Telcare's First-in-class mHealth Connected Glucose Meter Cleared by FDA

Las Vegas, NV (PRWEB) August 03, 2011

Telcare, Inc., an exhibitor at this year's annual meeting of the American Association of Diabetes Educators, has just received clearance from the US Food and Drug Administration to market the Telcare BGM, the first cellular-enabled glucose meter, combined with an FDA-cleared database (Telserve) to aid in the management of diabetes. The device allows patients to transmit their blood glucose readings to caregivers and family members, and receive immediate coaching and clinical feedback relayed to the screen of the glucose meter. The patient does not have to take any additional steps to transmit the data and the cost of the wireless connectivity is included in the price of the device and its accompanying test strips. Thus, users will have a much richer clinical experience at no additional cost when compared to standard glucose meters.

Telcare's objective is to transform the management of diabetes, from a condition where patients feel cut off from their caregivers and don't know what to do from day to day, to a model in which the patient is continually empowered to manage his or her condition through continual feedback from caregivers, family members, and even other patients.

The Telcare glucose meter aims to bridge the last mile between patient and caregiver. Real time information is transmitted to the electronic medical record, personal health records, such as Microsoft Health Vault, and a variety of smartphone apps designed to connect patients to family members and to each other. While other marketplace solutions have relied on Bluetooth transmission to cellphones, connections of glucose meters to personal computers and cradles, or requiring the patient to manually enter results into a phone app, Telcare's solution requires no additional steps on the part of the patient.

"One in 10 American adults today has diabetes, and experts estimate that, unchecked, 1 in 3 will have the disease by 2050," said Dr. Jonathan Javitt, Telcare's CEO and Vice Chairman. "Recently published studies have shown that real time engagement between patients and caregivers has the potential to achieve substantial improvement in control of diabetes and other conditions. Telcare's commitment is to deliver that real-time engagement in a manner that is effortless for patients and which does not add additional cost to an overburdened healthcare system. Extending real-time engagement to family members is particularly beneficial for parents of children with diabetes and for those assisting elderly people, where family support can make the difference between a good day and a trip to the emergency room."

Over the past year, the product has won awards and acclaim from the Cellular Telephone Institute of America (CTIA), the Wireless Life Sciences Alliance (WLSA), Frost and Sullivan, Health Evolution Partners, and others. Using mobile broadband technology, the product is designed to enable patients and caregivers to regularly monitor and respond to changes in an individual's glucose levels. This feedback loop will hopefully give people with diabetes a more flexible lifestyle, and provide them with ongoing caregiver feedback that may enable them to better control and manage their condition. The University of Maryland has just launched a government-funded clinical trial to measure Telcare's potential for improving compliance, maintaining patients' health status, and simultaneously reducing the cost of care.

"Telcare deeply appreciates and acknowledges both the speed and the seriousness with which the FDA approached this review. While the process was thorough and arduous - as it must be to protect the public - it was clearly designed to get a safe product to the market expeditiously," said John Dwyer, Telcare's General Counsel and Chairman.

David Bjork, Telcare's President who leads the company's sales initiative, commented "although we at Telcare recognize the huge potential of wireless health, we also believe that mHealth products must not add cost to an already overburdened healthcare system. We are proud of being able to offer tomorrow's technology to the marketplace at today's price."

About Telcare
Telcare, a Bethesda, MD, and Concord, MA-based company was founded in 2008 by Dr. Jonathan C. Javitt, a former healthcare advisor in both the Clinton and Bush Administrations, who has previously been a founder of four publicly-traded health IT companies, John R. Dwyer, Jr., JD, who has led previous health technology companies including Active Health Management and Vetcentric, Inc., and David Bjork, a former Polymedica executive.

For Further Information contact:
Jon Roberson
jonathan(at)telcare(dot)com
301-684-8656
http://www.telcare.com

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