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INTERxVENT
CORPORATE INFORMATION
INTERxVENTUSA
Inc., MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS
THROUGH SEPTEMBER 2001
INTERxVENTUSA
Inc., founded in July 1997 by
Neil F. Gordon, MD, PhD, MPH, is a
Savannah - based corporation that
develops, tests, implements and
licenses scientifically-based,
turn-key programs for the prevention
of cardiovascular and other chronic
diseases. The company's mission is to
optimize the health and quality of
life of as many individuals as
possible by providing access to
affordable, evidence-based,
comprehensive chronic disease
prevention programs. Major
accomplishments through September 2001
include:
Tested Products and Services
Brief Update – Over 20 years
of research and development have been
invested in INTERxVENTUSA’s
products and services. INTERxVENTUSA
has developed novel ways,
including the use of handheld
computers, to efficiently screen large
populations and simultaneously
integrate information into its
existing database. INTERxVENTUSA
has filed for patents
associated with multiple software
applications. These include INTERxVENTUSA's
proprietary computerized
participant management, tracking, and
reporting database and outcomes
analysis system that allows for
integration and analysis of up to 255
comprehensive standalone database
applications. INTERxVENTUSA
has completed phases one and two
of its website development. Phase
three beta testing is currently in
progress and scheduled for completion
during the fourth quarter of 2001.
These phases will rapidly facilitate
enterprise wide (global)
accessibility, delivery, and
implementation of INTERxVENTUSA’s
products and services.
Joint Venture with St. Joseph’s/Candler
Health System
Brief Update – In February
1998, INTERxVENTUSA
and St. Joseph’s/Candler Health
System formed an exclusive affiliation
in the Savannah service area and a new
entity was established – INTERxVENT
Savannah, LLC. INTERxVENT
Savannah, LLC, has programs operating
at a variety of sites in Savannah,
including a shopping mall, St. Joseph’s
Hospital, Candler Hospital, health
clubs, and worksites. Leading by
example, the St. Joseph’s/Candler
Health System is providing INTERxVENTUSA
as a benefit to its employees enrolled
on the health care plan. The INTERxVENTUSA
products and services are now
being provided to many of Savannah's
other large employers, including the
City of Savannah, Chatham County,
Georgia Ports Authority and Interstate
Paper. The INTERxVENTUSA
cardiac rehabilitation product, INTERxVENTCR,
is also being delivered to
participants in the St. Joseph's/Candler
Health System's cardiac rehabilitation
program. Over 100 Savannah-based
physicians are members of the INTERxVENTMD
Network.
License Agreement with Neurological
Institute of Savannah
Brief Update – The company
has executed a license agreement for a
disease management version of INTERxVENTUSA,
a stroke risk reduction program, for
use with patients in a large neurology
practice. The INTERxVENTUSA
Stroke Risk Reduction Program
at the Neurological Institute of
Savannah was successfully implemented
in February 1999. Outcomes analyses
documenting the Program's clinical
effectiveness have been presented at
several national and international
scientific meetings, including the
American Heart Association's annual
scientific meeting in November 2000
and the American Stroke Association's
international stroke meeting in
February 2001. Patients are
participating in the INTERxVENTUSA
Stroke Risk Reduction Program at the
Neurological Institute of Savannah in
two locations, one in Savannah and a
second in Waycross, Georgia.
Joint Venture with Emory HealthCare
Brief Update – After an
extensive due diligence process by
both parties, an exclusive joint
venture relationship was established
with Emory HealthCare for metropolitan
Atlanta and the State of Georgia in
August 1999. The Emory Hospital
cardiology program has been recognized
as one of the top ten programs by U.S.
News and World Report every year
since the magazine began ranking
hospitals in 1990. This year, Emory
was the only Georgia hospital and one
of just two in the southeast to be
ranked in the top 10 in cardiology.
Emory HealthCare is committed to
market INTERxVENTUSA
through its primary care physicians,
clinical cardiologists, emergency room
physicians, occupational medicine
programs, and employer contracts
within the Emory HealthCare service
area. INTERxVENTUSA
programs are currently being delivered
at the Emory Heart Center, Crawford
Long Hospital, and at a major
Atlanta-based Fortune 500 company.
INTERxVENTCR is
also being delivered in the cardiac
rehabilitation program at Emory
HealthCare. Over 1,250 Emory Clinic
physicians are members of the INTERxVENTMD
Network.
