Data on diabetes explodes in the cloud

Patients with diabetes create a lot of data, whether its their blood glucose levels, A1c results, or medication adherence. That data, in turn, lends itself to many of the technological advancements that have happened in the last several years, says John Erickson, the new executive vice president, North America, for GlucoMe, an Israel-based startup that has developed a digital diabetes care platform that will streamline care for patients and healthcare professionals. Erickson spoke with HME News recently about managing diabetes in the cloud.

HME News: How does GlucoMe work?

John Erickson: Our glucose monitor looks like a USB stick. It's very small and has no screen or anything. The (blood glucose) result is an audio signal that goes directly to any smart phone and is downloaded and stored in our mobile app. From there, it explodes into the cloud-based Digital Diabetes Clinic for analysis and provides immediate feedback to both the patient and the healthcare professional.

HME: What does the mobile app consist of?

Erickson: Onboard the app there is a lot of interactive and profile information. You can add things like the carbs you eat, exercise, when did you test, when did you take your medication. It's very intuitive and that data goes right to the cloud.

HME: How important is it today to include smart phones as part of health management solutions?

Erickson: For us, it's a core technology. I think people—especially millennials and some of us a little older—are managing a lot of their lives through their smart phones. They are connected all the time and drive a lot of lifestyle activities through smart phones.

HME: Do you think payers are becoming more willing to pay for health management technology?

Erickson: I think the paradigm is starting to change. I think a lot of that has to do with the use of enabled technology, which will lead to better data, which will lead to hopefully better compliance and behavior modification, which should lead to better outcomes.