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New Program Offers Breast Cancer Clinicians and Patients Support for Pre-Operative Clinical Assessment and Ongoing Surveillance of Lymphedema

Posted on: Tuesday, 2 December 2008, 09:00 CST

NEWPORT NEWS, Va., and SAN DIEGO, Dec. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- The Patient Advocate Foundation (PAF), with support from ImpediMed Ltd. (ASX: IPD), is pleased to announce the launch of the Lymphedema CareLine (LCL). PAF, through its MedCare Division, is offering the national, toll-free patient/provider hotline designed to provide information and assistance to breast cancer patients who are or may be at risk for post-treatment side effects such as lymphedema (swelling due to blockage in the lymphatic system).

Staffed by a dedicated team of multilingual clinical case managers with nursing and social work experience, the LCL offers personal case management services, including the dissemination of information about lymphedema, navigation through the reimbursement system, interpretation of a patients' health insurance benefit language, provision of direct appeals assistance and linkage to appropriate educational and support resources. The hotline can be accessed at (866) 949-1978 or on the Web at LCL.patientadvocate.org.

The LCL is the latest addition to PAF's portfolio of patient services, which include direct case management services; the National Hispanic/Latino, African American and Senior Outreach initiatives; Hematologic Cancer Education Program; ACS/PAF Partnership Program and the national Lance Armstrong Foundation Livestrong SurvivorCare partnership.

"While better treatment and earlier detection of breast cancer has extended survival rates, lymphedema remains a significant risk to a woman's quality of life," said John Ennis, Co-Founder, Chief Development Officer at PAF. "We are encouraged to know that ImpediMed's technology can aid doctors in the pre-operative clinical assessment and ongoing surveillance of patients to help manage this impairment in newly diagnosed breast cancer patients and women at risk."

Beth Darnley, Chief Program Officer at PAF, added, "Navigating the reimbursement system in order to obtain appropriate pre- and post-operative care following a diagnosis of breast cancer can be confusing and overwhelming for patients. Options such as the Lymphedema CareLine offer a centralized resource for information and direct support to help clinicians and their patients manage this potentially serious side effect of primary breast cancer treatment."

Greg Brown, ImpediMed's CEO, commented: "ImpediMed is proud to support PAF's Lymphedema CareLine. Patients and doctors can be guided to available resources that help put lymphedema education and counseling on the clinical care agenda from day one. ImpediMed's FDA-cleared device is designed to aid doctors in the clinical assessment of patients for any signs of lymphedema when it is most likely to be effectively treated."

About Lymphedema

Lymphedema is a condition that can cause significant swelling of the upper and lower extremities due to the build-up of excess lymph fluid. This can occur when the lymphatic system, which is responsible for draining excess fluid from the body and is a key component of the immune system, is damaged or altered. In breast cancer patients, this can occur after surgery, such as removal or biopsy of the lymph nodes, and/or radiation therapy. It is estimated that 6 percent to 40 percent of patients with breast cancer develop lymphedema, and that it often occurs within the first two years after surgery. For some cancer survivors and others at risk, lymphedema can occur 10 years to 15 years following the initial primary treatment and develop into a condition that has a serious impact on overall health and quality of life.

About Patient Advocate Foundation

Patient Advocate Foundation is a national non-profit organization that seeks to safeguard patients through effective mediation assuring access to care, maintenance of employment and preservation of their financial stability.

More information may be obtained at www.patientadvocate.org or by calling (800) 532-5274.

About ImpediMed

ImpediMed Ltd. is the world leader in the development and distribution of medical devices employing Bioimpedance Spectroscopy (BIS) technologies to aid medical providers in the non-invasive clinical assessment and ongoing surveillance of lymphedema. ImpediMed's primary product range consists of a number of medical devices that aid surgeons, oncologists, therapists and radiation oncologists to clinically assess patients for the potential onset of secondary lymphedema. Pre-operative clinical assessment in breast cancer survivors before the onset of symptoms may help prevent the condition from becoming a lifelong management issue and improve the quality of life of the cancer survivor. ImpediMed has the first medical device with an FDA clearance in the United States to aid health care professionals clinically assess secondary lymphedema of the arm in female breast cancer patients. For more information, visit www.impedimed.com or www.L-Dex.com.

SOURCE ImpediMed Ltd.

Source: PR Newswire

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