Clarification

The June issue of Cost Management in Cardiac Care contained an article on portable finger-stick coagulation testing devices and included detailed information about CoaguChek (Boehringer Mannheim/Roche, Indianapolis) and the ProTime Microcoagulation System (International Technidyne Corp., Edison, NJ). The following information regarding ProTime provides further clarification: In 1997 ProTime received categorization as a waived device by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. This encompassed use by patients to self-test their PT/INR at home and by the professional for patient anticoagulation management. In the professional setting, the system has a list price of approximately $1,500; the cost per test is $5. International Technidyne Corp. also manufactures a device, the Hemochron Signature, cleared by the FDA to monitor heparin therapy. That device lists at $3,750 and tests all ranges of the ACT, the APTT, and the PT. The per-test cost is under $3.