As a part of our shared commitment to the development of improved care, the Bristol-Myers Squibb and Pfizer Alliance is proud to announce the distribution of charitable donations totaling more than $1 million to 10 nonprofit organizations dedicated to health care improvement. The American Venous Forum, Interstate Postgraduate Medical Association (, American College Of Physicians Incorporated, North American Thrombosis Forum Inc., Duke University Foundation, CancerCare, American College Of Emergency Physicians, National Blood Clot Alliance, National Kidney Foundation Inc. and American Heart Association will each receive a charitable donation from the Alliance this year to support their independent initiatives, including patient education, support groups, and public awareness, between 2015 and 2017. 

 

These donations will fund the development and adoption of evidence-based approaches to improving the safety and effectiveness of  transitions of care for  patients with venous thromboembolism (VTE), which includes pulmonary embolism (PE) and deep-vein thrombosis (DVT) blood clots. These organizations were chosen because of their extensive knowledge and expertise in caring for people with VTE and the potential impact of the projects they proposed.

 

VTE is a serious condition that impacts an estimated 900,000 people a year in the United States -- with incidents occurring in hospitals and nursing home residency accounting for almost 60 percent of incidents in the community. ,  While improving the transition from a hospital to an outpatient care facility is a priority for all patients, those who have had a VTE are particularly vulnerable to recurrence and require a coordinated treatment transition plan. Ineffective care transition processes can lead to adverse events as well as higher hospital readmission rates and associated health care costs. ,  VTE is the most common preventable cause of hospital death, underscoring the importance of prevention and effective transitions of care. , 

 

Since its establishment in 2007, the Bristol-Myers Squibb and Pfizer Alliance has donated more than $2,800,000 million to nonprofit organizations to support independent programs that aim to improve the care of patients with venous thromboembolism.

 

¹ Roger VL, Go AS, Lloyd-Jones DM, et al. Heart disease and stroke statistics—2012 update: A report from the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2012;125(1):e2-e220.

² Heit J, O’Fallon W, Petterson T, Lohse C, Silverstein M, Mohr D, Melton L. Relative impact of risk factors for deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism: a population-based study. Arch Intern Med. 2002; 162: 1245–1248.

³ Forster AJ, et al: Adverse drug events occurring following hospital discharge. Journal of General Internal Medicine, April 2005;20(4):317-23

⁴ Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, Report to the Congress: Reforming the Delivery System, Washington, D.C.: MedPAC, June 2008

⁵ Bratzler, Dale W. "Development of National Performance Measures on the Prevention and Treatment of Venous Thromboembolism." Journal of Thrombosis And Thrombolysis 29, no. 2 (2010): 148-54.

⁶ Heit JA. The epidemiology of venous thromboembolism in the community. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2008;28(3):370-372.