# Identification Methods, Patient Activation, and Cascade Testing for FH: IMPACT-FH

> **NIH NIH R01** · GEISINGER CLINIC · 2024 · $796,707

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Over 30 million people worldwide remain undiagnosed for a common cardiovascular genetic disorder, familial
hypercholesteremia (FH). Individuals with FH can significantly reduce their high risk of premature
atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) if they are identified early in life and initiate lipid lowering
treatment promptly. Suboptimal implementation and understanding of costs to implement screening programs
has resulted in fewer individuals with FH being identified, resulting in a substantial population living with
unmanaged risk for ASCVD. In this renewal application, we will address questions regarding generalizability,
costs, and sustainability of initial findings from IMPACT-FH. Implementation strategies for cascade testing
reported in the initial IMPACT-FH study were evaluated in specialty care settings (genetic) at Geisinger; they
need to be tested and adapted for primary care settings and institutions beyond Geisinger. Implementation
costs are important to consider when health systems make decisions about when a prevention program is
feasible and whether it can be deployed with a high level of success. Sustainability should be built into care
strategies and include cost analyses. Currently, FH screening programs exist all over the world in varying
forms of maturity in middle- and high-income countries but little is known about factors that promote or hinder
sustainability or promoters to improve existing programs. The main objective of this renewal application to the
IMPACT-FH study is to decrease the FH-associated burden of ASCVD by testing the applicability of our
cascade testing strategies in the primary care setting, estimating, and comparing the implementation costs and
performance of FH screening strategies, and measuring the sustainability of the FH screening programs in
real-world contexts. Our specific aims are to: 1) optimize and compare FH cascade testing uptake (adoption)
among FH patients offered one of the cascade testing implementation strategies with their relatives versus
those who do not use a strategy, 2) calculate and compare implementation costs, efficiency, and performance
FH screening strategies, 3) explore sustainability of FH screening programs.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10792391
- **Project number:** 2R01HL148246-05
- **Recipient organization:** GEISINGER CLINIC
- **Principal Investigator:** Ana Morales Reyes
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $796,707
- **Award type:** 2
- **Project period:** 2019-08-15 → 2028-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10792391

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10792391, Identification Methods, Patient Activation, and Cascade Testing for FH: IMPACT-FH (2R01HL148246-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-27 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10792391. Licensed CC0.

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