New Real-World Evidence Shows Improvements in Outcomes and Reduction in Healthcare Costs with Guidance® UTI Precision Diagnostic Test Compared to Standard Urine Culture in Patients with Complicated Urinary Tract Infections

Medicare database analysis presented at the 2022 American Urology Association Meeting found 44% lower total costs and 77% lower clinically-advanced costs with Guidance UTI versus standard urine culture (SUC)

IRVINE, Calif., May 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Real-world evidence from a Medicare database analysis presented today at the 2022 American Urology Association (AUA) Meeting shows that Guidance UTI testing is associated with reductions in critical adverse outcomes, healthcare resource utilization and costs for complicated urinary tract infections (cUTIs) compared to standard urine culture (SUC). The comparative analysis was designed to examine outcomes of one year of cUTI treatment guided by either Guidance UTI or SUC.

cUTIs are a significant burden on individual health and healthcare resources that must be diagnosed and treated early and accurately to reduce the risk of poor outcomes. Annually, UTIs contribute to 10.5 million office visits and carry a cost of approximately $3.5 billion in the U.S.ⁱ Guidance UTI is an advanced rapid result test that combines PCR and Pooled Antibiotic Susceptibility Testing (P-AST™), which better address polymicrobial infections where bacterial interactions can impact antibiotic resistance.

"We conducted this analysis because evidence-based testing is of critical importance to diagnostic laboratories in order to improve the quality of patient care and ensure better use of healthcare resources," said Mohit Mathur, SVP of Medical Affairs at Pathnostics. "Our commitment to providing real-world evidence is a key part of our vision to create a new standard of care in UTI testing and our overall mission to pioneer a better future by providing innovative solutions to address diagnostic and therapeutic dilemmas. The findings reinforce the real-world benefits of Guidance UTI's increased sensitivity, reduced time to results, and P-AST results to patients, providers, and the healthcare system." 

Analysis Methodology and Highlights:
Using a randomized 5% sample of Medicare Parts A+B beneficiaries enrolled in 2017-19, the study compared two cohorts matched on sex, diabetes and propensity score based on whether, after a one-year baseline period, the initial outpatient UTI diagnosis (Index cUTI) was made with SUC (N=678) or Guidance UTI (N=69). UTI-related clinical, healthcare use and costs outcomes were then tracked for one year.

Analysis highlights:

• Guidance UTI testing was associated with 44% lower total costs and 77% lower clinically-advanced costs* compared to SUC, and cUTIs in the Guidance UTI cohort were likelier to be managed successfully as outpatients.
• These reductions translate to a $463.46 saving per cUTI patient tested with Guidance UTI (p=0.043), a saving of $11.6 million for 25,000 cUTI cases.
• The rate of outpatient emergency visits was 13% lower and inpatient admissions were 67% lower when using Guidance UTI compared to SUC.
• For every 1,000 patients, there were zero urosepsis, urgent care and skilled nursing facility (SNF) admissions with Guidance UTI vs 13, 31 and 7 events respectively with SUC.
• Guidance UTI patients experienced fewer additional cUTIs (aUTIs) following the Index UTI (p=0.24), and the aUTIs that did occur were associated with lower costs compared to aUTIs in the SUC cohort (p=0.001).

*Composite ("clinically advanced"): sum of urgent care, emergency, inpatient and skilled nursing facility (SNF)

About Pathnostics
Pathnostics is a leading precision diagnostic testing and development company providing solutions for infectious disease and cancer diagnostics that will get patients on the right path. The flagship Guidance platform of solutions leverages its proprietary and patented technology for pooled antibiotic susceptibility testing, which provides more informed treatment options and supports antibiotic stewardship initiatives. Headquartered in Irvine, Calif., Pathnostics is a company of Water Street Healthcare Partners, a strategic investor focused exclusively on the healthcare industry. For more information about the company and its portfolio of products, visit pathnostics.com.

ⁱ Flores-Mireles, A. et al. 2015. Urinary tract infections: epidemiology, mechanisms of infection and treatment options. Nature Reviews Microbiology. 13, 5 (2015), 269–284

SOURCE Pathnostics