DiabetesManager pilot proves the power of mHealth engagement

According to Eleanor Chye, nine out of every 10 diabetes-related mobile medical devices on the market are only good for tracking, and not for managing. She says AT&T's DiabetesManager is that 10th device, and she's got the numbers to prove it.

Chye, executive director of mobility healthcare and pharma for AT&T Business Solutions, points to a recent pilot project conducted by AT&T and the Health Care Service Corporation, which operates Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans in Illinois, Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma. In that six-month study (which was extended to 10 months) of 156 type 2 diabetics who used DiabetesManager, 88 percent rated the device "highly useful" in helping them manage their diabetes, more than 90 percent said they would recommend the tool, and three out of four would continue using it.

"These are the numbers we're looking for," says Chye. "This proves the strength of the messaging. You're actually seeing value out of the solution."

Developed by Baltimore-based WellDoc, DiabetesManager analyzes blood-glucose readings and other data entered by the user and offers personalized and real-time feedback regarding self-management decisions, a process that covers everything from charting blood-glucose readings over time to offering advice on food choices. The device connects the user with a case management team that includes health providers and other caregivers.

"It's an empowerment tool," says Denise Harper-Saxon, HCSC's case management nurse. Members using the device, she says, "come to realize how much control they actually have over their diabetes – they're not at the whim of a doctor, who they might see" every now and then.

"This gives them input – it hits home," she adds. "I've seen some of them make real, amazing changes in their lifestyles. They finally realize they can be the captain of their own ship."

The DiabetesManager pilot is the latest in a long line of products and services launched by AT&T mHealth Solutions, part of the company's ForHealth business, created roughly two years ago. According to Chye, the company's goal is to introduce mobile health solutions that engage both the patient and the caregiver and move beyond the simple entering of numbers into a database.

"We're looking for engagement," she says. "There are thousands of apps and devices out there that can help connect, but they don't interact. That's why you see, with most of the apps, less than 10 percent of the users will continue to use them after the 10th use. They don't sustain interest."

That's the same issue faced by Harper-Saxon, who says members with type 2 diabetes "know what's going to happen – they know the risks." By using mHealth tools to interact with them on a daily basis "when life happens," she says, "it's not so far off in the past that they don't recall the particulars. They can make little tweaks (to their lifestyle) that make a big difference."

Eric Wicklund

Editor of mHIMSS.org

Follow Eric on Twitter @eriwick