Successful diabetes management, and the potentially drastic cost savings that come with it, is achievable through cell phone use, a new study testing WellDoc's DiabetesManager solution determines. The study, published online in the journal Diabetes Care, found that the percentage of A1c (blood glucose) for type 2 diabetes patients dropped significantly over the course of a year for those who used the solution.
Researchers with the University of Maryland School of Medicine followed 163 patients, 107 of whom used DiabetesManager and 56 who were given standard diabetes care. While the mean decline in A1c was 0.7 percent for the latter group, the former's mean A1c decline was 1.9 percent.
"A [solution] is approved by the [U.S. Food and Drug Administration] if it drops A1c by half a point," WellDoc President and COO Anand Iyer said last week at a mobile health panel discussion on Capitol Hill. "[And] a 2 point reduction can [save a patient] as much as $7,000 or $8,000 per patient per year because you're dramatically reducing that patient's excursions--extreme highs or extreme lows. ... [This study] is something that is sending a shockwave through the diabetes community."
Dr. Richard Bergenstal, executive director of the International Diabetes Center at Park Nicollet and a past president of the American Diabetes Association, supported Iyer's statement, calling WellDoc's solution "a good example of utilizing technology ... to help both patient and provider make the most effective lifestyle and management decision."
To learn more:
- here's the study abstract
- read the accompanying announcement from WellDoc