MDVIP Is The First Network of Personalized Healthcare Physicians To Offer Cologuard, A New Noninvasive Stool-Based DNA Test For Colon Cancer

MDVIP, the leader in personalized preventive medicine with a nationwide network of over 750 affiliated primary care physicians, announced today that Cologuard®, the first and only Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved, noninvasive stool DNA screening test for colorectal cancer will now be available by prescription through their physicians. MDVIP is the first personalized healthcare network to partner with Exact Sciences to bring this innovative new test to its primary care physicians.

“MDVIP physicians have traditionally been early adopters of medical innovation,” says Dr. Andrea Klemes, Chief Medical Officer of MDVIP. “Cologuard, a significant advancement in colorectal cancer detection, will allow our patients who are 50 years and older and at average risk for colorectal cancer, an easy to use screening test which they can do in the privacy of their own home.”

Colorectal cancer is highly preventable with screening. However, 23 million Americans between ages 50 and 75 are not getting screened as recommended and, as a result, colorectal cancer remains the second-leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States. For those whose cancer is detected at an earlier stage, the five-year survival rate can be greater than 90 percent.

“A study published in The International Journal of Person Centered Medicine shows that patients in MDVIP practices comply with recommended preventive guidelines due to the fact that our doctors can spend more time with them and create a personalized wellness plan for each patient,” says Dr. Klemes. “It is our hope that this new tool will lead to even greater numbers of our patients being screened for colorectal cancer.”

“MDVIP’s adoption of Cologuard marks an important step for Exact Sciences in allowing a growing number of patients access to this clinically important cancer screening technology,” said Kevin Conroy, President, CEO and Chairman of Exact Sciences. “Colorectal cancer is often considered the most preventable, yet least prevented cancer due to the lack of patient compliance with screening. We look forward to working with MDVIP’s broad network of physicians toward a future where colorectal cancer is identified earlier and survived more often.” 

The process is a simple one.  Once an MDVIP physician orders the test, a kit is mailed directly to the patient’s home.  Cologuard does not require dietary restrictions or bowel preparation prior to taking the test. The patient then collects a stool sample in the Cologuard collection kit and sends the kit back in a pre-paid mailer to the Exact Sciences lab for testing.  At the lab, the stool sample is analyzed to yield a single test result—positive or negative for the presence of precancerous polyps or cancer.  Patients learn of their results from their physician in as little as two weeks.  Cologuard analyzes both stool-based DNA and blood biomarkers and is designed to detect DNA alterations and blood released from cancer and precancerous colon lesions.  If a patient has a positive result, he or she will need to undergo colonoscopy.

About MDVIP, Inc.
MDVIP, Inc. is the national leader in affordable personalized healthcare.  With prevention at the center of its program, MDVIP has proven that its carefully chosen affiliated physicians provide exceptional care and achieve exceptional outcomes.  Published results include lower hospitalization rates which yield significant cost savings to patients, employers and the healthcare system.  MDVIP-affiliated physicians limit their practices to no more than 600 patients in order to provide a customized wellness and preventive care program.  There are currently over 750 MDVIP-affiliated physicians in the network throughout the country.  MDVIP, Inc. was founded in 2000 and is headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida.  For more information, visit www.MDVIP.com.

About Dr. Andrea Klemes
Dr. Andrea Klemes is the Chief Medical Officer of MDVIP. She also serves as the executive and organizational leader of MDVIP’s Medical Advisory Board that supports quality and innovation in the delivery of the healthcare model drawing expertise from the affiliated physicians.  Dr. Klemes is board certified in internal medicine and endocrinology and received her medical degree from the New York College of Osteopathic Medicine.  She completed an internal medicine residency at Cabrini Medical Center in Manhattan, New York, and an endocrine and metabolism fellowship at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta.  Prior to joining MDVIP, Dr. Klemes worked at Procter & Gamble in the areas of personal healthcare, women’s health and digestive wellness and served as North American Medical Director for bone health.  She spent 10 years in private practice specializing in endocrinology and metabolism in Tallahassee, Florida.

About Exact Sciences Corp.
Exact Sciences Corp. (NASDAQ:EXAS) is a molecular diagnostics company focused on the early detection and prevention of colorectal cancer. The company has exclusive intellectual property protecting its noninvasive, molecular screening technology for the detection of colorectal cancer. Stool DNA technology is included in the colorectal cancer screening guidelines of the American Cancer Society and the U.S. Multi-Society Task Force on Colorectal Cancer. For more information, please visit the company's website at www.exactsciences.com, follow us on Twitter @ExactSciences or find us on Facebook.
The Cologuard technology platform was co-developed by Exact Sciences Corp. and Mayo Clinic as part of a broad, exclusive collaboration.