Allina Health System, Inc.

CHELMSFORD, Mass.--( BUSINESS WIRE )--ZOLL ® , an Asahi Kasei company that manufactures medical devices and related software solutions, announced today that the first patient has been enrolled in the S uper S aturated oxygen C omprehensive O bservational RE gistry (SSCORE). The prospective study is designed to provide further evidence of the efficacy of SuperSaturated Oxygen (SSO 2 ) Therapy to reduce heart failure and mortality in patients suffering from left anterior descending ST-elevation myocardial infarction (LAD STEMI) heart attacks, the most serious type of heart attack. LAD STEMI heart attacks are often referred to as “widow makers” due to the high mortality rate associated with this condition. Additionally, SSCORE will collect data to substantiate the potential improvement in overall healthcare costs associated with prevention of heart failure versus a lifetime of palliative treatment strategies. The Minneapolis Heart Institute at Abbott Northwestern Hospital, a partner of Allina Health with multiple locations in Minneapolis, Minnesota, is one of the early adopters of the revolutionary SSO 2 Therapy, leading to their prominent position as first enroller in the study. “These patients with LAD occlusion are at significant risk. Opening the artery is the first step but using SSO 2 to further decrease infarct size is vital. This patient had an acute proximal LAD occlusion and I wanted to give him the best chance of preserving his heart function,” stated Dr. M. Nicolas Burke, Director of Cardiovascular Emergency Services at Abbott Northwestern, who treated the first patient enrolled in SSCORE nationwide. “Enrolling the first patient in the SSCORE study marks a significant milestone in advancing the use of SuperSaturated Oxygen Therapy to treat the most severe heart attacks," said Matt Rochner, General Manager of ZOLL TherOx. "SSO 2 Therapy has the potential to not only improve patient outcomes but also reduce the long-term costs of managing heart failure, a significant healthcare challenge. Our partnership with the Minneapolis Heart Institute and Allina Health allows us to advance this cutting-edge technology by collecting more evidence-based clinical and economic data, positioning SSO 2 Therapy to become the standard of care for LAD STEMI patients." Patients with LAD STEMI heart attacks have higher mortality rates than those with other types of heart attacks. SSO 2 Therapy is the first and only FDA-approved treatment that has been clinically proven to significantly reduce damage to cardiac muscle in heart attack patients after coronary angioplasty with stenting. 1 The extent of damaged cardiac muscle is a strong predictor of future outcomes like rehospitalization and the development of heart failure. 2 SSO 2 Therapy is indicated as an adjunct for patients who suffer LAD STEMI and are treated with traditional stenting within six hours of chest pain onset. The therapy delivers high levels of dissolved oxygen (7–10 times the amount normally found in the bloodstream) directly to the damaged heart muscle immediately after the coronary artery has been successfully opened via angioplasty and stenting. Multiple clinical trials have demonstrated the safety and efficacy of SSO 2 Therapy to reduce infarct size, a strong predictor of subsequent outcomes. 1, 3 -6 “The focus on reducing infarct size and improving microvascular function with SSO 2 in the cath lab versus palliation of disease is a logical strategy that has been long awaited in this field,” said Dr. Jay Traverse, Principal Investigator and Researcher at Allina’s Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation, and an Interventional Cardiologist at Allina’s Minneapolis Heart Institute. “Persistently high readmission rates for these patients, who often develop heart failure following standard-of-care stenting of the LAD, have been an ongoing challenge for over two decades. SuperSaturated Oxygen Therapy has shown great promise to alleviate this problem, which improves the quality of life for the patient while relieving the financial burden on the healthcare system as a whole. We are excited to participate in this trial and look forward to seeing positive outcomes.” About ZOLL ZOLL, an Asahi Kasei company, develops and markets medical devices and software solutions that help advance emergency care and save lives, while increasing clinical and operational efficiencies. With products for defibrillation and cardiac monitoring, circulation enhancement and CPR feedback, supersaturated oxygen therapy, data management, ventilation, therapeutic temperature management, and sleep apnea diagnosis and treatment, ZOLL provides a comprehensive set of technologies that help clinicians, EMS and fire professionals, as well as lay rescuers, improve patient outcomes in critical cardiopulmonary conditions. For more information, visit www.zoll.com . About Asahi Kasei The Asahi Kasei Group contributes to life and living for people around the world. Since its foundation in 1922 with ammonia and cellulose fiber businesses, Asahi Kasei has consistently grown through the proactive transformation of its business portfolio to meet the evolving needs of every age. With more than 49,000 employees worldwide, the company contributes to a sustainable society by providing solutions to the world's challenges through its three business sectors of Material, Homes, and Health Care. Its health care operations include devices and systems for acute critical care, dialysis, therapeutic apheresis, and manufacture of biotherapeutics, as well as pharmaceuticals and diagnostic reagents. For more information, visit www.asahi-kasei.com . Asahi Kasei is also dedicated to sustainability initiatives and is contributing to reaching a carbon neutral society by 2050. To learn more, visit https://www.asahi-kasei.com/sustainability/ . 1 Stone GW, et al. Circ Cardiovasc Intervent 2009;2:366-75. 2 Stone GW et al. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2016;67(14):1674–83. 3 O’Neill WW, et al. Jour of Am Coll Cardiol. 2007;50: 5:397-405. 4 David SW, et al. Catheter Cardiovasc Interv. 2018;1–9. 5 https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Coding/ICD10/Downloads/2020-ICD-10-PCS-Guidelines.pdf 6 Chen S, et al. Catheter Cardiovasc Interv. 2020; 1–7. Copyright © 2024 ZOLL Medical Corporation. All rights reserved. ZOLL and TherOx are registered trademarks of ZOLL Medical Corporation and/or its subsidiaries in the United States and/or other countries. Asahi Kasei is a registered trademark of Asahi Kasei Corporation. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