License Agreement with North
Broward Hospital District, Fort
Lauderdale, Florida
Brief Update –
In August 1999, the company executed a
license agreement for the INTERxVENTUSA
programs for use with North Broward
Hospital District employees
(approximately 5,000 employees)
covered on its self-insured health
plan. The district is currently
delivering and expanding the INTERxVENTUSA
programs through its five county
hospitals, which serve a trade area of
two million people. Effective August
2000, the district renewed and
expanded its licenses and added the
rights to use the INTERXVENTUSA
retail product and the INTERxVENTMD
Network.
License Agreements with Other
Credible, Leading Medical
Organizations
Brief Update - INTERxVENTUSA
has also executed and/or
implemented license or other
agreements with other prestigious
academic/ medical institutions
including Vanderbilt University
(Nashville, TN); the Medical College
of Ohio (Toledo, OH); William Beaumont
Hospital (Detroit, MI); Trident Health
Systems (HCA, Charleston, SC); North
Central CareNet, Ltd. (Norwalk,
OH); Holy Name Hospital (Teaneck, NJ);
Providence Health System (a unit of
Ascension Healthcare, Mobile, AL);
Heart Advocates, LLC (Hudson Valley,
New York area); Texas Health System
for seven of its hospitals –
Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas,
Harris Methodist Hospital-Fort Worth,
Presbyterian Hospital of Plano, Harris
Methodist HEB Hospital, Harris
Methodist Northwest Hospital,
McCuistion Regional Medical Center,
and Arlington Memorial Hospital
(Dallas-Fort Worth, TX); Memorial
Health System (Chattanooga, TN);
Florida Lipid Associates (Altamonte
Springs, FL); Tallahassee Heart and
Vascular Institute at Tallahassee
Memorial HealthCare (Tallahassee, FL);
Forrest General Hospital (Hattiesburg,
MS); and the University of Ottawa
Heart Institute (Ottawa, Ontario,
Canada).
Creation and Implementation of the INTERxVENTMD
Network
Brief Update – In
order to narrow the gap between
evidence-based medical practice and
actual medical practice, a specific
model for including physicians in a
prevention oriented, national network
has been developed. The Network
product provides physicians with easy
access for their patients to the INTERxVENTUSA
programs in a way which enables them
to derive revenue for services that
are typically not reimbursable. The
Network product has received a
favorable review and Advisory Opinion
letter from the Office of Inspector
General, Department of Health &
Human Services. The Advisory Opinion
letter was issued toward the end of
June 2000. To date, over 100
physicians have joined the network in
the Savannah service area and the
INTERxVENTMD Network
product has been implemented at their
practices. Attorneys representing
Emory HealthCare have now provided
their approval for the implementation
of the INTERxVENTMD
Network in the Atlanta service
area. An agreement has been executed
that covers over 1,250 physicians in
Atlanta with the Emory Clinic. INTERxVENTMD
Network discussions are at an
advanced stage with large physician
groups in Dallas, Nashville, Miami,
Detroit, and Central Ohio.
New Products
Brief Update - In conjunction
with MedGraphics Corporation, INTERxVENTUSA
has developed a "special"
product offering for license to the
health club industry, and INTERxVENTUSA
and MedGraphics Corporation are
collaborating on implementation in
health clubs nationwide. Our first
collaborative agreement at a large
health club in Minneapolis has been
completed and is being implemented. A
number of other installations are
under negotiation, including
discussions with several large
national and international operators
of health and fitness clubs.
Scientific Papers and Publications
Brief Update – INTERxVENTUSA
is based on models shown to be
effective in randomized clinical
trials. Moreover, because the data on
all participants in the INTERxVENTUSA
programs is computerized, we have been
able to utilize our proprietary
outcomes analysis software to document
the clinical effectiveness of our
products and services. Additionally,
we have conducted randomized clinical
trials to further validate the
clinical effectiveness of the INTERxVENTUSA
programs in a variety of patient
populations. Data on the effect of
INTERxVENTUSA on
specific important health risk factors
have been published in the American
Journal of Cardiology, Journal of the
American College of Cardiology,
Circulation, Coronary Artery Disease,
American College of Sports Medicine
Certified News, Medicine and Science
in Sports and Exercise, and the
Journal of Cardiopulmonary
Rehabilitation. Results have been
presented at the annual scientific
meetings of the American Heart
Association, American College of
Cardiology, American Association of
Cardiovascular and Pulmonary
Rehabilitation, American College of
Sports Medicine, and the American
Neurology Association. Collectively,
these studies have culminated in an
evidence-based product that has been
enthusiastically embraced by
mainstream medical leaders. Future
research efforts are being guided by
INTERxVENTUSA
staff in consultation with a
prestigious Scientific Advisory
Committee comprised of these leading
academicians / clinicians /
scientists: Dr. Wayne Alexander, Emory
University Hospital; Dr. Barry A.
