Virtual Colonoscopy & Preventive Medicine Come of Age with Formation of Predictive Medicine Centers of America.

Business Editors/Health/Medical Writers

DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 2, 2003

A new company that developed the first predictive medicine and preventive health business model in the U.S. has been formed to bring preventive medicine and new technologies such as the virtual colonoscopy to the emerging consumer driven marketplace. Predictive medicine is the discipline of identifying disease before it erupts in its classical symptom form, which is often late in the disease curve, so that proactive interventions can be taken to prevent or minimize its occurrence.

Predictive Medicine Centers of America, Inc., will partner, in a franchise model, with hospitals, health systems, multi-specialty clinics and diagnostic imaging centers as an outsourced, turn key center of excellence to provide specialized predictive medicine, 3-D organ specific visualization software such as the new virtual colonoscopy, and long term health management to consumers in the local market. The company's goal is that at least 5% of the 6,000 U.S. hospitals will adopt its system in their communities, putting their preventive health system in reach of 90% of U.S. consumers.

"By creating a center of excellence dedicated to helping consumers identify disease such as cardiovascular disease, lung, colon, prostate and breast cancer prior to the symptomatic stage we can help hospitals, health systems and other providers save hundreds of thousands of lives each year. Why we accept the fact that each year 300,000 people suffer sudden death heart attacks where death was the first symptom experienced, or that 700,000 people suffer debilitating strokes, 156,000 people die of lung cancer, 57,000 people die of colon cancer and countless others suffer needlessly from late stage cancer detection should evoke a national outcry," said PMCA chairman, Frederick Fey.

"Predictive Medicine Centers of America was established on the evidence that the newly empowered health consumer is demanding access to the most advanced technology, including the newly released virtual colonoscopy to determine where they are on the disease curve," Fey said. "Most treatments in the U.S. begin at the symptom stage, which is a late stage of disease resulting in more expensive and lower quality outcomes.

"This is a win-win for everyone, which is always the foundation of the most successful ventures," Fey said. "Consumers can now get the same high-tech preventive maintenance for their bodies with immediate interventions when abnormalities are present that they expect when they get their cars checked, their air conditioning systems checked, or their computers screened for viruses...why should the human body be any different?"

"Today's health consumer is a lot wiser than in the past. They want comprehensive, proactive answers now. Our beta site tested 12,000 individuals and found abnormalities, including cardiovascular disease, lung cancer, colon cancer, diabetes and other conditions in more than 40% of the people aged forty and over. Most of these people were presymptomatic, but eventually would have gone on to develop late stage, symptomatic disease. This level of disease is reflected in the overall morbidity and mortality statistics maintained by the U.S. government. Half of the people who will eventually die from cardiovascular disease, have it now, even though they won't know about it for years or decades. Our model changes that," said Christopher T. Fey, President and Chief Executive Officer of the company.

"Predictive Medicine is not about whole body scans or inappropriate health screening concepts. Our executive team created and refined one of the most medically respected, comprehensive predictive medicine programs in the world," he said. "We spent three years perfecting the testing package and resulting personalized medical report, as well as the medical protocols, training, operations, marketing, pricing and referral services."

Fey said the consistency of quality service, the centralized technology infrastructure, and template providing access to high-quality medical professionals will allow the company to cost-efficiently replicate and expand the concept across the country. The comprehensive analysis of the clients' health will be gathered with state-of-the-art diagnostic imaging systems such as ultrasound, CT, MRI and in some cases Positron Emission Tomography (PET) in combination with extensive blood, vascular genetic, nutritional, metabolic and hormone profiles in combination with an extensive physical examination, review of all test results and personalized development of a long term health management program...all conducted by local board certified physicians.

The business model is based on statistics showing that a third or more of the 78 million Baby Boomers and 34 million of their parents carry potentially devastating diseases. Experts predict that presymptomatic testing could save millions of lives in the coming decade. The current healthy consumer spends more than $178 billion out-of-pocket (non-reimbursed) annually on health care products, services and diagnostic tests and more than $21 billion on "alternative medicine," according to "Best of Health...Demographics of Health Care Consumers" by Allison Wellner.

"We have created a simple, cost effective, high-tech/high-touch system. At the heart of the program is the next generation of technologically advanced testing, such as virtual colonoscopy, that helps the consumer find disease early and serves as an ongoing program for future disease prevention," said Christopher Fey. "As the medical system continues to focus on disease treatment at the later stage symptomatic level, our experience has shown this personalized, predictive health testing and preventive health management model will step in to fill a sizable void in the marketplace."