Alan Henry, M.D. Joins MedSolutions as Chief Medical Officer of Premerus

FRANKLIN, Tenn., March 4 /PRNewswire/ -- MedSolutions (www.medsolutions.com), a leading provider of medical cost management services, has appointed Alan Henry, M.D. chief medical officer of the company's Premerus(SM) Diagnostic Accuracy program. Premerus is the nation's first diagnostic platform that leverages proprietary technology to connect patients with certified expert diagnosticians, thereby improving quality and affordability of care through increased diagnostic accuracy that reduces medical risks and downstream costs associated with misguided tests, treatments and procedures.

A founding member of the American Society of Breast Surgeons, Dr. Henry is a nationally recognized expert on breast imaging and surgery. He has served as president of Breast Care Specialists of Virginia since 1996. Earlier in his medical career, he developed the Carilion Breast Care Center in Roanoke, Va., the region's first hospital-based center, where he also served as medical director. Board certified by the American Board of Surgery with a specialty certification in breast ultrasound, he has conducted significant research in sentinel lymph node biopsy and was one of the first physicians in the nation to adapt image-guided breast biopsy.

In addition to his clinical expertise, Dr. Henry has considerable experience in healthcare policy, strategic business planning and management. He is a principle in 2-View, LLC, a medical device company, and founded Opus Clinical Research, a contract research organization specializing in breast cancer research studies in 2004. A graduate of Dartmouth College, Dr. Henry earned his MBA from Virginia Tech's Pamplin College of Business and his medical degree from the Medical College of Georgia. He is a former president and board member of the American Society of Breast Surgeons, a member of the American College of Surgeons, and a member of the American College of Radiology's stereotactic breast biopsy credentialing committee.

"We are delighted to welcome Dr. Henry to our management team," said Curt Thorne, chief executive officer of MedSolutions. "As a practicing surgeon with significant subspecialty expertise, his insight and experience will be a tremendous asset to our efforts to enhance patient safety and reduce cost by connecting patients with the most appropriate diagnostic experts."

Premerus uses proprietary workflow technology to identify and route scans to a certified expert radiologist with experience in a particular specialty. This use of certified expert radiology specialists differs from current practice where, frequently, generalists perform the initial reading and diagnosis.

Research affirms that a physician's degree of specialization and volume of experience reading certain types of scans dramatically increase the probability of accurate diagnosis. According to a mammography study published in Radiology, radiology specialists have a 30 percent lower recall rate than general radiologists, meaning specialists need significantly fewer additional tests to confirm screening mammography findings.(1) In addition, these specialists had a 75 percent greater cancer detection rate than that of general radiologists, as well as finding 75 percent more stage 0-1 cancers. A follow up study in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute confirmed this finding, noting that it was the degree of specialization and the volume of experience that increased diagnostic accuracy rates.(2)  

"A woman diagnosed with Stage 0 breast cancer has a near 100 percent chance of surviving her cancer, while delayed diagnosis has dramatically lower survival. The consequences of delayed and misdiagnosis on patients, families, and treating physicians themselves is devastating, and in many cases is preventable," said Dr. Henry.  "I am excited about the opportunity that Premerus creates to help solve the significant problem of diagnostic error by supporting treating physicians in delivering a timely, accurate diagnosis for their patients."

About MedSolutions

Using independently validated savings methodologies, MedSolutions specializes in intelligent cost management of medical services for commercial, Medicare and Medicaid payors. The company maintains management contracts for 27 million individuals nationwide. Using robust data, predictive intelligence technology and clinical expertise, the company's innovative solutions extend beyond radiology management to other areas of medical specialty, including oncology, cardiac imaging, sleep, ultrasound, emergency room imaging and Premerus(SM) Diagnostic Accuracy. MedSolutions has been recognized three consecutive years for its call center operations by the prestigious J.D. Power and Associates Award. Visit www.MedSolutions.com.

About Premerus(SM) Diagnostic Accuracy

Premerus(SM) is a groundbreaking solution from MedSolutions that addresses the significant problem of error in the diagnostic process. Premerus(SM) increases accuracy in the interpretation of diagnostic imaging studies to eliminate the risk of unnecessary and misguided treatments and improve the quality and cost of patient care. Premerus(SM) is the nation's first diagnostic platform that delivers access to the specialty expertise of some of America's leading diagnostic physicians. Using proprietary technology to match individual cases with the proven skill and improved accuracy of diagnostic specialists, Premerus(SM) efficiently routes clinical data and images to leading diagnosticians for expeditious review.  The unparalleled quality of Premerus(SM) is built on the patent-pending Certified Premerus(SM) Expert process, which aligns and rigorously certifies diagnostic physicians within their specific area of expertise, thereby assuring an accurate initial diagnosis that leads to higher quality, more efficacious care. For more information, visit www.medsolutions.com.

(1) Sickles, EA, Wolverton DE, Dee KE. Performance Parameters for Screening and Diagnostic Mammography: Specialist and General Radiologists. Radiology 2002; 224:861-869.

(2) Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 2005. Physician Predictors of Mammographic Accuracy. Pp 358-367.

SOURCE MedSolutions