HealthHelp to coordinate radiology services for HRP Initiative

HealthHelp has entered into an agreement with BG Medicine of Waltham, Mass., to coordinate radiology services for the High-Risk Plaque (HRP) Initiative.

The HRP Initiative was formed by Merck, AstraZeneca, Philips Healthcare and BG Medicine to collaborate on research and development of improved techniques for identifying individuals at risk for heart attacks and of advanced methods to monitor disease progression and treatment response.  

Cherrill Farnsworth, president and CEO of the Houston-based HealthHelp, said “we are providing a variety of imaging-related services.” HealthHelp said it will coordinate national and market-specific clinical investigators, create safety processes and review patient images for incidental findings as part of HRP’s BioImage Study.

The BioImage Study aims to recruit approximately 7,300 asymptomatic patients with risk factors for HRP, stroke and heart disease to undergo blood tests and advanced imaging studies including ultrasound, CTs and MRIs. One of the initiative’s primary goals is to determine the correlation between imaging and blood biomarkers and three-year heart attack/stroke rates.

Around the web

The new technology shows early potential to make a significant impact on imaging workflows and patient care. 

Richard Heller III, MD, RSNA board member and senior VP of policy at Radiology Partners, offers an overview of policies in Congress that are directly impacting imaging.
 

The two companies aim to improve patient access to high-quality MRI scans by combining their artificial intelligence capabilities.