Coalition to Prevent Deep-Vein Thrombosis (DVT) Turns Awareness Into Action as it Declares First-Of-Its-Kind National DVT Scr...( In tandem with its Fifth-Annual D...),Health

In tandem with its Fifth-Annual DVT Awareness Month, the Coalition names March 25, 2008 as a day to focus on patient risk assessment

CLEVELAND, March 25 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Coalition to Prevent Deep-Vein Thrombosis, with the support of Premier Healthcare Alliance declares March 25, 2008 National DVT Screening Day as part of DVT Awareness Month. In a call to action for the medical community nationwide, hospitals and healthcare providers are encouraged to risk-assess patients for DVT, a serious health condition. Healthcare professionals are encouraged to implement evidence-based measures that may improve the quality of care through better DVT diagnosis and treatment.

Up to two million Americans suffer from DVT annually; approximately 300,000 die from a potentially fatal complication, pulmonary embolism (PE), the majority of which result from DVT. DVT-related PE is the most common cause of preventable hospital death. Complications from DVT kill more people each year in the U.S. than breast cancer and AIDS combined.

As part of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Quality Initiative, Premier tests and uses guidelines that provide evidence-based measures to improve patient safety and the quality of clinical care. As one of the largest healthcare alliances, Premier is encouraging hospitals across the country to focus on the prevention of DVT and strategies to improve patient safety surrounding DVT within their individual health system.

"We are proud to be at the forefront of this action-oriented initiative to improve patient care and potentially save lives. Raising awareness of the potential risks of DVT and PE are the first step to reducing the related potential for death or disability; and now the second step is to actively screen at-risk patients so they may benefit from early diagnosis and treatment," explains Mike Alkire, President, Premier Purchasing Partners, LP.

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