Thousands of Impacted Veterans Will Benefit from Congressional Efforts
LOS ANGELES, July 23, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- 4DMedical, the leading developer of functional imaging software for respiratory illness, today praised the U.S. House of Representatives for including language calling on the Department of Veterans Affairs to evaluate "emerging technology using existing x-ray imaging equipment to derive four-dimensional models of lung function" as part of the fiscal year 2023 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies appropriations bill.
The bill was included as part of H.R. 8294, the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, Agriculture, Rural Development, Energy and Water Development, Financial Services and General Government, Interior, Environment, Military Construction, and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act of 2023.
The bill's associated report states, "The Committee urges the Department to evaluate this technology for the purposes of conducting population-wide surveillance of veterans who have likely been exposed to airborne hazards, in order to conduct a full accounting of the health impacts suffered by veterans and to provide full and effective medical care to this population."
"Four-dimensional scanning is one of those 'emerging technologies' available right now to help veterans suffering from respiratory illness," says Dr. Andreas Fouras, CEO of 4DMedical. "We are starting to grasp the true health impacts for many of the 3.5 million veterans who served overseas since September 11, 2001 and now suffer from incurable respiratory diseases which existing technologies fail to detect. And that process starts with an advanced yet convenient screen. We owe it to all veterans and their families to get them the help they need and deserve."
The action follows the House's passage of the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act. Expected to pass the United States Senate and be signed by President Biden in coming days, the bill establishes a presumption of service connection for 23 respiratory illnesses and cancers related to the smoke from military burn pits and other toxic exposures. It also streamlines the process by which veterans apply for disability benefits to cover the cost of their treatment. The use of new, effective screening technologies addressed in the appropriations bill will help serve the veterans population covered under the PACT Act.
About 4DMedical: 4DMedical (formerly known as 4Dx) is a global medical technology company transforming respiratory diagnostics for all lung disorders, including long-COVID, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), cystic fibrosis and cancer. 4DMedical technology is providing clinicians with greater insights into lung function and the impact of diseases and treatment interventions.
Learn more at: https://4dmedical.com/
Contact:
Colin Reed
colin@southandhill.com
