American College of Cardiology Program to Increase Cholesterol Screenings
September 12 2023 - 10:15AM
The American College of Cardiology, through a strategic
collaboration with Amgen and Esperion, is launching a new quality
improvement campaign, “Driving Urgency in LDL Screening,” to
increase the rate of diagnostic LDL screening in patients without a
prior cardiac event as well as those with known cardiovascular
disease to help clinicians identify those who need treatment in
accordance with medical guidelines.
“Cardiovascular disease is preventable in many
cases, and early identification of risk is essential, especially
for people at high risk,” said ACC Chief Medical Officer Richard
Kovacs, MD, MACC. “Through this program we’re transforming
cardiovascular care and improving heart health for all by ensuring
clinicians are informed of the latest screening recommendations and
that patients have access to the highest quality care.”
Cardiovascular disease is the number one killer
of men and women worldwide. The higher a person’s LDL, or “bad”
cholesterol, the higher the chance of developing heart disease or
having a heart attack or stroke. Evidence has shown that lowering
LDL levels through lifestyle changes and/or medications can reduce
a person’s risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease
(ASCVD).
In 2018, the ACC and American Heart Association
released a guideline on the management of blood cholesterol
recommending all people embrace a heart-healthy lifestyle to lower
ASCVD risk, some people at higher risk take statin therapy to lower
LDL levels, and clinicians continue to assess adherence and
response to LDL-lowering medication and lifestyle changes. The
guideline also recommends using the ASCVD Risk Estimator, which was
developed in 2013 and today is the most widely used risk
calculator. The calculator uses LDL levels, as well as other
clinical factors, to inform patients and clinicians of
cardiovascular disease risk and the beneficial effects of risk
modification, such as reducing LDL levels.
Also, ACC released an expert consensus decision
pathway (ECDP) in 2022 on the use of non-statin therapies for
lowering LDL cholesterol in the management of ASCVD risk to outline
recommendations for managing LDL in patients unable to take statins
or in patients who need additional treatment to lower LDL; however,
adherence to guideline-directed medical therapies as determined
through active monitoring and management of LDL levels beyond the
initial screening is highly variable, leaving many patients
undertreated and at continued risk.
“The current reality is that not enough patients
are getting screened for elevated LDL – this is especially alarming
for those who have established ASCVD,” said Paul Burton, MD, PhD,
senior vice president and chief medical officer, Amgen. “We see
health care providers as a critical part of the solution but
recognize that a shift of this scale requires assistance. We are
proud to have joined forces with the American College of Cardiology
and Esperion on this collaborative effort to increase
doctor-directed screening and, ultimately, helping to improve
cardiovascular care and patient outcomes.”
“Driving Urgency in LDL Screening” is a new
campaign to build awareness at the point of care and reinforce the
importance of active LDL screening and treatment to reduce ASCVD
risk. The national program is anticipated to reach about 30,000
primary care providers and cardiologists, through which ACC will
assess current levels of LDL screening in their primary/secondary
prevention ASCVD patients, test the implementation of various
education/awareness messages among clinicians, and observe changes
in the rate of LDL screening and treatment in the cohort over the
course of a 12-month intervention.
The program will be guided by an independent ACC
physician steering committee. Program participants will be provided
with easy access to supporting resources such as the guideline and
ECDP documents, the ASCVD Risk Estimator, and CardioSmart patient
education materials at the point of care. The delivery of the
program will be powered by Clint, the clinical intelligence
platform. With Clint, participating practices will have the option
to access practice-level and patient-level dashboards to track
ASCVD risks and assess specific gaps in care. In addition, a
comprehensive awareness and educational communication campaign
about the program will be implemented in Veradigm’s Practice Fusion
EHR at the point of care that is adjacent to but clearly
distinguishable from the clinical and practice management
workflows.
“We at Esperion are thrilled to partner with the
ACC, Amgen, Veradigm, Clint and health care providers around the
U.S. to improve and transform care for the millions of Americans
with or at risk of cardiovascular events due to elevated LDL
cholesterol,” said JoAnne Foody, MD, FACC, Chief Medical Officer of
Esperion. “Despite all we know about the importance of LDL-C goal
attainment, only 27% of high-risk individuals achieve their
recommended LDL-C level. Only with a national, multi-stakeholder
program of this caliber will we be able to address these
significant gaps, improve access to high quality care for all, and
improve cardiovascular outcomes. Esperion is solely focused on our
mission to improve heart health and proud to sponsor this national
effort.”
Program participants will be assessed on their
adherence to guideline directed medication therapy for lowering LDL
over the course of a year, including repeat testing of LDL levels
and the prescription of lipid-lowering medications as indicated and
in shared-decision making with patients.
The American College of
Cardiology (ACC) is the global leader in transforming
cardiovascular care and improving heart health for all. As the
preeminent source of professional medical education for the entire
cardiovascular care team since 1949, ACC credentials
cardiovascular professionals in over 140 countries who meet
stringent qualifications and leads in the formation of health
policy, standards and guidelines. Through its world-renowned
family of JACC Journals, NCDR registries, ACC
Accreditation Services, global network of Member Sections,
CardioSmart patient resources and more, the College is committed to
ensuring a world where science, knowledge and innovation
optimize patient care and outcomes. Learn more at www.ACC.org or
follow @ACCinTouch.
Esperion Therapeutics
At Esperion, we discover, develop, and
commercialize innovative medicines to help improve outcomes for
patients with or at risk for cardiovascular and cardiometabolic
diseases. The status quo is not meeting the health needs of
millions of people with high cholesterol – that is why our team of
passionate industry leaders is breaking through the barriers that
prevent patients from reaching their goals. Providers are moving
toward reducing LDL-cholesterol levels as low as possible, as soon
as possible; we provide the next steps to help get patients there.
Because when it comes to high cholesterol, getting to goal is not
optional. It is our life’s work. For more information, visit
esperion.com and esperionscience.com and follow us on Twitter at
twitter.com/EsperionInc.
Contact: Nicole Napoli,
nnapoli@acc.org
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