Partner Lab Feature: Boston Heart Diagnostics

This is the next lab in our new blog series that features each of our partner labs: Boston Heart Diagnostics. We interviewed Ernst J. Schaefer, MD and Chief Medical Officer & Laboratory Director.

Introducing Boston Heart Diagnostics!

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Hi Dr. Schaefer! Great to chat with you. Let's dive in - tell me about how you started Boston Heart!

We were founded in 2007 by myself (Dr. Ernst Schaefer) and my partner, Dr. Bela Asztalos, after developing the company’s proprietary HDL measurement technology and the Boston Heart Cholesterol Balance® test. We established HDL particle concentration as a more effective predictor for coronary heart disease (CHD) risk than traditional tests, and documented the utility of plasma sterol measurements to guide physician therapy to help patients reach their LDL cholesterol goals.

Wow, sounds technical, and cool! As one of the main leaders in the functional lab testing space, what is your main focus at Boston Heart?

We focus on Cardiovascular and Chronic Disease Prevention. And now, we're heavily focused on COVID-19 Testing. (Learn more about COVID-19 testing here.)

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What technology do you use at your lab?

We use high throughput automated clinical chemistry, CBC, LC/MS/MS, GC/MS, genotyping and NGS, NMR.

Do providers typically order more than one test for a patient through your lab?

Yes, providers typically order more than one test. Our proprietary tests are the most frequently ordered. Such as the HDL Map and Fatty Acid Balance Test. Our lifestyle program is something I am proud of that I feel provides excellent patient value. The Lifestyle Panel consists of: HDL Map (particles only: α-1, α-2, α-3, α-4, preβ-1), Cholesterol Balance (sterols only: Beta-sitosterol, Campesterol, Cholestanol, Desmosterol, Lathosterol), Triglycerides, sdLDL-C, hs-CRP, HDL-C, Direct LDL-C

What are the main conditions practitioners are using your labs to help manage?

Practitioners use our labs to help manage cardiovascular health, diabetes, hormonal and nutritional balance, and more recently, COVID-19.

What is your favorite part about being in this industry?

My favorite part is being able to provide great service to our clients and their patients.

What are you working on right now as a lab? What do practitioners have to look forward to?

We're working on optimizing COVID-19 saliva testing, and finger stick testing for many types of tests.

That's great. I can imagine finger stick testing has more demand right now with stay at home orders. Thanks for taking the time to tell us more about Boston Heart!

These are the most common tests ordered from Boston Heart:

Standard tests, sterol, fatty acids, HDL particles, genotyping, now COVID 19 PCR and antibodies.

To learn more about each of these tests visit the Rupa Health Lab Test Catalog and select Genova as the Lab Company. From here you can see the specimen type and more details on each test. If you're a Rupa Practitioner, you can also view the cost of each test.

Not yet a Rupa Practitioner? It’s free to sign up here!