New Diabetes Tool Available On American Diabetes Association Web Site

Main Category: Diabetes
Also Included In: IT / Internet / E-mail
Article Date: 07 Oct 2007 - 9:00 PDT

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The American Diabetes Association unveiled a new web-based diabetes tool that makes it easier for people with diabetes - and their care providers - to share and organize important health information to improve their diabetes care. The tool, My Diabetes Connector, is a diabetes management software application developed by a software and services company, MyCareTeam, Inc. My Diabetes Connector is available by subscription at http://www.diabetes.org/mydiabetesconnector.

My Diabetes Connector enables people with diabetes to securely send blood glucose (sugar) readings from their glucose meter to the My Diabetes Connector Application. My Diabetes Connector's goal is to be compatible with other major, publicly available, web-enabled applications being introduced to the marketplace, such as the new application announced today by Microsoft.

"We are very excited to offer My Diabetes Connector, which was developed by MyCareTeam, Inc. We believe that this tool may further engage people in the learning process about managing their diabetes," said Richard Kahn, PhD, Chief Scientific and Medical Officer, American Diabetes Association. "Such a web-based platform may improve the dialogue between the patient and their health care team."

My Diabetes Connector is unique in that it allows input from multiple blood glucose meters. Data stored to My Diabetes Connector is accessible through the Internet, allowing care providers and family members - with the patient's permission - to monitor the information, regardless of location. For instance, a parent can monitor a child's glucose data while the child is away at college, and data for an elderly parent living in Florida can be easily monitored by a grown child who lives in Boston. Alternatively, people who do not wish to share online access with care providers can print reports and graphs and take them to appointments to review with their health care team.

More than most chronic diseases, diabetes often requires behavioral and medication changes supported by frequent feedback and input from care providers. My Diabetes Connector offers a unique and personalized way to share and monitor blood glucose levels, keep track of medications, log blood pressure, track lab results, and build and maintain an exercise log. My Diabetes Connector also allows people with diabetes to invite individuals into their health-management support circle, and provides an interactive method for receiving feedback in the form of charts and graphs.

The software application for My Diabetes Connector was developed by MyCareTeam, Inc. and has undergone several years' worth of research, design and testing in collaboration with Georgetown University. "The ADA sees value in offering an online database management tool to our constituents, and we have worked with MyCareTeam to offer this solution to the broader diabetes community," added Dr. Kahn.

"We are very pleased that the ADA has chosen to offer our software to its diabetes community," said Jim Mingle, CEO of MyCareTeam, Inc. "Our research has shown that My Diabetes Connector is an invaluable tool in diabetes management and we believe this is a wonderful opportunity to have a positive impact on the overall health of the many individuals with diabetes."

My Diabetes Connector is the only diabetes monitoring application available today that allows users to upload information from multiple glucose meters directly to their computer, without the need for installing additional software. Using a cable provided as part of the subscription to My Diabetes Connector, this means that a person with diabetes can just connect their meter to their computer and the data is uploaded automatically.

"We designed My Diabetes Connector to be an easy-to-use Internet application and a secure environment, said John Paglierani, Chief Technology Officer for MyCareTeam, Inc. "Users of My Diabetes Connector from the ADA's community of people with diabetes will find it very easy and safe to manage and track their disease."

Consumers can subscribe to My Diabetes Connector by visiting http://www.diabetes.org/mydiabetesconnector. Subscription fees range from $9.99 per month for an annual subscription, to $12.99 for a monthly subscription.

Nearly 21 million children and adults in the United States have diabetes, a disease characterized by high blood glucose levels that result from defects in the body's ability to produce and/or use insulin. Diabetes can lead to severely debilitating or fatal complications, such as heart disease, blindness, kidney disease, and amputations. It is the fifth leading cause of death by disease in the United States.

About the American Diabetes Association

The American Diabetes Association is the nation's premier voluntary health organization supporting diabetes research, information and advocacy. The Association's mission is to prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of all people affected by diabetes. Founded in 1940, the Association provides services to hundreds of communities across the country. http://www.diabetes.org.

About MyCareTeam, Inc.

MyCareTeam, Inc. was founded to provide software offerings designed to help people with diabetes collaborate and manage their disease while reducing overall healthcare costs. The company's diabetes offering has been successfully used, with proven results, for over five years by patients, doctors and nurses to dramatically improve the health and wellness in people with diabetes and reduce overall healthcare costs. MyCareTeam is headquartered in Boston and the company's website is http://www.mycareteam.com