CSL Behring announced today the availability of the next generation HeliTrax® System as part of a specially designed software platform for Apple’s iPhone®, iPod touch®, or iPad™ devices. This enhanced system is designed to improve therapy management for people with hemophilia A who use CSL Behring’s recombinant factor VIII (rFVIII).
The new HeliTrax software is designed with an interface that ensures compatibility with both Lab Tracker™ and WebTracker™ patient management systems used by hemophilia treatment centers throughout the U.S. This software automatically transmits patient information to the hemophilia treatment centers, making disorder management easier for both users and staff. The interface was built in collaboration with the American Thrombosis and Hemostasis Network (ATHN). ATHN is a nonprofit organization founded to advance and improve the care of individuals affected by bleeding and thrombotic disorders.
"CSL Behring continually strives to enhance the quality of our services based on what we know people and their treatment providers need and want," said Garrett E. Bergman, MD, Senior Director of Medical Affairs, North America Commercial Operations at CSL Behring. "The advancement of patient management is a priority that we share with hemophilia treatment centers. Our updates to HeliTrax will help meet that goal by improving data management and ease of user-provider communications."
The HeliTrax system is now available through CSL Behring on an iPhone as well as via download through Apple’s App StoreSM. The new platform for HeliTrax aims to improve the user experience, while providing the opportunity for scalability and future enhancements.
Healthcare providers monitoring people with hemophilia A often rely on paper forms filled out by patients or their caregivers to obtain a clear overview of the condition. However, the forms do not always provide necessary clinical information in a timely, clear and concise way.
"I used to fill out paper logs to help my six sons manage their hemophilia A, but once I tried HeliTrax, I knew I’d never go back," said Erica Boone of Sedalia, Missouri. "HeliTrax keeps all information related to my sons’ condition in one place, making it easy to stay organized and communicate with their treatment team."
HeliTrax, launched by CSL Behring in 2008, tracks user treatment as it happens – including medication usage and inventory – and now automatically syncs the data to the treatment center’s Lab Tracker and WebTracker systems, eliminating the need for treatment center staff to manually re-enter it. The software and auto syncing feature help reduce documentation and transcription errors, and the system is compliant with the Joint Commission and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). CSL Behring preserves patient privacy and confidentiality, and has no access to data collected by the HeliTrax System. All data is collected, stored, and managed by an independent third-party organization.
"We are pleased that CSL Behring has made it possible for users of the HeliTrax System to share their bleed and infusion information electronically with their treatment centers, and importantly, interface directly with the WebTracker™ patient management system," said Diane Aschman, President and CEO of the American Thrombosis and Hemostasis Network (ATHN). "ATHN has partnered with treatment centers across the U.S. to create one national database for the bleeding disorders community and we believe that patient self-reported data about bleeds and infusions using a user-friendly electronic system that is integrated into our national infrastructure, will lead to a better understanding and management of these disorders, as well as the development of more research and treatment options."
For more information about HeliTrax, please visit www.ConnectwithHelitrax.com.
About Hemophilia
Hemophilia is an inherited bleeding disorder characterized by prolonged or spontaneous bleeding, especially into the muscles, joints, or internal organs. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 20,000 Americans have hemophilia. The disease is caused by deficient or defective blood coagulation proteins known as factor VIII or IX. The most common form of the disease is hemophilia A, or classic hemophilia, in which the clotting factor VIII is either deficient or defective. Hemophilia B is characterized by deficient or defective factor IX.
About the American Thrombosis and Hemostasis Network
The American Thrombosis and Hemostasis Network (ATHN) is a non-profit corporation founded in July 2006 in response to the following nationally identified needs related to bleeding and clotting disorders:
- Standardization and an improved means of collaboration with one national database
- Conservation and consolidation of scarce resources
- Evidence-based clinical standards
- Research that links medical interventions with clinical outcomes
ATHN’s vision is to advance and improve the care of individuals affected by bleeding and thrombotic disorders. The organization’s mission is to provide stewardship of a secure national database, adherent to all privacy guidelines, which will be used to support clinical outcomes analysis, research, advocacy and public health reporting in the hemostasis and thrombosis community.
About CSL Behring
CSL Behring is a leader in the plasma protein therapeutics industry. Committed to saving lives and improving the quality of life for people with rare and serious diseases, the company manufactures and markets a range of plasma-derived and recombinant therapies worldwide. CSL Behring therapies are indicated for the treatment of coagulation disorders including hemophilia and von Willebrand disease, primary immune deficiencies and inherited respiratory disease. The company’s products are also used in cardiac surgery, organ transplantation, burn treatment and to prevent hemolytic diseases in newborns. CSL Behring operates one of the world’s largest plasma collection networks, CSL Plasma. CSL Behring is a subsidiary of CSL Limited (ASX: CSL), a biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Melbourne, Australia. For more information, visit www.cslbehring.com.
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Contact:
Greg Healy
Senior Manager, Public Relations and Communications
U.S. Commercial Operations
610-878-4841
greg.healy@cslbehring.com