Inflammation Testing Proving Valuable Predictor of Cardiac Risk for Corporate Wellness Programs

CLEVELAND, Feb. 5, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading companies are increasingly recognizing that traditional fingerstick screening for glucose and lipids is proving inadequate when identifying near-term cardiovascular risk in employed populations, according to Jake Orville, CEO of Cleveland HeartLab (CHL). This position is supported by data from the American Heart Association, which has reported that fifty percent of all heart attacks and strokes occur in individuals with normal cholesterol and – for approximately 30 percent of patients with cardiovascular disease – their first sign of disease is death.

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Orville is scheduled to present "The Role of Inflammation Testing in Corporate Wellness Programs" at the 2014 Health & Wellness Congress, February 27-28. The conference, held at the Monte Carlo Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, will bring together leading corporate wellness experts to discuss emerging trends and strategies that promote well-being at the worksite.

"Inflammation testing provides reassurance on another important level," notes Orville. "In addition to detecting employees with possible hidden risk, we are also able to provide positive feedback for those employees who are already leading healthy lifestyles. Knowing that their health habits are decreasing the inflammation in their blood vessels and their risk of an event can be a powerful incentive for people to stick with positive lifestyle changes."

Cleveland HeartLab is a leading provider of onsite testing for corporate wellness programs. An advanced clinical laboratory and cardiovascular disease management provider, CHL offers a unique multi-marker approach—adding inflammation-specific blood tests to the traditional screening panel—to identify employees may go undetected. CHL's proprietary inflammatory biomarkers deliver additional insight into key areas of cardiovascular disease risk such as "vulnerable plaque" that may rupture into the vessel thereby blocking blood flow, leading to heart attack or stroke.

Orville will present both the science of inflammation testing and the results of corporate wellness programs that have adopted inflammation testing for better risk stratification and targeted intervention. With new mandates from the Affordable Care Act for companies to provide screening programs to employees; obtaining the greatest efficacy as well as return on investment becomes paramount.

With an impressive list of presenters at this industry -leading event, Orville joins industry leaders when sharing strategies for generating employee engagement, improving health outcomes, fostering incentives, measuring return on investment, and dealing with health care reform. More information on the conference can be found at www.2014wellness.com.

About Cleveland HeartLab

Cleveland HeartLab Inc. is an advanced clinical laboratory and cardiovascular disease management company. Established in 2009, CHL offers an array of proprietary testing and analysis focused on the identification and reduction of cardiovascular inflammation. The company operates a CLIA-certified and CAP-accredited national clinical laboratory. CHL has developed prognostic tests based on unique molecular biomarkers which are used by thousands of medical practitioners for better prediction of risk beyond standard risk factors such as cholesterol testing. CHL also has an innovative research and development group that is tasked with the discovery and commercial development of next-generation cardiovascular biomarkers for utilization through the company's clinical laboratory. This valuable research-enabled pipeline of tests and testing services is part of CHL's novel intellectual property portfolio that targets large under-served markets. For more information, visit us at www.clevelandheartlab.com.

SOURCE Cleveland HeartLab Inc.