Cardio Diagnostics Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: CDIO), a leader in artificial intelligence-driven precision cardiovascular medicine tests, and Family Medicine Specialists (FMS), a leading Illinois primary care provider with eight locations and tens of thousands of patients across Illinois, today announced that FMS is implementing Cardio Diagnostics’ solutions to identify patients at risk for coronary heart disease (CHD) events including heart attacks.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death nationally. In Illinois, heart disease is not only the leading cause of death, but 29% of all deaths or more than one in every four deaths is attributable to heart disease. The "Heart Attack Prevention" initiative will leverage Cardio Diagnostics' advanced and highly sensitive blood-based epigenetic-genetic tests to risk stratify FMS’ patient population. According to the CDC, nearly 50% of Americans have at least one major cardiovascular risk such as diabetes, obesity, or hypertension. For many Americans, the first sign of CHD is a heart attack.

FMS is implementing Cardio Diagnostics’ heart attack risk assessment test, Epi+Gen CHD, in at least 1,200 patients with CHD risk factors with BlueCross BlueShield Medicare, Medicaid, HMO and PPO health plans. By leveraging Cardio Diagnostics’ technology, in addition to understanding their patients’ risks, clinicians at FMS will be equipped with enhanced insights into the drivers of patients’ risks to aid in personalizing care. Ultimately, the goal of this initiative is to avert severe cardiac events and circumvent avoidable treatment costs that can spiral up to hundreds of thousands of dollars for heart attacks and downstream complications such as heart failure.

"With over 10,000 patient visits monthly across our eight clinics, FMS is committed to preventing avoidable cardiac events in our patients," said Dr. Bellucci-Jackson, Owner and lead clinician at FMS. "Cardio Diagnostics' tests are simple to deploy in the clinics as they only require a blood draw and can provide advanced insights that our clinicians cannot obtain from current tools to identify the patients who need our help. Proactive risk assessment doesn't just save lives; it translates to tangible savings, considering the human and financial costs linked with surprise heart attacks."

"FMS's proactive stance aligns with our mission. Our tests offer unparalleled, actionable molecular insights tailored to each patient, and this collaboration will enable the identification and management of at-risk patients to better prevent heart disease," said Meesha Dogan Ph.D., CEO and Co-Founder of Cardio Diagnostics. According to the Milken Institute, for every $1 invested in preventive measures, there's an estimated return of $6.30 in savings, making this initiative a prudent and forward-thinking endeavor. Dr. Dogan added, “this year-long initiative underscores the broader trend in healthcare: a shift towards prevention and value-based care. Value-based and risk-bearing providers like FMS are leading this charge, aiming to improve outcomes and curtail costs. Prevention not only thwarts the onset of chronic diseases but also elevates quality ratings, enhances patient satisfaction, and delivers a compelling ROI.”

The initiative led by FMS and Cardio Diagnostics can help mitigate the financial and human ramifications associated with unknown heart attack risk, which will benefit patients and providers, and offer significant value to health plans. This initiative will demonstrate the practical and cost-effective benefits of early heart attack risk detection and intervention. Moving forward, closer integration between value-based care and risk-bearing organizations in key partnerships with advanced diagnostic partners points to a scalable blueprint for operationalizing value-based care objectives, which many organizations have historically struggled to achieve.

About Family Medicine Specialists

Family Medicine Specialists represent the next frontier in primary care, relentlessly focusing on patient welfare and preventative medicine. Located in strategic geographies in Illinois, it serves a broad spectrum of patients, employing a multifaceted care model that emphasizes individualized treatment plans and continuous patient engagement. Family Medicine Specialists’ leadership is steadfast in their mission to revolutionize family healthcare by bridging the gap between medical innovation and community needs. With a team of highly skilled medical professionals, they bring deep expertise in a range of services, including chronic disease management, health screenings, and wellness programs.

About Cardio Diagnostics

Cardio Diagnostics is an artificial intelligence-powered precision cardiovascular medicine company that makes cardiovascular disease prevention, detection, and management more accessible, personalized, and precise. The Company was formed to further develop and commercialize clinical tests by leveraging a proprietary Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven Integrated Genetic-Epigenetic Engine (“Core Technology”) for cardiovascular disease to become one of the leading medical technology companies for improving prevention, detection, and treatment of cardiovascular disease. For more information, please visit www.cardiodiagnosticsinc.com.

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