburses all of thetests. Contact Cholestech (800-733-0404; www.cholestech.com) for moreinformation and a revenue analysisfor your practice.

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