ROCHESTER, N.Y., Aug. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - PharmaSmart® International LLC, a leading provider of clinically validated health screening kiosks, health IT and patient engagement services, is pleased to announce that all of its blood pressure (BP) Kiosk models are now included on the US BP Validated Device Listing (VDLTM). An independent committee of expert US physicians determines VDL™ device eligibility based on a peer review of clinical performance data. The VDL™ can be accessed here: validatebp.org.
PharmaSmart Chief Strategy Officer Josh Sarkis said "PharmaSmart has long advocated for improved blood pressure measurement, and it's fantastic to see leading health organizations get behind the VDL™ to encourage the exclusive use of accurate devices."
Because accurate measurement of BP is essential for the diagnosis and management of hypertension, and because self-measured BP is increasingly being populated into clinical systems, it is important to only use BP devices that have been validated for clinical accuracy. However, of the devices available to consumers, relatively few have been validated, and it is difficult to identify which BP devices can be relied upon for accurate measurement.
PharmaSmart provides advanced, public use kiosks that offer blood pressure, weight, and BMI measurement, glucose meter and loyalty app integration, and media/healthcare sponsorship programs. The company has innovated biometric data integration with leading pharmacy software and EMR systems to drive clinical intervention at the pharmacy point of care. PharmaSmart programs also target Medicare Star Ratings such as D-14 (Medication Adherence for Hypertension), and C-19 (Controlling Blood Pressure), both of which are triple-weighted measures of high interest to national and regional insurers.
Sarkis continued "PharmaSmart is the first and only blood pressure kiosk recognized on the VDL™. In connected healthcare, this differentiates PharmaSmart data and raises the profile of pharmacies working with PharmaSmart. COVID has transformed the customer's expectations for pharmacy care. For retailers building their healthcare brand and transforming their revenue model, health kiosks can no longer be an afterthought – they need to become a trusted clinical destination."
About the VDL™
The American Medical Association (AMA) recently convened subject matter experts to develop performance criteria for blood pressure measurement devices, which were then finalized with input from clinicians, health care organizations, BP device manufacturers, and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Using these criteria, an independent committee of physicians determines device eligibility based on a peer review of clinical performance data. The VDL™ is intended to be a public and trustworthy information source for selecting validated blood pressure devices. It is the first of its kind in the United States. The VDL™ can be accessed here: validatebp.org.
About PharmaSmart®
PharmaSmart®, headquartered in Rochester, NY, currently serves more than 7,000 locations, including retail pharmacies such as, Price Chopper, Brookshire Grocery Company, Kinney Drugs, Bartell Drugs, Coborns, Nash Finch, Schnucks, Associated Food Stores, Leader, Good Neighbor, Astrup Drug, Big Y Foods, Harmons Grocery, Wal-Mart Canada, Safeway Canada, Loblaw's, Le Groupe Jean Coutu, Shoppers Drug Mart, Rexall/Katz Group, Zellers, Sobey's Lawton's, and other fine pharmacies. PharmaSmart® also serves major worksites, military bases, University Schools of Pharmacy, hospitals and medical clinics.
PharmaSmart's Health IT database currently holds more than (70) million targeted patient BP readings. For more information visit the company's website at www.pharmasmart.com.