iGlucose
The iGlucose system provides next generation, real-time communication of data to improve diabetes management and help ensure patient compliance, data accuracy and insurance reimbursement.
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According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), there are an estimated 23.6 million children and adults in the United States, or 7.8% of the population, who have diabetes, 18 million of which have been diagnosed with diabetes and 5.7 million people (24%) who are undiagnosed.
Many factors contribute to this rise, including higher prevalence of overweight and obesity, changes in diagnostic criteria, improved or enhanced detection, decreasing mortality, a growing elderly population, and growth in minority populations in whom the prevalence and incidence of diabetes are increasing. By 2050, the CDC predicts 48.3 million Americans will have diabetes - an epidemic that shows no signs of abating.
The most common test that diabetics use to self-monitor their blood glucose levels involves pricking their finger and putting a drop of their blood on a test strip, which is then inserted into a glucose meter to get a blood sugar reading. This test is typically performed by the patient before meals, after meals, and/or at bedtime. However, this test is only useful when health care providers and patients utilize the results to improve glycemic control and achieve long-term goals through pharmacotherapy changes and lifestyle decisions. More importantly, however, this test allows patients to better manage their disease, promoting disease education and thereby motivating patients toward healthier behavior.
Patients are also supposed to log the results of their daily tests and present this log to their physician for proper disease management. However, the majority of diabetic patients do not check their blood glucose with optimal frequency and most of these do not keep test logs. This is where the iGlucose system can play an integral role.
The iGlucose system uses wireless SMS messaging to automatically communicate a diabetic’s glucose readings to the iGlucose online database. We believe that the iGlucose wireless communication device is the first of its kind to address the Medicare requirement for durable medical equipment manufacturers and pharmacies to maintain glucose level logs and records for the millions of high-frequency diabetes patients.
iGlucose works automatically – there is no downloading, dialing, computer, software or cell phone needed to complete the transmission. Patients simply connect the iGlucose cradle to their glucometer and the test results stored on the glucometer are transmitted as SMS messages to a central server. Patients can choose the frequency and destination of glucose data and reports. An important feature of iGlucose is its compatibility with any data-capable glucometer, making it device or manufacturer independent.
Physicians can easily access these accurate test logs online through a user-friendly website, if the patient so chooses, and provide better patient care by implementing best practices in medication therapy management. This in turn can generate significant savings to the health system through better disease management. An essential component of iGlucose is that practitioners can now be fully compliant EMRs for Medicare Part B Utilization guidelines.
Patients can simplify their lives by eliminating logs and glucose record keeping. The benefit of iGlucose is improved health through real-time disease management.
PositiveID has filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office a non-provisional patent application for its iGlucose system.
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