Contact: Nicole Napoli, nnapoli@acc.org, 202-375-6523

WASHINGTON (Dec 15, 2020) -

The American College of Cardiology, in collaboration with Amgen and Veradigm, today announced a new national study to transform care for acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients at risk for future cardiovascular events. TRANSFORM: Accelerating Lipid Lowering Post ACS (TRANSFORM: ACS) will ensure ACS patients quickly receive cholesterol testing in the hospital and guideline-recommended therapies to reduce LDL cholesterol in the hospital and upon discharge.

ACS is any condition that causes sudden reduced blood flow to the heart, including myocardial infarction (MI). It often causes severe chest pain or discomfort and must be diagnosed and treated quickly to improve blood flow and prevent future complications or problems.

Statins to reduce LDL, or bad, cholesterol are a cornerstone in the secondary prevention of cardiovascular events after an MI, and guidelines recommend that high-intensity statins be initiated in-hospital for ACS patients. However, LDL-C goals as recommended by ACC/AHA 2018 Guideline on the Management of Blood Cholesterol and ACC Non-Statin Expert Consensus Decision Pathway, are frequently not attained.

“Research has noted gaps in optimal care delivery for ACS patients. Our collaborative study will investigate mechanisms for early initiation, and test pilots for close follow-up, of lipid lowering therapies,” said ACC President Athena Poppas, MD, FACC. “ACC is mission driven to transform cardiovascular care for all patients, and this novel approach should reduce the risk of recurrent major adverse events.”

The primary goal of the TRANSFORM: ACS program will be to improve the rate of lipid panel testing and lipid lowering treatment intensification in ACS patients within 75 days after hospital discharge. Rapid cholesterol testing after a cardiovascular event within the hospital is hypothesized to drive initiation of lipid lowering treatment within the first-year post ACS, which could increase compliance and help patients avoid events more rapidly than current standard of care.

“LDL-C is one of the most important modifiable risk factors in reducing the risk of another cardiovascular event and studies have shown that many people who are at very high-risk, including those with ACS, are not being treated to the ACC/AHA guidelines and more intensive efforts are needed,” said Cesar Cerezo Olmos, MD, PhD, vice president of Global and US Medical for Amgen’s General Medicine business unit. “Supporting TRANSFORM: ACS represents our commitment to helping patients with cardiovascular disease improve outcomes, as well as our proactive approach to care designed to predict and help prevent another potentially life-altering CV event from happening.”

The project will have two phases. Phase one will focus on supporting in-hospital lipid lowering treatment of post-ACS patients as recommended. Phase two of the program will evaluate quality improvement by following discharged ACS patients into the outpatient care setting to evaluate trends in treatment and risk prevention for up to a year post-discharge. 

“Veradigm is thrilled to participate in this innovative program with the ACC and Amgen, focused on optimizing the care for ACS patients as they transition across care settings” said Tom Langan, CEO of Veradigm.  “By leveraging national inpatient and outpatient cardiovascular registries, this study has the potential to improve health outcomes by helping patients to achieve target LDL-C levels and thus significantly lowering their risk of future cardiac events.”

This research will leverage the NCDR Cath PCI and Chest Pain-MI hospital registries and Allscripts outpatient EHR and the PINNACLE Registry operated by Veradigm in association with the ACC, one of the largest outpatient cardiovascular clinical data registries in the world, to identify hospitals for intervention as well as affiliated outpatient clinics. Through MedAxiom, an ACC company, a protocol will be developed with participating hospitals to certify clinician and health system engagement and retainment, ensuring goals of this program are met.

This initiative is the latest under the TRANSFORM umbrella. ACC introduced TRANSFORM as a new kind of quality research program aimed to improve health care by transforming the quality of care across the multi-faceted areas of cardiovascular disease. TRANSFORM programs leverage clinical registry data, office-based interventions and partnerships to include the pharmaceutical and medical device industry, health plans, employers, clinicians and patients. 

The American College of Cardiology envisions a world where innovation and knowledge optimize cardiovascular care and outcomes. As the professional home for the entire cardiovascular care team, the mission of the College and its 54,000 members is to transform cardiovascular care and to improve heart health. The ACC bestows credentials upon cardiovascular professionals who meet stringent qualifications and leads in the formation of health policy, standards and guidelines. The College also provides professional medical education, disseminates cardiovascular research through its world-renowned JACC Journals, operates national registries to measure and improve care, and offers cardiovascular accreditation to hospitals and institutions. For more, visit acc.org.

Veradigm is an integrated data platforms and services business unit of Allscripts that combines data-driven clinical insights with actionable tools to help healthcare stakeholders improve the quality, efficiency, and value of healthcare delivery. The company has a long-term strategic partnership with the American College of Cardiology (ACC), which includes the ownership and operation of the PINNACLE and Diabetes Collaborative patient registries. Veradigm works closely with ACC to provide innovative cardiovascular research solutions to Life Sciences companies. Veradigm’s mission is dedicated to simplifying the complicated healthcare system with next-generation healthcare solutions. To learn more, visit www.veradigm.com.

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