WellDoc Communications takes health info mobile - Baltimore Business Journal:

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“I needed something to give me a kick in the make memore regimented,” said His motivation came from an unlikelyu source: his cell phone. Dr. Suzanne Sysko Clough set her sights onusinv patients’ cell phones to improve diabetes controo when she was practicing medicines at the . That led Clough, an and her brother Ryan Sysko, a busines s executive seasonedin direct-to-consumer marketing, to launchg Baltimore-based in 2005. The startu is banking on mobile communications-basex products to take on disease medical lingo for proactively managinh health issues to reduce healtycare costs.
Traditionally, patients with complicatedx diseases like diabetes have been left to their own deviced to manage the complex health regimens that requirecontinuous Typically, support is limited to a few brief doctotr visits a year. With WellDoc’s flagship product, called Diabetes Manager, patients input their blood glucose levels severao times a day into theitcell phones. Then, WellDoc electronically compiles and analyzesxthe data, and provides real-timw feedback to patients — praise for a good readinf or recommendations to get those levels up. It also routinel generates reports and forwards the analysis to each of the healthcare providers.
Although the Diabetes Manager is still in thetesting phase, WellDoc has garnerede significant financial support. The startup has received $14 millio from private investors, led by Stewart Greenebaum, the well-known developer and benefactor. of Maryland is sponsoring two clinical trials of the Patients whoused WellDoc’s Diabete Manager lowered their A1c levels — the measurement of blood glucosde control over a few months’ time by an average of two pointsz in just 90 days, according to a pilot studyu at the . Currently, an estimatec 21 million people inthe U.S. suffer from which in 2007 costthe U.S. $218 billion.
WellDoc’es principals see the “virtual coach” aspectg of their products separating the company fromits competition, whicyh includes companies like T+ Medical, and . Patientzs like the feedback. “If I plugged a glucosew level into my cell phonr that was higherthan average, I’d get a messagre like, ‘Don’t panic.’ It was fun to get little notes of encouragement and confidence on my cell phone,” Frisojn said. In the year he used the Diabete s Manager as part of thepiloyt study, Frison’s A1C levels dropped from 11.6 to 7.5 — experts like to see that number around 6 and he lost about 10 pounds.
Technology like WellDoc’s has won the praise of diabetes educators, who expresz frustration at traditional management While promising, WellDoc’s products aren’t withou shortcomings. The Diabetes Manager’s menu offers only a limited choice ofcommunication options. And contractsw with cell phone carriers need to beworked out. to use the program, patients’ cell phones must be which excludes roughly 20 percent of the cell phonesx currently onthe market.
Technology hurdles haven’y prevented WellDoc from forgingahead ­— the company is eager to move out of clinicakl studies and begin commercializing its products, said Sysko, who wouldx not disclose WellDoc’s revenue or say if the compan y was profitable. WellDoc is applyingt its technology toother diseases. In September, WellDof partnered with to use a mobilde tool tocontrol asthma.