SECAUCUS, N.J., Sept. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Quest Diagnostics (NYSE: DGX), a leader in diagnostic information services, today announced that it has completed its previously announced acquisition of select laboratory assets from Allina Health. The goal of the transaction is to improve access to high quality and affordable laboratory services for providers and patients in Minnesota and western Wisconsin. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed. Quest provides a complete portfolio of services to empower health systems and hospitals to improve the quality, innovation and insights of their diagnostic laboratory services, elevate the patient experience and lower costs for more accessible and affordable care. For more information, visit: Hospitals & health systems | Quest Diagnostics. About Allina Health Allina Health is dedicated to the prevention and treatment of illness and enhancing the greater health of individuals, families and communities throughout Minnesota and western Wisconsin. A nonprofit health care system, Allina Health cares for patients from beginning to end-of-life through its 90+ clinics, 12 hospital campuses, 14 retail pharmacies, and many specialty care centers and specialty medical services, home care, and emergency medical transportation services. Learn more at allinahealth.org and join us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. About Quest Diagnostics Quest Diagnostics works across the healthcare ecosystem to create a healthier world, one life at a time. We provide diagnostic insights from the results of our laboratory testing to empower people, physicians and organizations to take action to improve health outcomes. Derived from one of the world's largest databases of deidentified clinical lab results, Quest's diagnostic insights reveal new avenues to identify and treat disease, inspire healthy behaviors and improve healthcare management. Quest Diagnostics annually serves one in three adult Americans and half the physicians and hospitals in the United States, and our nearly 50,000 employees understand that, in the right hands and with the right context, our diagnostic insights can inspire actions that transform lives and create a healthier world. . SOURCE Quest Diagnostics WANT YOUR COMPANY'S NEWS FEATURED ON PRNEWSWIRE.COM? 440k+ Newsrooms & Influencers 9k+ Digital Media Outlets 270k+ Journalists Opted In GET STARTED

Patient flow automation startup Qventus launched a new product on Monday. The San Francisco-based company unveiled a new AI assistant designed to alleviate healthcare staff’s administrative burden by completing mundane tasks for them. The assistant was built in collaboration with health systems, including Northwestern Medicine, Ardent Health and Allina Health. Northwestern has been using Qventus’s perioperative solution to help solve challenges related to operating room access and has seen “great results,” according to Dr. Saadia Sherwani, a cardiac anesthesiologist and senior vice president of administration at Northwestern Medicine. The company’s perioperative software integrates with EHRs and uses machine learning to automate operating room scheduling processes and maximize surgical caseloads. presented by Health Tech What’s Keeping Healthcare CIOs Up at Night: How to Improve Patient Satisfaction by Handling Calls More Efficiently Health systems have spent billions on portals while investments in modernizing the voice channel — the dominant preference of healthcare consumers — have taken a backseat. By Stephanie Baum “Qventus has proven its impact on operational flows in the perioperative domain, and thus we are excited to collaborate with them to offer this new tool to our care teams,” Dr. Sherwani said. She highlighted the fact that clinicians spend a significant amount of their valuable time on administrative tasks. This not only prevents them from practicing at the top of their licenses, but also hurts their productivity and wellness, she noted. By deploying Qventus’ new AI assistant, Northwestern seeks to fix inefficient workflows that lead to staff burnout and higher costs, Dr. Sherwani stated. In Northwestern’s pre-operative clinic environment, care teams spend hours on administrative tasks like pre-operative planning, answering general care questions, transcribing patient-clinician conversations and coordinating additional testing to avoid unnecessary surgical cancellations, she pointed out. She believes Qventus’ AI assistant will do a good job of automating those burdensome tasks. presented by Health IT Accelerating Claim Processing: Strategies to Shorten the Life of a Claim These strategies and practices can significantly shorten the life cycle of claims, leading to quicker resolutions and improved financial outcomes. By Greenway Health “By integrating with the EHR, the Qventus platform will leverage generative AI, machine learning and behavioral science to predict operational bottlenecks, recommend remedies, and automate processes,” Dr. Sherwani explained. “The goal is for the AI assistants to go beyond merely identifying problems — to orchestrate necessary actions, ensure efficient completion and provide audit trails for continuous improvement, leading to enhanced patient care.” The “strong ROI” Northwestern has seen with Qventus’ perioperative software means that the health system now expects similar results with the integration of the new AI assistant, she added. Qventus estimates a 25-40% reduction in Northwestern’s same-day surgery cancellation rate, as well as a “significant productivity boost” for each care operations role, Dr. Sherwani said.