UNION CITY, Calif., June 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Abaxis, Inc. (NasdaqGS: ABAX), a global diagnostics company manufacturing point-of-care blood analysis instruments and consumables for the medical and veterinary markets worldwide, today announced a partnership with the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) to develop a wellness testing initiative that is focused on improving compliance for blood diagnostic testing. 

Preventive medicine is becoming a cornerstone of practice for general veterinary clinics, making it increasingly important for veterinary professionals to understand the benefit diagnostic testing can have on preventive care and keeping pets healthy.

Recognizing the important role diagnostics play in preventive care, the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA), in conjunction with Abaxis Global Diagnostics, has developed a year-long preventive care testing initiative through the Abaxis Veterinary Consulting Group ("AVC") to educate practitioners about preventive medicine and implementation of preventive medical care programs.

"Health care regimens that enhance the human-animal relationship, lengthen patient life span, and improve patient quality of life are so important in today's veterinary profession," said Janice Trumpeter, DVM, AAHA deputy chief executive officer. "Our hope through this initiative is to give practitioners the resources they need to leverage diagnostic testing in their hospital's preventive care program."

The initiative will include:

·           Two educational preventive care and wellness testing booklets, available in Trends Magazine and www.aaha.org

·           Educational preventive care testing web conferences and a certificate course, available through www.vetfolio.com

·        Educational workshops provided by Abaxis Veterinarians for AHHA Hospitals and Abaxis customers held in various cities inthe United     States and Canada to assist practices in implementing preventive care and wellness testing initiatives.

"By implementing a point-of-care regimen using the protocols put forth by AAHA and Abaxis, the diagnostic protocols will not only improve blood work compliance, but also allow the Veterinarian to provide treatment options to the client during the patient visit," said Craig Tockman, DVM, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, at Abaxis Global Diagnostics.