Lipid testing trends in the US before and after the release of the 2013 ACC/AHA cholesterol guidelines.

Challenge

The 2013 ACC/AHA cholesterol guidelines shifted lipid management from treat-to-target to risk-based treatment approaches, but the real-world impact of this paradigm shift on lipid testing frequency and patterns in US clinical practice had not been evaluated.

Solution

Target RWE researchers analyzed lipid testing trends before and after the 2013 guideline release in a large US administrative database, characterizing changes in testing frequency by patient risk category and provider type.

Impact

Documenting how lipid testing responded to the 2013 guideline change provides cardiovascular drug development partners with evidence of guideline impact on clinical behavior.