HemoSense and ZyCare Partner with Pima Heart to Utilize Web-Based Warfarin Patient Management System for INRatio

  
    
  
  
    
      HemoSense, Inc. (AMEX:HEM) and ZyCare, Inc. today announced that 
      Pima Heart, a cardiology practice that provides medical and surgical 
      services in southern Arizona, will use ZyCare’s 
      CoagCare® software management system to 
      remotely manage Pima Heart patients who wish to use HemoSense’s 
      portable INRatio® PT/INR monitoring system for 
      self-testing. CoagCare will also be used as the point-of-care 
      anticoagulation management software in all seven Pima Heart locations.
    
    
      After performing a PT/INR test with the INRatio system, patients use a 
      standard Internet browser to input INR test results and information 
      about symptoms and illness into the CoagCare system. CoagCare then 
      provides automated, patient specific warfarin dosage adjustments based 
      on physician-prescribed algorithms. Test results are immediately 
      available to healthcare providers, and patients who report out of range 
      INR values, hemorrhagic, or thromboembolic symptoms, are prioritized for 
      physician review. CoagCare is the only U.S. Food and Drug Administration 
      (FDA) cleared, HIPAA compatible remote INR test reporting and dosage 
      management system for patients on oral anticoagulant therapy.
    
    
      “Pima Heart currently utilizes our INRatio 
      system in its anticoagulation clinics and the expansion of this 
      relationship is a testament to the technical capabilities and 
      versatility of our INRatio product, as well as the strength of ZyCare’s 
      Web-based management tools,” said Timothy 
      Still, executive VP and chief commercial officer of HemoSense.
    
    
      “Of the millions of people taking warfarin 
      there is a tremendous opportunity to improve their care and lives 
      through more frequent testing, better monitoring and education,” 
      said Ted Ranney, Pima Heart chief executive officer. “We 
      believe that the promotion of home-testing and offering additional 
      management tools assist in affording patients this opportunity. We are 
      excited to offer this new service to our patients.”
    
    
      Pima Heart currently manages more than 1,000 patients taking warfarin. 
      By using the INRatio and instituting the CoagCare system, Pima Heart 
      expects to be able to reduce the number of patient visits to its 
      clinics, while effectively managing patient self-testers, so that it can 
      focus on the critical patients who need the most attention.
    
    
      “We are delighted with the expansion of our 
      relationship with HemoSense, and our new relationship with a 
      patient-focused organization such as Pima Heart, in order to bring the 
      benefits of CoagCare and 'supervised self-management'™ 
      to the patients of southern Arizona,” said 
      Sandra Cummings, president of ZyCare.
    
    
      About Pima Heart
    
    
      Pima Heart, of Tucson, Ariz., was founded in 1981 and today is the 
      largest cardiovascular practice in southern Arizona, with 25 
      cardiologists, eight nurse practitioners and a highly trained support 
      staff serving multiple communities throughout southern Arizona. Pima 
      Heart is a team dedicated to providing comprehensive cardiac care, with 
      a commitment to reducing the incidence, prevalence and mortality of 
      cardiovascular disease while providing quality care and personal service.
    
    
      About ZyCare
    
    
      ZyCare develops medical information technology solutions that increase 
      productivity for healthcare professionals in the management of chronic 
      diseases while simultaneously improving quality of patient care and 
      reducing costs. ZyCare utilizes innovative web-based “direct-to-patient 
      expert systems”™ 
      to automate much of the routine decision making involved in managing 
      patients remotely. ZyCare's solutions directly involve patients in the 
      information gathering that drives automated treatment recommendations, 
      while giving physicians a vehicle to closely monitor their patient’s 
      progress without time consuming telephone calls and faxes. This approach 
      allows the healthcare system to cost-effectively take advantage of new 
      home monitoring devices for chronic conditions, while giving patients 
      more control over their own condition. ZyCare's technology is protected 
      by patents issued in the United States, Canada, Europe and Australia. 
      For more information, visit www.coagcare.com.
    
    
      About HemoSense
    
    
      HemoSense is a point-of-care diagnostic healthcare company that 
      develops, manufactures and markets easy-to-use, handheld blood 
      coagulation systems for monitoring patients taking warfarin. The 
      HemoSense INRatio(R) system, used by healthcare professionals and 
      patients themselves, consists of a small monitor and disposable test 
      strips. It provides accurate and convenient measurement of blood 
      clotting time, or PT/INR values. Routine measurements of PT/INR are 
      necessary for the safe and effective management of the patient's 
      warfarin dosing. INRatio is sold in the United States and 
      internationally. For more information, visit www.hemosense.com.
    
    
      HemoSense® and INRatio® 
      are registered trademarks of HemoSense, Inc. CoagCare® 
      and ZyCare® are registered trademarks of 
      ZyCare, Inc. "Supervised Self-Management" and "Direct-to-Patient Expert 
      Systems" are trademarks of ZyCare, Inc.