04-14-2022 Howard Magazine - Flipbook - Page 15
the app from their doctors.
The company is proud that
the FDA has granted nine
clearances for its BlueStar app,
allowing Welldoc to develop such
advanced features as insulin
management for diabetes
patients and more personalized
digital coaching. In addition
to diet and exercise, the app
contains sections for recording
lab results, medications, sleep
patterns and more.
Iyer likes to joke “that the
blockbuster drug of this century
is going to be engaged patients”
and adds: “If we do what our
doctors and nurses tell us to do,
over time, we will do a better job
of managing our health.”
In some ways, he says, using
the app is a bit like shopping at
the online retail marketing giant
Amazon.com, which uses artificial intelligence to tailor product
recommendations to customers.
“We’re getting used to more
and more personalization in
digital experiences,” Iyer said.
“Why not our health? The app
makes us active participants in
managing our own health in a
very personalized way.”
In 2018, Welldoc conducted
a study analyzing the blood
glucose levels in more than 3,000
patients with type 2 diabetes
aged 40 and older who had used
the BlueStar app for a year. The
study found that on average,
patients showed a decline of between 1.1 and 2 points on a test
that measures the patients’ A1C,
or average blood sugar levels.
According to the American
Diabetes Association, every point
decrease in a patient’s A1C level
is associated with a reduced risk
of suffering long-term diabetes
complications — a stroke, heart
attack, kidney failure, blindness
or a limb amputation — of up
to 40%.
Diabetes is an immensely
complicated condition. But
Welldoc’s staff believes they’re
starting to figure out one piece
of the puzzle.
“This app can actually help
people lead better, healthier
lives,” Iyer said. “I know that, because I was one of those people.”
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