Better Cardiac Monitoring by Health Monitoring Services of America, Inc.*
Better for the Patient, the Doctor, and the Health Plan

Improved Cardiac Monitoring
And, improved reimbursement

$300-$700 per private patient


· To be paid a new service, even billing back-to-back after Holter-type of event monitoring using a continuous loop monitor that is the size of a small beeper.
· To work with a company that also serves as your billing facilitator or agent.
· Do this without extra overhead and without worries about training up to a complex new procedure
· And, to be able to provide home testing, if required

E-Mail Dr. Jeffrey G. Kaplan for a 10 minute presentation

  • "Holter monitor, the most frequently used diagnostic test in patients with syncope, is non-diagnostic in over 90% of cases."
  • "Cardiac loop ECG recording is an important new diagnostic test in patients with syncope unexplained by Holter Monitor."
  • "Loop recorders hold numerous advantages over Holter monitors. First, they can be worn for extended time. Second, they capture, for the most part only the rhythm of interest: that is the rhythm occurring symptoms." Am. J. Cardiology, 1990

Better Test: Holters miss 90% of cardiac arrhythmia events, but this cardiac event monitor's (CEM's) window of observation is longer, enabling it to capture 60%-80% of these events---a 50%-70% spread

  • Tests for the "Rhythm of Interest" anytime-great for drug titration and post-MI evaluation
  • The size of a small beeper, it's a continuous memory loop.

Better Timing
If the patient has a symptom, or they are being continuously monitored or at specified intervals, they trigger an "event" or an observation by hitting a button; then they simply put the device to the phone receiver, which transmits an ECG. 24x7. A "tele-med finding" (actually an over-read) is reported to the family doctor when available, or 911, by default.

It's reassuring
Often serving as a "security blanket" to the patient, this event monitor can actually prevent small or early cardiac problems from exacerbating.

Better Service
As a 24x7x365 Medicare Part B-approved Independent Diagnostic Testing Facility (IDTF), you get a much better test and more appropriate reimbursement. The procedure may also be appropriate and can be billed for after a standard Holter. In many cases, you can improve your reimbursement $300-$700 per private patient; his IDTF serves as your billing facilitator or agent.

"Studies show that the combined use of Holter and TTM significantly increased the diagnostic yield over use of either method alone."
"Comparison of the diagnostic yield of Holter versus Transtelephonic monitoring".
Am. J. Cardiology, February 1997


Indications for CEM: Symptoms For Cardiac Event Monitoring
1. Chest Pain
2. Palpitations
3. Shortness of Breath; Dyspnea
4. Dizziness; Light-headedness; Pre-syncope and Syncope; Collapse
5. Cardiac Arrhythmias/Dysrhythmia, especially Recurrent Intermittent Symptoms Suggestive of Arrhythmia
  a. Unspecified; Tachyarrhythmia (e.g., Tachycardia); Bradyarrhythmias
  b. Pacemaker Dysfunction/Malfunction; ICD Shock
  c. Post Myocardial Infarction
  d. Correlational analysis with cardiac stress testing
  e. Drug titration
6. Atrial Fibrillation; Flutter; Ventricular Fibrillation; Flutter
7. Vague Symptoms, Possibly Cardiac Related; unexplained fatigue
8. Transient Ischemic Episodes (TIAs)

References:
Why do we claim "State of the Art" Ambulatory Electrocardiographic Monitoring? See
Cardiology Trends 1990.
"Transtelephonic Electrocardiographic Monitoring for Detection and Treatment of Cardiac Arrhythmia." Postgraduate Medical Journal. 1990. "Palpitations and Arrhythmias - Separating the benign from the Dangerous". Postgraduate Medical Journal. 1992.
"Ambulatory Arrhythmia Screening in Symptomatic Children and Young Adults: Comparative Effectiveness of Holter and Telephone Event Recordings". Pediatric Cardiology. 1993.
"Are event recorders useful and cost effective in the diagnosis of palpitations, pre-syncope and syncope? Am. J. Coll. Cardiology. 1993
"Incremental diagnostic yield of loop electrocardiographic reorders in unexplained syncope". Am. J. Coll. Cardiology, 1990

For more information, Please contact

Jeffrey for Clinical, Authorization and Reimbursement Issues--cell: (516) 607-4380

* Health Monitoring Services of America (HMSA), is a 15-year establishment, offers a better Cardiac Event Monitor (CEM)

The Corporate Office