Largest private insurers in Arizona as well as Medicare, Medicaid and the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program now cover the VAP (Vertical Auto Profile) Test, the most comprehensive cholesterol test available. That means almost 90 percent of all insured lives in Arizona now have insurance coverage for the VAP Test, which finds twice as many people at risk than the standard cholesterol test.
"The state of Arizona is extremely progressive in preventive health," said Atherotech Chief Medical Officer James Ehrlich, M.D. "The highly accurate VAP Test allows the clinician to target high-risk patients for specific therapy that could help prevent millions of future heart attacks and strokes. I am confident that the VAP Test will continue to be regarded as the best and most cost-effective laboratory method to precisely identify vulnerable individuals who may be at risk for the nation's leading killer, cardiovascular disease."
People with a family history or an existing condition of diabetes, high blood pressure or heart disease -- or who are already taking cholesterol lowering medication -- are candidates for the comprehensive VAP Test. In addition, those who didn't score within the desirable ranges of the standard cholesterol test (i.e. those with Triglycerides > 150, HDL < 40, LDL >130, Total Cholesterol > 200) should also opt for the more detailed VAP Test.
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"The VAP cholesterol test allows a detailed analysis of all lipid parameters to obtain an accurate and predictive risk for CVD," said Richard Fowler, M.D., of the Arizona Center for Internal Medicine.
The VAP Test is the first cholesterol test to identify markers for Metabolic Syndrome, a precursor for diabetes. The VAP Test directly and accurately measures fifteen separate components of blood cholesterol compared to just three in a standard cholesterol test. This more comprehensive test has been shown to identify over twice the number of patients with lipid abnormalities than the standard lipid panel (cholesterol and triglyceride test). Risks of both heart disease and diabetes can be reduced with the right preventive treatments, which is why more accurate diagnosis is critical.
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