Physician Practice

Good time management makes your practice a monetary success.

If you suspect hypothyroidism, test with CLIA waived ThyroChek®. Symptoms are common to many health problems. ThyroChek will let you know if TSH is greater than 5mIU/L, the first clinical indicator of hypothyroidism - in your office - in 10 minutes.

As a family practice physician, an ob/gyn, an internist, an osteopath, a psychiatrist, there are patients in your waiting room who have all the symptoms of hypothyroidism. If you have CLIA waiver status or have moderately complex lab, ThyroChek® is for you.

Some symptoms of hypothyroidism are:

• Weight gain
• Cold intolerance
• Depression
• Sluggishness, sleepiness
• Slower reflexes
• Brittle fingernails, dry hair and skin
• Menstrual irregularities (heavier)
• Muscular cramps and aches
• Poor memory, difficulty concentrating

Only a blood test for elevated TSH will let you know. 85 to 90% of your patients will have TSH less than 5mIU/L. They won't need to go to the lab for further testing today.

You may begin treatment for them right away, knowing it is not their thyroid.

Health Promotion

ThyroChek® is essential for your health promotion events. It is a new test and a new approach to healthy living. A functioning thyroid gland is the foundation of good health and opens the door to general wellness.

Testing for hypothyroidism will offer real value and greater opportunities to educate on thyroid disease and its link to lifestyle limiting illnesses and life threatening diseases.

Researchers at Johns Hopkins concluded that for women especially, testing or screening for hypothyroidism is the first step in prevention of health issues that are life limiting and costly.

"By adding TSH screening test to total cholesterol tests, there is an opportunity to prevent the progression of mild hypothyroidism to overt hypothyroidism as well as the symptoms of thyroid failure."
--Journal of the American Medical Association July 1996, Cost-Effectiveness of Periodic Screening for Mild Thyroid Failure

Corporate screening programs focussed on productivity and abstenteeism will be excited about ThyroChek®. It is a natural companion to cholesterol screening.

27 million Americans have poor functioning thyroid glands and fewer than half are diagnosed:

• 8 out of 10 people with thyroid disease are women.
• Women are 5 to 8 times to suffer with hypothyroidism, or an underactive thyroid.
• 15 to 20 % of people with diabetes and their siblings or parents are likely to develop thyroid disease.
• 50% of thyroid disease patients' offspring will inherit thyroid disease.
• By age 60, 17% of women and 9% of men may be hypothyroid.

Thyroid function is an outer marker of good health. Elevated TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) greater than 5 mIU/L in blood is the first clinical indicator of hypothyroidism. Hypothyroidism is frequently associated with:

• Diabetes
• Arthritis
• Cardiac disease
• Depression
• Infertility
• Anemia
• Lupus, Celiac disease many other autoimmune

Women of child bearing age should be screened to prevent poor pregnancy outcome. Conditions such as unexplained weight gain, loss of libido, dry skin and hair as well as cracked and brittle nails are symptoms of hypothyroidism.

Employee Wellness programs
Disease prevention in the workplace encompasses a broad range of activities. ThyroChek® meets corporate wellness goals by providing on-site testing. Health issues from weight loss to stress reduction to depression that may be related to thyroid health effect productivity and absenteeism. Since employees can be screened at their workplace, immediate results allow health professionals to provide "the teaching moment" that can lead to behavior changes and healthier life styles.

Community Screening and Health Education
Thyroid health is genetic. Many people need to know their level of risk and local organizations are uniquely positioned to provide this service. People are aware that heart disease and cancer may be genetically predisposed, but according to a national survey by the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) in 2002, more than 76% of the population does not know that thyroid disease runs in families. There is a strong genetic link between thyroid disease and other autoimmune diseases including certain types of diabetes, anemia and arthritis. People who know their family health history take the first step to better health.

Managed Care Programs
HMOs and community hospitals offer complete healthcare programs. Screening for hypothyroidism is an excellent technique to open a dialog on preventative care medicine.

Hospital-Based Testing
ThyroChek® is an ideal tool for a number of departments within the hospital. It can be utilized in situations where immediate TSH status is required from patients that may be difficult to contain, or move or follow up such as mobile clinics, mother and baby clinics, geriatric units, veterans’ wards or psychiatric intake. ThyroChek can be used by marketing departments to promote their facility and provide physician referrals in areas of endocrine health.

ThyroChek® Benefits for Health Promotion

• CLIA waived: any staff member can perform the test with confidence.
• Easy to use: one drop of blood from a finger stick.
• Rapid results: know in 10 minutes or less if TSH is greater than 5 mIU/L.
• Accurate: 97.7% precision versus lab results.
• Teaching Moment: adequate face to face time to deliver message.
• Bundle: ideal companion for BP, cholesterol, A1C or osteoporosis screens.

Pharmacies

Identify and Manage Customers with Thyroid Disease
Pharmacists are uniquely positioned to help consumers recognize thyroid health issues. You can provide an on-going, community based program for hypothyroidism.

As demonstrated by the Asheville Project, first with diabetes and recently with asthma, education and medication therapy management services(MTMS) lead to improved clinical and economic outcomes. These outcomes may be directly reimbursed while providing quality added value to your business.

Have an Edge on Your Competition
Test with ThyroChek®, just as you currently test for cholesterol, BP, diabetes, osteoporosis or blood glucose. Each of these programs offers an opportunity to educate and introduce new products and services. Testing for hypothyroidism has implications in weight loss, depression, dermatology and cosmetics, nutritional supplements as well as digestive aids. With ThyroChek®, you can:

1. Differentiate your service
2. Increase traffic and pull through for a range of products
3. Advance your position and practice
4. Improve patient outcomes
5. Increase compliance with drug therapy

Convenient and Accurate
Special staff is not required for CLIA waived ThyroChek®. It provides an on-site information on elevated TSH, the first clinical indication of hypothyroidism, the most common disease of the thyroid. There are 27 M people with poor thyroid function. Left untreated, cardiac disease, diabetes, osteoporosis may occur. With your help, your customers may learn that they have an unhealthy thyroid. It will be their first step to better health.

• Easy to use: one drop of blood from a finger stick.
• Rapid results: know in 10 minutes or less if TSH is greater than 5 mIU/L.
• Accurate: 97.7% precision versus lab results.

Profit from Today's Market
Pharmacies must identify new programs to compete in today's shrinking profit environment. ThyroChek® is a cost effective way to develop new patient care and product introduction programs that will enhance your business as well as the health of your customers.