Patients suffering from diabetes usually have a cell phone and that alone can better their chances of controlling the disease with companies like WellDoc creating innovations on their behalf.
WellDoc, a company that was started by an endocrinologist's clinical frustration with the current state of care for patients with diabetes, makes cell phone-based software that keeps patients on top of their blood sugar with alerts, medication and diet recommendations, what the company calls the "360 of wellness."
"The company began back in 2005 by asking the question, 'Could the cell phone be part of the solution that brought the patient and the provider closer together?'" says Anand Iyer, president of WellDoc.
Iyer says that the resulting data from the initial startup was the key to helping patients and providers manage the disease. "The way we got the provider involved was by publishing a quarterly report, or as often as they wanted to see it, against evidence-based medicine that says, 'Hey Doc, here's where they were, here's where they are, here's what's changed and here's what you might consider doing,'" Iyer says.
The most recent diabetes drug released by Merk Pharmaceuticals was heralded by the FDA for dropping average blood sugar by .7 percent. Iyers says that clinical trials for WellDoc have consistently shown a drop in average blood sugar of 2.8 percent. "Every 1 point over 7 percent blood sugar represents a 42 percent increase in the risk of heart attack, stroke, kidney failure, amputation, all the bad things that diabetes can bring," Iyers says.
It's the always-on, ubiquitous nature of the cell phone that has allowed providers a more complete picture of a patient's health, but it also keeps patients on top of their levels. "What it is really is the convergence of clinical innovation, behavioral science and of course the cellular platform," Iyers says. "I mean, you have your own ringtone, why can't you have your own diabetes messaging coach?"
Insurance providers love a system like WellDoc because it keeps patients from costly emergency room visits. Iyers says that WellDoc can save insurance companies an average annual cost per patient of $800 to $1,200.
While WellDoc is currently an information and alert-driven solution, Iyers says the possibilities of addressing different diseases and expanding on the technology are nearly limitless. The company has considered including glucometer technology in cell phones and vice versa, as well as using location-based information to suggest menu items at nearby restaurants that would best suit a person's current blood sugar.
WellDoc recently received FDA 510(k) clearance to market its Diabetes Manager System to healthcare providers and their adult patients with type 2 diabetes, but perhaps its biggest boon is the company's recent announcement of a partnership with AT&T. In early November, the carrier launched ForHealth, a new business unit that will focus specifically on the healthcare industry, and WellDoc is the first end-to-end product that AT&T will market as part of that program.
Iyers can't say enough about the value of a cellular technology to the healthcare sector. "If it were as simple as making sure people take their drugs every day, J&J would have sold alarms clocks with every bottle of pills. It's not that simple," Iyers says, adding that "if you can leverage the wireless medium, and provide patients with the clinical coaching, education, behavior support in a manner that fits their lifestyle, you win."