In its landmark study ranking the value of clinical preventive services, Partnership for Prevention found that counseling about regular aspirin use is one of the highest value preventive services clinicians can provide. 
Currently, less than half of all adults for whom aspirin is recommended take aspirin on a regular basis.  If this was increased to 90 percent, an additional 45,000 lives would be saved each year.   In addition, widespread counseling about aspirin use would result in medical savings of $70 per person advised.

Partnership for Prevention has undertaken a multi-pronged initiative to increase the number of Americans who are using aspirin to reduce their risk of heart disease and stroke.  For more information about this important initiative, contact Jud Richland, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , or Jason Spangler, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , at Partnership for Prevention.

News

• Press Release -- New Aspirin Recommendation Can Help Prevent Heart Attacks & Strokes, Says Partnership For Prevention
• Podcast with Dr. Nieca Goldberg, Director of the Women's Heart Program at New York University, regarding the new recommendation from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation
• The National Committee for Quality Assurance seeks public comment on proposed HEDIS measures related to aspirin use

• Aspirin for the primary prevention of cardiovascular events – A recommendation from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force
• Several national associations have issued guidelines about the prevention of heart disease and stroke that address the use of aspirin

• Preventive Care: A National Profile on Use, Disparities, and Health Benefits – This report from Partnership for Prevention estimates the number of lives that would be saved by increasing use of high-value clinical preventive services.  The report estimates that an additional 45,000 lives would be saved each year if use of aspirin to prevent cardiovascular disease increased from current levels to 90 percent of the target population.
• American College of Preventive Medicine initiative to improve aspirin use – Aspirin Talks: Start a Life-Saving Conversation
• For Men: Talk with Your Health Care Provider about Taking Aspirin to Prevent Heart Attacks – Patient brochure from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
• For Women: Talk with Your Health Care Provider about Taking Aspirin to Prevent Strokes – Patient brochure from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

Partnership for Prevention has established a Task Force on Appropriate Aspirin Use to guide Partnership’s aspirin-related activities.  Members of the Task Force are listed below.

George K. Anderson, MD, MPH
Major General, USAF, MC (retired)
Executive Director
Association of Military Surgeons of the U.S.

Kathy Berra, MSN, ANP
Clinical Director, Stanford Heart Network
Stanford Prevention Research Center
Stanford University School of Medicine

Nieca Goldberg, MD
Associate Professor of Medicine
Director, Women's Heart Program
New York University

Augustus O. Grant, MD, PhD
Professor of Medicine
School of Medicine
Duke University

William Miser, MD
Associate Professor of Family Medicine
Clinical Research Director
Associate Academic Program Director
Ohio State University

Michael Parkinson, MD, MPH
Faculty
"Aligning Forces for Quality" Initiative
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Carl J. Pepine, MD
Eminent Scholar Emeritus and
Professor of Medicine
Chief, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine
University of Florida

Michael Pignone, MD, MPH
Associate Professor of Medicine
Chief, UNC Division of General Internal Medicine
UNC Hospital – Chapel Hill

Eduardo Sanchez, MD, PhD
Chair, National Commission on Prevention Priorities, Partnership for Prevention
Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, BlueCross BlueShield of Texas

Randall S. Stafford, MD, PhD
Associate Professor of Medicine
Director, Program on Prevention Outcomes and Practices Stanford Prevention Research Center
Stanford University

Support for these activities are supported in part by an unrestricted grant from Bayer HealthCare.