Vermillion, Kaiser Permanente partner to enhance diagnosis, treatment of ovarian cancer

Vermillion, Inc. (NASDAQ: VRML), a bio-analytical solutions company focused on gynecologic disease, today announced the initiation of a strategic partnership with Kaiser Permanente's Southern California Permanente Medical Group ("SCPMG") in order to enhance the diagnosis and treatment of ovarian cancer. The collaboration further advances Vermillion's landmark alliances with health care organizations to develop breakthrough solutions for the improvement of quality and evidence-based care for women.

The ultimate goal of this collaboration is to create a "best practice" for identification and "first time right" treatment of patients with ovarian cancer. Recent publications continue to highlight a dire national status quo for women with ovarian cancer, in which the majority of cases are detected at a late stage with very poor prospects for 5-year survival, despite the existence of treatment pathways that have been shown to improve survival by as much as 30%.

The first phase of this quality program aims to conduct a benchmarking study of quality issues related to the initial diagnosis and treatment of ovarian cancer among Kaiser Permanente Southern California members through the use of electronic health records. The analysis will track patient care pathways from the initial presentation, to surgical intervention, diagnosis, initial treatment, and early post-surgical outcomes. In addition to publishing important medical quality benchmarks, the study will assess opportunities to improve patient workup, specialist referral and optimize utilization of system-wide healthcare resources.

This benchmarking study will help identify the earliest opportunity for intervention in the care of patients with ovarian cancer. By examining the care received by patients across the Southern California network, the team will seek to pinpoint opportunities to improve care, including providing more rapid access to the appropriate physicians and reducing inefficiencies in patient care, as well as overall costs. Understanding the patterns of care for affected women and their touchpoints within Kaiser Permanente's integrated care system should give a better assessment of potential care improvements for women with ovarian cancer.

The study will be directed from within the Women and Children's Service Line of Kaiser Permanente, Orange County, with the opportunity in the future to collaborate further in identifying the role that innovative diagnostics, such as OVA1 and succeeding second generation tests, could play in informing ovarian cancer treatment decisions to better serve patients and optimize the effectiveness of healthcare delivery.

Valerie Palmieri, President and Chief Executive Officer of Vermillion, stated: "At Vermillion, we are committed to improving ovarian cancer outcomes. Our contribution will be measured not only in how we affect the lives of women and their loved ones, but also by our contribution to value-enhancing best practices for leading healthcare organizations, such as Kaiser Permanente. We are delighted to help address this important healthcare challenge with such dedicated and capable partners."

SOURCE Vermillion, Inc.