Franklin, William Beaumont Hospital;
Dr. William L. Haskell, Stanford
Center for Research in Disease
Prevention (Chairman); Dr. Harold W.
Kohl, The International Life Sciences
Institute; Dr. Penny M. Kris-Etherton,
Penn State University; Dr. Bess
Marcus, Miriam Hospital; Dr. David
Maron, Vanderbilt Page-Campbell Heart
Institute; and Dr. Kenneth R.
Pelletier, Stanford University.
Special Projects
Brief Update – The
credibility and potential importance
of the INTERxVENTUSA
programs is best attested to by the
award by the American Heart
Association to Dr. Gordon and the St.
Joseph’s/Candler Health System of a
$499,120 grant to further study the
benefits of the program in patients
with coronary artery disease. Data
from this study, documenting the
clinical- and cost-effectiveness of
the INTERxVENTUSA
program in this specific patient
population, were presented at the
American Heart Association's annual
scientific meeting in November, 2000
and the first of several manuscripts
has been submitted to a prestigious
cardiology journal for consideration
for publication. These data clearly
demonstrate that INTERxVENTUSA
programs can be used to increase
accessibility to evidence-based risk
reduction services and have major
implications for cost containment in
cardiovascular medicine. INTERxVENTUSA
products are also the lifestyle
intervention and compliance tracking
mechanism for a research study
entitled "Implementation of a
Comprehensive Cardiovascular Risk
Reduction Program in Transplant
Recipients" ($427,000 grant from
the Carlos and Marguerite Mason Trust
to St. Joseph’s/Candler Health
System, Neil F. Gordon, MD, principal
investigator). Additionally, formal
strategic projects are in progress
with several leading pharmaceutical
companies. Finally, as a result of
successes at various INTERxVENT
locations, thirteen INTERxVENT-related
clinical abstracts have been presented
at national scientific meetings during
2001.
Health Claims Analyses
Brief Update -
Data from randomized clinical trials
conducted using the INTERxVENTUSA
programs and the analyses performed on
data from participants in the INTERxVENTUSA
programs have consistently documented
substantial improvements in multiple
risk factors for cardiovascular
disease and certain other chronic
illnesses, functional capacity, and
various indexes of wellbeing and
quality of life. Based on data
previously published by other
researchers, these findings would be
expected to result in a reduction in
direct and indirect (for example, due
to reduced productivity and time away
from work) healthcare related
expenditures. As the number of
participants in the INTERxVENTUSA
programs increases over time, it is
anticipated that INTERxVENTUSA
will be able to accurately document
the impact of its programs on
healthcare-related expenditures.
Currently, data are available for the
employees of a Florida-based company.
Healthcare claims data are available
for 3,062 employees who were employed
by the Florida-based company in 1999
(the year prior to implementation of
the INTERxVENTUSA
program for the company's employees)
and 2000 (the year the INTERxVENTUSA
program was first implemented). Of
these employees, 636 enrolled in the
INTERxVENTUSA
program between February 1 and July
31, 2000. A comparison was made of the
average healthcare claims per employee
during February 1 through July 31,
1999 and February 1 through July 31,
2000 for INTERxVENTUSA
program participants and
non-participants. When comparing the
1999 data to the 2000 data, the
average six-month healthcare claims
per employee increased by 10.3% (or
US$110.63) for the non-participants
and decreased by 14.3% (or US$142.47)
for the participants. This represents
an annualized difference in claims
cost of US$500 per participant. These
early data support INTERxVENTUSA's
belief that the well-documented
benefits of the INTERxVENTUSA
programs in terms of clinical results
are likely to be accompanied by
reductions in healthcare expenditures.
Regulatory and National
"Policy" Compliance
Brief Update - In April,
President Bush approved (after
reversing himself) the regulation
governing the privacy of medical
information, including electronic
storage and transfer. While many of
these provisions are not directly
applicable to INTERxVENT,
they do affect many of INTERxVENTUSA
clients. In anticipation of these
changes, the INTERxVENTUSA
Information Technology team and legal
team have designed and implemented
provisions for INTERxVENTUSA
and its clients to be in immediate
compliance.
MEET OUR
EXECUTIVE STAFF
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