SharedClarity Completes Clinical Review of Peripheral Stents, Awards Second Round of Contracts

SharedClarity, the groundbreaking medical device analysis and strategic sourcing group, announced today its second contract awards, with four medical device manufacturers chosen to provide peripheral stents to its members and customers.

The contracts for peripheral stents, those stents not used in the heart or brain, will generate cost savings for SharedClarity members -- and provide physician-approved devices for patients. Abbott, Boston Scientific, Covidien and Medtronic are the selected suppliers.

Phoenix-based SharedClarity, a joint effort among four health care systems and health benefits provider UnitedHealthcare, conducts clinical product reviews to determine the most effective medical devices in order to improve patient outcomes and reduce readmissions, critical in today’s increasingly cost-conscious and patient-focused health care environment under the Affordable Care Act.

SharedClarity members will receive preferred pricing for the peripheral stents under the three-year contract. In March, SharedClarity announced its first-ever contracts – for coronary bare metal and drug-eluting stents, with Medtronic the selected supplier.

“These contracts are critical for the company and our members, who are already enjoying significant double-digit savings under our initial bare metal and drug-eluting stents contracts,” said SharedClarity President Mark West. “Now, with the peripherals contracts, we will continue to show how our unique approach benefits our members and customers, suppliers and, most of all, patients.”

Peripheral arterial disease affects about 10 million people per year in the United States, and will increase with the aging population. Peripheral stents is an almost $1 billion market.

SharedClarity’s membership includes Illinois-based Advocate Health Care, Dallas-based Baylor Scott & White Health, San Francisco-based Dignity Health, Michigan-based McLaren Health Care and UnitedHealthcare, a UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) company. SharedClarity, which launched in April 2013, is currently meeting with other health care systems that could become member-owners.

Physicians from each of SharedClarity’s members form a clinical team to review literature and participate in clinical surveys of medical devices. The clinical review team also has available data on devices from member hospitals and claims information from UnitedHealthcare, which provides benefits to more than 40 million Americans.

Then, the clinical review team determines what level of review is necessary to determine the most effective medical devices. Some of the 30 categories of medical devices slated for review will likely require extensive medical studies.

U.S. hospitals spend about $35 billion annually on the 30 most frequently used categories of devices, from defibrillators and pacemakers to hip and knee replacements, according to industry reports.

SharedClarity has started the next three rounds of clinical product reviews on devices – contrast media, hernia mesh and cardiac rhythm management (CRM), often referred to as pacemakers and defibrillators.

“Each clinical product review completed is another step in reaching our goals to improve patient outcomes and affordability,” West said. “SharedClarity’s pioneering business model, which is built around unique provider and payer relationships, continues to differentiate with proven success.”

About SharedClarity

SharedClarity is a unique joint venture between health care systems and UnitedHealthcare to use data from tens of millions of patients to study the long-term effectiveness of high-technology medical devices that have a high impact on patients. SharedClarity will use the results of the studies to select the most effective medical devices for patients and negotiate affordable purchasing agreements with manufacturers. For more information, please visit www.SharedClarity.net.

Contacts:

Halldin Public Relations
Ron Trujillo, 916-781-0659
ron@halldinpr.com

Data & News supplied by www.cloudquote.io
Stock quotes supplied by Barchart
Quotes delayed at least 20 minutes.
By accessing this page, you agree to the following
Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions.