BASKING RIDGE, N.J., Aug. 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Heritage Labs, a division of Hooper Holmes (Amex: HH - News), today introduced the Appraise® Home A1c Kit, a new at-home consumer product that measures the average blood glucose level of diabetics and potential diabetics. The Appraise® Home A1c Kit provides consumers with an inexpensive and easy-to-use blood test that produces highly accurate and reliable test results equivalent to whole blood tests collected in physicians’ offices. It is designed to be safely and easily completed in the privacy of one’s home and mailed to the lab. Results are delivered online or in the mail within a few days.
The test is available now at many retail locations including Wal-Mart, where it is marketed as the Reli-On A1C Test. The test is also available under Heritage Labs’ Appraise brand in other retail locations nationwide, including Rite Aid.
“The home testing market has significantly expanded in recent years as more consumers seek to control their health care costs,” said Roy H. Bubbs, President and CEO of Hooper Holmes. “This is a natural area of opportunity for us, as we operate one of the most efficient, high quality labs in the country that is also an FDA-approved manufacturer of collection kits. We believe that Wal-Mart’s decision to stock our product in their stores nationwide validates the Kit as an accurate and affordable way to reduce the health risks associated with diabetes. In the weeks ahead, we will be expanding distribution to additional retail channels.”
The Appraise Home A1c Kit is an alternative to time-consuming doctor visits or expensive lab blood draws. Tests are processed at Heritage Labs’ Kansas City headquarters. Results are available over a secure web site in as little as three days. More information can be found at www.appraisetests.com.
About A1c
Hemoglobin is found inside red blood cells, and like all proteins, links up with sugars such as glucose. The more excess glucose in a person’s blood, the more glucose links up with hemoglobin and the more A1c (also known as glycated hemoglobin or HbA1c) will be found. The A1c test measures a person’s average blood glucose level for the past few months and suggests how well a diabetes treatment plan is working. Although the A1C test is an important tool, it does not replace the daily self-testing of blood glucose.
The American Diabetes Association (ADA) recommends regular measurement of A1c levels in all diabetics. Just as cholesterol levels are used to predict the risk of developing heart disease, the A1c value can predict the risk of developing many of the chronic complications associated with diabetes.
About Heritage Labs
Heritage Labs International LLC, a division of Hooper Holmes, was founded in 1997 as the value leader in laboratory services that provide information to help people manage and reduce risk. One of the most automated testing laboratories in the industry, Heritage Labs has achieved certification from the College of American Pathologists (CAP), a recognized benchmark of quality. All kit manufacturing and laboratory testing is performed at Heritage Labs’ headquarters in Olathe, Kansas.
About Hooper Holmes
Hooper Holmes is the leader in collecting personal health data and transforming it into useful information, enabling customers to take actions that manage or reduce their risks and expenses. As the leading provider of risk assessment services for the insurance industry, Hooper Holmes provides insurers with the widest range of medical exam, data collection, laboratory testing and underwriting services in the industry.
With presence in over 250 markets and a network of thousands of examiners, Hooper Holmes can arrange a medical exam anywhere in the U.S. and deliver the results to its customers. Each year we arrange more medical exams than any other company and process 3.8 million specimens in our laboratory. We provide a complete service for wellness, disease management, and managed care companies including scheduling support, fulfillment of supplies, blood collection kits, medical screenings, lab testing and data transmission. We underwrite 300,000 cases annually and complete more than two million telephone interviews.
This press release contains “forward-looking” statements, as such term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements included in this press release include, without limitation, the expected reductions in expenses through productivity improvements. These forward-looking statements are based on the Company’s current expectations and beliefs and are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Among the important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements are our ability to successfully implement our business strategy; uncertainty as to our working capital requirements over the next 12 to 24 months; our ability to maintain compliance with the financial covenants in our credit facility; our expectations regarding our operating cash flows; and the rate of life insurance application activity. Additional information about these and other factors that could affect the Company’s business is set forth in the Company’s annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2007, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 17, 2008. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or release any revisions to these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this press release to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as required by law.
Source: Hooper Holmes
