Cardio Diagnostics (NASDAQ: CDIO) Expands Partnership With Family Medicine Specialists To Bring Specialty Cardiology Tests To Select Walmart Supercenters

A precision cardiovascular medicine company’s innovative AI-driven epigenetic-genetic blood tests will soon be available in one of the nation’s largest retailers. 

Beginning Q2 2024, Cardio Diagnostics CDIO will bring its advanced blood-based epigenetic-genetic tests, Epi+Gen CHD and PrecisionCHD, to the Walmart Supercenter in Round Lake Beach, Illinois.

The northern suburb of Chicago has been chosen as the strategic starting point for a new retail healthcare initiative, the company said. The initiative is an expansion of the ongoing Heart Attack Prevention Initiative, a partnership with Family Medicine Specialists (FMS). 

With the launch of the Heart Attack Prevention Initiative, FMS started deploying Epi+Gen CHD in at least 1,200 patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) risk factors across its BlueCross BlueShield Medicare, Medicaid, HMO and PPO health plans. 

According to the company, this partnership benefits both patients and providers through early heart attack risk prevention, in addition to offering significant value to health plans. 

By leveraging Cardio Diagnostics’ technology, FMS is increasing the accessibility of clinical cardiovascular diagnostic solutions, moving them beyond traditional provider settings and into the more accessible realm of retail healthcare for hundreds of additional patients in Lake County, Illinois. 

“Our partnership with FMS to bring our tests to their Walmart locations is a game-changer in the field of cardiovascular health management,” said Meesha Dogan, Ph.D., Co-Founder and CEO of Cardio Diagnostics. “By integrating Cardio Diagnostics’ state-of-the-art clinical tests within FMS’s expansive retail network, we are shifting the paradigm from a model that relies on specialty care infrastructure to one that meets American communities in their backyard. This strategic alliance not only democratizes access to top-tier heart disease services but also propels Cardio Diagnostics as a leader in cardiovascular retail healthcare innovation. Our ultimate goal is to meet patients where they are, weaving advanced medical services seamlessly into the fabric of their everyday lives.” 

Accessibility 

The retail healthcare footprint and market share continue to grow as more Americans embrace the convenience and accessibility of high-quality healthcare services. In their most recent report, AMN Healthcare reported that 30.3% (79.6 million) Americans received care at a retail clinic. About 32.8% of Americans are forecasted to do so in 2024.

At the Round Lake Beach Walmart location of FMS, walk-ins will have access to both of Cardio Diagnostics’ clinical blood tests. The company’s epigenetic-genetic cardiovascular clinical blood tests, Epi+Gen CHD and PrecisionCHD detect heart attack risk and coronary heart disease status, respectively. These tests are easy to administer in the retail healthcare setting because they only require a simple blood draw, bringing this vital service closer to patients.

“At Family Medicine Specialists, we have multiple retail healthcare partnerships and are particularly excited about our unique and innovative partnership with Cardio Diagnostics, a leader in clinical cardiovascular diagnostic solutions. This collaboration will enable us to bring advanced cardiac diagnostic tools directly into our retail healthcare clinic locations, enhancing our ability to provide more advanced patient care without the need for additional infrastructure,” Jason Bellucci, MBA, President of Family Medicine Specialists, said. “We believe that this partnership will empower our clinicians with additional resources to better serve our patients’ needs.” 

Bringing Precision Cardiovascular Testing To Each Neighborhood

Heart attacks and coronary heart disease pose significant health risks, and earlier detection and intervention remain crucial for prevention. In the current healthcare paradigm, accessing specialized tests for assessing heart attack risk or diagnosing coronary heart disease means having to navigate complex schedules and significant wait times. While primary care and family medicine practices have managed to maintain relatively shorter waits, specialty areas like cardiology have seen a significant rise, with the average wait time now extending to about 26.6 days. This delay particularly impacts cardiology patients, where timely intervention can be crucial.

With 45% of Americans projected to have some form of cardiovascular disease by 2035, the key question is: how can Americans and their providers quickly gain clarity about a patient’s heart disease without weeks of waiting for a specialist appointment? One answer is that cardiology specialty tests must be routinely and readily available in community settings, such as retail healthcare stores.

With the deployment of Cardio Diagnostics’ advanced blood tests across select Walmart locations, the company strives to alleviate the critical issue of increasing wait times for specialty care. Beginning with the Round Lake Beach location, expansion to other Walmarts is a key opportunity to reduce wait times for cardiac assessments and care, furthering community-based access to heart disease solutions.

The company intends to continue its pursuit of providing organizations with a strong retail healthcare presence and desire to enhance their existing heart disease-related services with precision cardiovascular diagnostic and risk assessment technologies.

Featured photo by Marques Thomas on Unsplash.

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