NATICK, Mass., May 6, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Boston Scientific Corporation (NYSE: BSX) has joined Optum Labs as the Founding Medical Device Partner to help pioneer new research into effective treatments for heart failure and related cardiac conditions. Optum Labs is an open collaborative healthcare research and innovation center founded in 2013 by Optum, Mayo Clinic and also joined by AARP as founding consumer advocate organization.

Optum Labs brings together major national health care leaders dedicated to improving patient care through the sharing of information, technologies, knowledge tools and scientific expertise. With access to an unprecedented, high-quality pool of de-identified claims and clinical information covering millions of lives, Optum Labs innovators are focusing on many of the biggest challenges and opportunities in health care today. More than 20 different research initiatives are currently under way.

Boston Scientific's initial focus with Optum Labs will be to champion a body of research that addresses the complexities, unmet needs and challenges facing patients with heart failure. The research will consider innovative practice patterns, performance measures, management of co-morbid conditions, processes of care and economic implications. The research will also leverage Optum Labs' scientific and analytical resources to help understand points in the patient care continuum where existing or potential new products and services could improve the efficiency of care delivery, the value of care and overall population health management.

"As a global leader in medical devices and related solutions, Boston Scientific is excited to serve as Founding Medical Device Partner at Optum Labs, and to collaborate with other health care leaders to help accelerate the pace of innovation across our industry," said Mike Mahoney, president and chief executive officer of Boston Scientific. "We believe there are many other areas of common interest that could be addressed through Optum Labs and look forward to collaborating with the other partners."

"Boston Scientific brings extensive expertise in heart failure and related cardiac conditions, which is of tremendous interest and value to Optum Labs and our partners," said Paul Bleicher, M.D., Ph.D., and CEO of Optum Labs. "We are grateful for the support of industry leaders such as Boston Scientific, in addition to our existing partners, all of whom share our commitment to accelerating the pace of innovation for the ultimate benefit of improved patient care."

As Founding Medical Device Partner of Optum Labs, Boston Scientific joins a research collaborative that includes academic medical centers, care providers, research centers and other stakeholders. Optum Labs' charter partners include the American Medical Group Association; Boston University School of Public Health; Lehigh Valley Health Network; Pfizer, Inc.; Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI); Tufts Medical Center; and the University of Minnesota School of Nursing. These are in addition to founding partners Mayo Clinic and Optum, and Founding Consumer Advocate Organization, AARP.

Research at Optum Labs is linked to the clinical environment through prototyping and testing in actual care settings.  The goal is to help drive the discovery of new applications, test new care pathways and drive innovation in wellness and care delivery that improve health care delivery and patient outcomes.

About Boston Scientific
Boston Scientific transforms lives through innovative medical solutions that improve the health of patients around the world.  As a global medical technology leader for more than 30 years, we advance science for life by providing a broad range of high performance solutions that address unmet patient needs and reduce the cost of healthcare.  For more information, visit www.bostonscientific.com and connect on Twitter and Facebook.

About Optum Labs
Optum Labs was established through a partnership between Optum, a leading information and technology-enabled health services business, and Mayo Clinic, a nonprofit worldwide leader in medical care, research, and education, as an open collaborative center for research and innovation. AARP, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization with a membership of more than 37 million individuals, joined the collaborative as Founding Consumer Advocate Organization in late 2013. Optum Labs brings together a community of partners dedicated to improving patient care by sharing information assets, technologies, knowledge tools, and scientific expertise. Research partners bring diverse perspectives to shared problems, and address questions that reflect patient care needs. Partners have access to in-depth and expansive de-identified clinical and claims data in an environment of innovative thinking and collaboration. Optum Labs is based in Cambridge, Mass. For more information, visit www.optum.com/optumlabs. 

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.  Forward-looking statements may be identified by words like "anticipate," "expect," "project," "believe," "plan," "estimate," "intend" and similar words.  These forward-looking statements are based on our beliefs, assumptions and estimates using information available to us at the time and are not intended to be guarantees of future events or performance.  These forward looking statements include, among other things, statements regarding our business plans, collaboration with Optum Labs, research initiatives and innovation.  If our underlying assumptions turn out to be incorrect, or if certain risks or uncertainties materialize, actual results could vary materially from the expectations and projections expressed or implied by our forward-looking statements.  These factors, in some cases, have affected and in the future (together with other factors) could affect our ability to implement our business strategy and may cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated by the statements expressed in this press release.  As a result, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any of our forward-looking statements.  

Factors that may cause such differences include, among other things: future economic, competitive, reimbursement and regulatory conditions; new product introductions; demographic trends; intellectual property; litigation; financial market conditions; and, future business decisions made by us and our competitors.  All of these factors are difficult or impossible to predict accurately and many of them are beyond our control.  For a further list and description of these and other important risks and uncertainties that may affect our future operations, see Part I, Item 1A – Risk Factors in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which we may update in Part II, Item 1A – Risk Factors in Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q we have filed or will file hereafter.  We disclaim any intention or obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect any change in our expectations or in events, conditions, or circumstances on which those expectations may be based, or that may affect the likelihood that actual results will differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements.  This cautionary statement is applicable to all forward-looking statements contained in this document.

CONTACT:

Media: 
Nisha Deo
Corporate Affairs & Communications
Boston Scientific Corporation
508-652-5609 (office)
Nisha.Deo@bsci.com

Jeffrey Smith
Optum Labs
612-623-6213 (office)
jeffrey.p.smith@optum.com

Investor Relations:
Susie Lisa, CFA
Investor Relations
Boston Scientific Corporation
508-652-5345 (office)
investor_relations@bsci.com

SOURCE Boston Scientific Corporation