BATON ROUGE, LA - (NewMediaWire) - March 13, 2018 - Telemedicine provider DoseDr announced today its platform now supports treatment for all chronic disease—hypertension and related conditions including coronary artery disease, chronic kidney disease, stroke, and essential hypertension—tackling the problems currently unaddressed by the health care industry. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that 86 percent of the $2.7 trillion spent annually on health care goes toward chronic disease, more than half to cover costs associated with exacerbations and preventable complications. Realizing the motivation exists on both sides—patients want to take better care of themselves and doctors what to help them to do so—DoseDr was determined to close the gap by finally providing the tools needed to fix what’s broken with the health care system and save trillions of dollars in the process.

For the past two years, DoseDr has worked to tackle the diabetes problem, achieving unprecedented results. A recently published pilot study conducted at the 281-CHRISTUS St. Frances Cabrini Hospital found that using DoseDr reduced average A1c levels from 9.6 to 6.3 in three months, a feat that normally takes years. Patient adherence to multiple-times-a-day glucose checks and insulin injections reached 88 percent and, of the 14,460 clicks in the first three months of the pilot, just one was symptomatic hypoglycemia – a patient injected insulin without eating. The resulting hypoglycemia was corrected by the DoseDr app without any other intervention.

“DoseDr addresses the problems the current health care system can’t. Most patients get only two and a half hours with their doctor per year, so the reality is that chronic diseases are mostly treated by the patient,” said DoseDr Co-founder and Chief Medical Officer Dustyn Williams, M.D. “The rest of the time it is up to patients and caretakers to manage these conditions, which is notoriously difficult in the case of chronic disease. Multiple medications, including those like insulin where dosing is complex and may change from one day to the next, and an endless barrage of daily requirements exacerbates the problem.”

“DoseDr takes the uncertainty, ambiguity, and challenges out of the equation by providing patients with a mobile app that helps them make tough decisions and keeps them connected to a health care provider 24/7,” he added.

The DoseDr mobile app isn’t just another store-and-forward patient data program. It breaks down each day into time windows during which it sends patients automated alerts reminding them to complete an action, like check blood sugar or take a medication. The patient then enters the necessary information into the app, which responds in real-time with specific instructions that are simple, concise and easy to understand. It’s a process that gives patients the certainty and confidence that they are doing the right thing well.

That level of confidence comes from the complimentary DoseDr physicians. Primary care providers are already overworked, so adding another burden to their workload is neither fair nor effective. DoseDr provides the expert support needed to close the loop on chronic disease care. While the patient is entering data into the app and following the instructions, that information is sent to a secure, HIPAA-compliant portal. DoseDr physicians review patient data, adjust medication dosages when needed and communicate the changes back to the patients, ensuring they always receive the right advice.

And therein lies the difference. The DoseDr app keeps patients on track, day-to-day and dose-to-dose, improving adherence to medication plans and reducing adverse events. It is the DoseDr physician’s ability to tap into that real-time data and make small frequent titrations between clinic visits that allows for faster results without complications.

“Traditional approaches to chronic care management often fail to account for the most important part – the patient,” said Norma “Marie” Myers Simpson, BSN, RN, CDE, an outpatient American Diabetes Association (ADA) Coordinator and inpatient diabetes educator at CHRISTUS St. Frances Cabrini Hospital. “DoseDr empowers and motivates patients to optimally self-manage their conditions. By providing patients with essential support including medication reminders, titration capabilities and on-demand access to physicians, CHRISTUS is realizing notable improvement to patient engagement and adherence to care plans.”

Doctors also need not fear any disruption of their patient relationship. DoseDr is designed to support the existing system, not as a replacement for primary care providers. DoseDr physicians take care of the medication regimen, titrating dosages based on default algorithms or those provided by a patient’s doctor. Further, doctors can check in on their patients’ progress using the DoseDr patient portal, or rely on regular reports from DoseDr physicians and communicate concerns and coordinate changes.

As of March 1, 2018, DoseDr provides titration services for hypertension and related conditions, such as coronary artery disease, chronic kidney disease, stroke, and essential hypertension. Modules for congestive heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are slated for release April 1, 2018.

“Having proved its ability to improve diabetes care, DoseDr is taking the next step into the massive world of chronic disease. If a patient can monitor it, DoseDr can treat it,” said Dr. Williams.

About DoseDr

DoseDr is a telemedicine provider that supports treatment for all chronic disease, tackling the problems currently unaddressed by the health care industry. Unlike other store-and-forward patient-data tools, The DoseDr app keeps patients on track, day-to-day and dose-to-dose, improving adherence to medication plans and reducing adverse events. DoseDr sends patients automated alerts reminding them to complete an action, like check blood sugar or take a medication. Patients then enter the necessary information into the app, which responds in real-time with specific instructions that are simple, concise and easy to understand. It’s a process that gives patients the certainty and confidence that they are doing the right thing well. With the 24/7 support of DoseDr physicians, the platform is a completely hands-off solution for primary care providers. DoseDr physicians review patient data, adjust medication dosages when needed and communicate the changes back to the patients, ensuring they always receive the right advice.

 

Ben Carter
813-333-2875
ben@npccs.com