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LabCorp Launches Chronic Kidney Disease Program

2008-08-06 07:40:00

LabCorp Launches Chronic Kidney Disease Program

National Kidney Foundation One of Many Partners

BURLINGTON, N.C.–(EMWNews)–Laboratory Corporation of America®

Holdings (LabCorp®)

(NYSE:LH) today announced the launch of a national effort to combat

chronic kidney disease (CKD) in North America. U.S. Senator Elizabeth

Dole (R-NC), a supporter of newly passed legislation to fight CKD, and

representatives of the National Kidney Foundation are joining executives

of LabCorp at the Kannapolis, NC event today announcing the new

initiative.

The cornerstone of the effort is a program offered by LabCorps

Litholink subsidiary that provides highly nuanced, patient-specific

clinical guidance to physicians based on the National Kidney Foundations

Kidney Disease Outcome Quality Initiative (KDOQI). This program is

designed to support nephrologists as well as internal medicine, family

practitioners, general practitioners, nurse practitioners and all other

healthcare professionals who provide primary care to patients.

According to a recent report in the Journal of the American Medical

Association, 26 million Americans have CKD. More importantly, of the

15.5 million of these affected individuals who have lost between half

and three quarters of their kidney function, almost 90% are unaware of

their disease and approximately 25% will die within 5 years if not

treated. In addition, end stage renal disease (ESRD) has become a major

economic burden for our government, with the roughly 400,000 people on

dialysis consuming approximately 6% of the Medicare budget.

U.S. Senator Elizabeth Dole (R-NC) recently voted for the passage of the

Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008, which

included provisions to fight CKD. The Act became law last month when

Congress overrode a veto by President Bush. In commenting on the newly

passed law Senator Dole said, Chronic kidney

disease is rapidly becoming a serious public health threat, particularly

in eastern North Carolina, said Dole. I

am hopeful that with the quality, education, and treatment measures

called for under the recently passed Medicare Bill, we can reduce the

staggering effects of kidney disease not only on individuals and their

families, but also on the Medicare system as a whole.

LabCorp is pleased to be the first clinical

lab to offer such a unique program for CKD,

said David P. King, President and Chief Executive Officer of LabCorp. With

the launch of our CKD Education and Treatment Program, Litholink has

developed another new and critically important tool for physicians. Our

partnership with the National Kidney Foundation and other leaders in

fighting CKD demonstrates the unique role that the lab can play in

chronic disease prevention. By combining critical clinical data with

sophisticated information technology and expert treatment guidance, we

believe our program can improve patient outcomes and save valuable

healthcare dollars. Litholinks National

Advisory Panel of CKD experts has played an active role in developing

the system with Litholink. Our program also fits well with the blueprint

provided by The National Kidney Foundation of North Carolina for

aggressively addressing CKD in North Carolina.

Litholink, a subsidiary of LabCorp, is the only clinical laboratory to

offer a programmatic approach to chronic kidney disease management by

providing decision support to physicians, quarterly outcomes reports

benchmarked against physicians peers,

consultation, patient compliance and education, and research. It has

demonstrated in many published peer reviewed studies in leading medical

journals regarding its chronic kidney stone program that its techniques

can allow community physicians to practice on par with leading

specialists at academic medical centers. Its programs have been

supported by major managed care plans in an effort to improve patient

outcomes and reduce costs.

We believe we will be able to provide both

the experienced nephrologist and other health care providers a program

which will substantially ease the problems they experience in CKD

management today, said Brian Coe, Chief

Executive Officer, Litholink. Importantly,

we believe there will also be substantial savings to the healthcare

system, both public and private.

About LabCorp®

Laboratory Corporation of America®

Holdings, a S&P 500 company, is a pioneer in commercializing new

diagnostic technologies and the first in its industry to embrace genomic

testing. With annual revenues of $4.1 billion in 2007, over 26,000

employees nationwide, and more than 220,000 clients, LabCorp offers

clinical assays ranging from routine blood analyses to HIV and genomic

testing. LabCorp combines its expertise in innovative clinical testing

technology with its Centers of Excellence: The Center for Molecular

Biology and Pathology, National Genetics Institute, Inc., ViroMed

Laboratories, Inc., The Center for Esoteric Testing, Litholink

Corporation, DIANON Systems, Inc., US LABS, and Esoterix and its

Colorado Coagulation, Endocrine Sciences, and Cytometry Associates

laboratories. LabCorp conducts clinical trial testing through its

Esoterix Clinical Trials Services division. LabCorp clients include

physicians, government agencies, managed care organizations, hospitals,

clinical labs, and pharmaceutical companies. To learn more about our

organization, visit our Web site at: www.labcorp.com.

Each of the above forward-looking statements is subject to change

based on various important factors, including without limitation,

competitive actions in the marketplace and adverse actions of

governmental and other third-party payors. Actual results could

differ materially from those suggested by these forward-looking

statements. Further information on potential factors that could affect

LabCorps financial results is included in

the Companys Form 10-K for the year ended

December 31, 2007, and subsequent SEC filings.

Laboratory Corporation of America®

Holdings
Investor/Media Contact:
Eric Lindblom

336-436-6739
Shareholder Direct: 800-LAB-0401
Company

Information: www.labcorp.com

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Blake Masterson

Freelance Writer, Journalist and Father of 5

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