Cell Phone 'Telemonitoring' May Help Control Blood Pressure

There was a great article that reported on a study done by Dr. Alexander G. Logan, from the University of Toronto, and is slated to discuss the experimental monitoring system Wednesday at the American Heart Association annual meeting in Chicago.

One expert said the technology can provide a valuable service.

"Telemonitoring provides information regarding a patient's progress and condition between physician visits, and assists clinicians in identifying patients who have early symptoms of a more serious condition that, if left untreated, may require acute care, like hospitalization," explained Dr. Peter Rutherford, medical director at Wenatchee Valley Medical Center in Wenatchee, Wash.

"In the end," he said, "the patient's engagement in the program, coupled with the case manager's involvement in the patient's care and the physician's practice, is a vital piece of the disease management puzzle."

In the preliminary study, Logan and his colleagues have found that after using the cell phone-based device for a year, patients with uncontrolled systolic hypertension dramatically improved their ability to control their blood pressure. In that time frame, systolic blood pressure readings among patients using the system dropped by 9.1 mm Hg, compared with just a 1.6 mm Hg decrease observed among their counterparts with uncontrolled systolic hypertension who relied on standard blood pressure monitoring equipment.

More than a third of the patients (37 percent) using the cell phone system were able to get their blood pressure under control, compared with just 14.2 percent of those using standard equipment.

"This study shows how simple interactive technology may help revolutionize preventive care, which relies on the synergy of the physician and the patient," added another expert, Dr. Tara Narula, a clinical cardiologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City.

She believes the research, "highlights the future of medicine by a dual approach whereby physicians can reach beyond the confines of the clinic setting and patients are empowered to take control of their own health."

Link to article:

One in five hospitals stays involve diabetes!

There was a great article in FireceHealthcare about how diabetes contributes to increaced healthcare cost and decreased quality of life. The problem seems to be growing out of control. With all the attention given on the recent flu scare we seem to be ignoring the larger problem right in fornt of us.

Here are some of the stats:

Between 2004 and 2007, the number of Americans diagnosed with diabetes rose 22 percent to 17.9 million. Here are some other findings from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project on hospital use by patients with diabetes in 2008:

• Hospital stays for patients with diabetes were longer, more expensive, and more likely to originate in the ED than stays for patients without diabetes.

• Medicare covered almost 60 percent of total hospital costs for patients with diabetes, followed by private health insurance which covered 23 percent of total diabetes-related hospital costs.

• The South had the highest rate of hospital stays for patients with diabetes (2,829 stays per 100,000 persons in the region), while the West had the lowest rate (1,866 stays per 100,000 persons in the region).

• Sixty-one percent of patients with diabetes who stayed in the hospital were admitted through the ED.

• The top three most common principal reasons for hospitalization among patients with diabetes were diabetes, congestive heart failure, and coronary atherosclerosis.

• The rate of hospitalization was highest for patients with diabetes the lower their income.

Link to report

Do You Know Your HbA1c?

HbA1c levels can determine if you are one of the about 6.2 million people in the US that have diabetes and do not know it. Scary....

I just read a report that showed, if you have diabetes, how lowering your A1c levels by 1-2% can reduce you chance of stroke, kidney and eye disease by over 70%. I know many friends that have it or are borderline so I wanted to do something that would help.

There is an old saying that “what gets measured gets done” This underscores that the first step to controlling and lowering your A1c levels is knowing it. In this case, ignorance is NOT bliss! All of us need to become more aware of our own medical conditions, whatever they may be, and face the fact that unless we decide to change nothing positive will happen magically al by its self.

There have been a number of studies done like the (Diabetes Control and Complication Study) that prove that even moderate monitoring programs can improve outcomes. If you need help controlling and monitoring your diabetes at home or remotely I created two (2) options that might help.

1. If you do not have access to technology (internet/mobile), or are nor comfortable using it, we use an automated voice calling system that can capture your reading by just speaking it. We convert to digital and save it for you so that it is available for review at anytime (doctor visits).

2. For techies there is a Free text message (SMS) and email based option that allows individuals to save their readings using SMS from their mobile phone or computer email.

Each option provides the ability to see a report of saved data by web/SMS/Email at anytime 24/7. There is also the ability to set alert levels that will immediately alert you, caregivers or family if readings are outside preset safe limits.

Contact me and I can show you how you can try it free right from your mobile phone. 888-804-3622 info@caryltech.com