BIRMINGHAM, Ala., Aug. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Atherotech, Inc., a cardio-diagnostic company, today announced that the largest private insurers in Florida as well as Medicare, Medicaid and the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program now cover the VAP(R) (Vertical Auto Profile) Test, the most comprehensive cholesterol test available. That means 9 million more insured lives in Florida now have insurance coverage for the VAP Test, which finds a far greater number of people at risk than the standard cholesterol test.

"The routine lipid panel, which measures total cholesterol, HDL, and triglycerides and calculates LDL, has been shown to have a 40-percent predictive value for coronary heart disease (CHD)," said Paul Ziajka, M.D., Ph.D., director of The Florida Lipid Institute in Winter Park, Fla. "The VAP Test provides twice the predictive ability in indentifying CHD risk compared with traditional lipid panels."

People with a family history or an existing condition of diabetes, high blood pressure or heart disease -- or who are already taking cholesterol lowering medication -- are candidates for the comprehensive VAP Test.

"This is a more advanced blood test that can far more accurately gauge your risk of heart disease," said Michael Ozner, M.D., F.A.C.C., of the Cardiovascular Prevention Institute of South Florida, and author of The Miami Mediterranean Diet. "The VAP Test not only offers a comprehensive assessment of cardiovascular risk, but also supplies vital information that can help you and your doctor formulate a customized disease-prevention program and measure its progress over time. This powerful diagnostic tool can help people take the steps necessary to avoid preventable health catastrophes -- like heart attack and stroke."

The VAP (Vertical Auto Profile) Test is the most accurate and comprehensive cholesterol test available today, reporting 15 separate components of blood cholesterol as opposed to four in a standard test, and is the only cholesterol test to identify markers for Metabolic Syndrome, a precursor for diabetes. The test has been shown to identify over twice the number of patients with lipid abnormalities than the standard lipid panel (cholesterol and triglyceride test). Risks of both heart disease and diabetes can be reduced with the right preventive treatments, which is why more accurate diagnosis is critical.

The VAP Test is available nationwide. Consumers interested in the test can ask their doctor for more information or visit http://www.thevaptest.com/. Individuals should always check their plan for specific benefit coverage.

About Atherotech, Inc.

Atherotech is a cardio-diagnostic company focusing on direct measurement of the comprehensive lipid panel using the company's patented VAP technology, which reports the cholesterol content of all lipids, components and subclasses. The VAP Test is the first cholesterol profile to comply with updated National Cholesterol Education Program ATP III recommendations for LDL measurement and the only commercially available advanced lipid profile that routinely reports all three lipoprotein parameters considered necessary by the American Diabetes Association and American College of Cardiology expert consensus guidelines. The VAP Cholesterol Test is available through national and regional diagnostic laboratories and is reimbursed by many of the largest private insurers as well as Medicare. For more information, visit http://www.thevaptest.com/.

Source: Atherotech, Inc.

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