news image

May 11, 2012

By Gary A. Puckrein, PhD

May 10, 2012 | CHELMSFORD, MA

Magellan Diagnostics Partners with the National Minority Quality Forum to Provide Nationwide Lead Exposure Data to the Public

Magellan Diagnostics, the developer of point-of-care lead testing devices, today announced it is collaborating with the National Minority Quality Forum (the Forum) to create Web-based tools and information for indexing lead exposure levels across the country. The collaboration will result in a new index for the Forum, which has created a series of user-friendly Web-based tools that enable users to understand incidence and prevalence of disease on a national, state, and local level. 

“Lead exposure is one of the most preventable poisonings, particularly in children who are most vulnerable to its lasting effects,” said Amy Winslow, president of Magellan Diagnostics. “Education and awareness, on a local level, can help people understand their exposure risk and act accordingly, while at the same time, inform local and state agencies of the potential need for more resources in their communities.” 

The Forum’s indexes and atlases are organized by disease and provide users with unparalleled access to zip-code-based maps and information on incidence, prevalence, and costs. Profiling each disease, the indexes and atlases allow users to monitor health status by state, by county, by metropolitan statistical area, zip code or by federal or state legislative district.

“It is difficult to get a true picture of the lead issue at a local level,” explains Gary Puckrein, president and CEO of the Forum. “Our approach combines an intuitive user interface with currently available data from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and state agencies, to provide the granularity needed for communities to take preventive action.”

Magellan Diagnostics and the Forum will make the index available to the public, enabling anyone to search for lead exposure data at the zip-code level. The index is scheduled to be completed in June 2012.

About Magellan Diagnostics

Magellan Diagnostics develops point-of-care systems, clinical laboratory instruments, and analytical laboratory services focused on lead testing. Its LeadCareII device is the only CLIA-waived device available for testing lead exposure at the point of care. It is currently being used by thousands of pediatricians and nurses across the United States to provide screening and rapid diagnosis for the millions of young children who are most at risk of lead poisoning and its devastating consequences. For more information visitwww.magellandx.com.


 

About The Forum

The National Minority Quality Forum (NMQF) is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit, non-partisan, independent research and education organization. The vision of NMQF is a health services research, delivery and financing system that provides quality and effective health services to the biodiverse American general population of the 21st century. NMQF helps assure that national and local quality improvement initiatives are informed by scientific evidence, and place a priority on the quality of care and patient outcomes in all populations.

Media Contact

Gretchen C. Wartman, VP Policy and Program

gwartman@nmqf.org | 202.223.7560