Inovalon Presents Quality Measurement Research Related to Heart Treatment Procedures

BOWIE, Md., June 5, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Inovalon, Inc., a leading technology company providing advanced cloud-based analytics and data-driven solutions to the healthcare industry, announced today the presentation of results from the study "Thirty-day Incidence of Cardiac Tamponade and Mortality Following Catheter or Surgical Ablation of Atrial Fibrillation" at the Council on Quality of Care and Outcomes Research (QCOR) sponsored by the American Heart Association on June 4, 2014 in Baltimore, Maryland. 

The risks of mortality and cardiac tamponade (i.e., a constriction of the heart muscle from blood swelling inside the area surrounding the heart) during the first 30 days following catheter or surgical atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation (i.e., the removal of structures in the heart that can cause an irregular heartbeat), are not well known. The study found that the thirty-day incidence of cardiac tamponade was 1.74 percent and was higher for surgical ablation than catheter ablation. The thirty-day mortality rate was 1.15 percent, which was also higher for surgical ablation than catheter ablation. According to the authors, these findings provide new comparative safety information that can help inform optimal treatment practices and could serve as the basis for a physician level or facility level quality measure designed to evaluate relative performance and provide benchmarks to support both consumer choice and quality improvement efforts.

"Atrial fibrillation affects many thousands of people and is a major cause of stroke in the United States," said Laura Blum Meisnere, MA from the Heart Rhythm Society. "For patients who do not respond positively to drug therapies, catheter and surgical ablation are the most effective treatments. As with any procedure, both treatments come with relative risks and these risks vary with the skill-level and experience of the physician performing the procedure. The thirty-day incidence of cardiac tamponade is a useful measure of a physician's track record and should be available to patients, providers and payers so that they can make informed choices."

"Inovalon is using big data and analytics to support development and validation of new performance measures to fill gaps in knowledge about health plan, provider and physician performance on quality issues important to consumers, health plans, regulators and payers," said Dan Rizzo, Chief Innovation Officer at Inovalon. "Leveraging data to measure and improve the quality of care delivered supports the triple aim of improving the experience of care, improving the health of the population and reducing the overall cost of healthcare."

Co-authors include John Scoggins, PhD and Christie Teigland, PhD from Inovalon, Inc. and Laura Blum Meisnere, MA from the Heart Rhythm Society.

About the Heart Rhythm Society

The Heart Rhythm Society is the international leader in science, education and advocacy for cardiac arrhythmia professionals and patients, and the primary information resource on heart rhythm disorders. Its mission is to improve the care of patients by promoting research, education and optimal health care policies and standards. Incorporated in 1979 and based in Washington, DC, it has a membership of more than 5,800 heart rhythm professionals in more than 72 countries around the world. For more information, visit www.HRSonline.org.

About Inovalon, Inc.

Inovalon is a leading technology company that combines advanced cloud-based data analytics with highly targeted interventions to achieve meaningful impact in clinical and quality outcomes, utilization, and financial performance across the healthcare landscape. Inovalon's unique achievement of value is delivered through the effective progression of Turning Data into Insight, and Insight into Action^®. Large proprietary datasets, advanced integration technologies, sophisticated predictive analytics, and deep subject matter expertise deliver a seamless, end-to-end platform of technology and nationwide operations that bring the benefits of big data and large-scale analytics to the point of care. Driven by data, Inovalon uniquely identifies gaps in care, quality, data integrity, and financial performance – while also bringing to bear the unique capabilities to resolve them. Touching more than 540,000 physicians, 220,000 clinical facilities, and more than 140 million Americans, this differentiating combination provides a powerful solution suite that drives high-value impact, improving quality and economics for health plans, ACOs, hospitals, physicians, patients, and researchers. For more information visit www.inovalon.com.

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SOURCE Inovalon, Inc.