TEXAS – The coronavirus is changing the way Texans get their medicine.
With social distancing rules added to good virus containment practices, a visit with a doctor will more likely happen over the phone rather than in-person. That’s why a telemedicine system called Dreamed Diabetes that was already approved by the FDA is beginning to operate in the state.
The system reaches type 1 diabetes patients, a group that is traditionally very difficult to keep evenly medicated with insulin without in-house doctors monitoring.
The company is in Israel, but it’s working with diabetes clinics in the U.S., and most recently at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston. It works by allowing type 1 diabetics to download their glucose and insulin pump info, and then uploads it all to Dreamed Diabetes, which uses artificial intelligence to decipher the data.
Doctor provides proactive tips for diabetic patients during the coronavirus pandemic
Eran Atlas, CEO of Dreamed Diabetes, said, “Our algorithm analyzes the data and basically produces a report for the provider, and then the provider creates an exact recommendation how to alter the insulin breakdown of the patient. [The doctor] just reviews it and presses a button.”
That immediate response goes straight to the patient, who can use the new recommendations for medications to control their condition. It’s a crucial objective in this coronavirus pandemic where at-risk diabetics must keep their condition monitored regularly without. It received a first of its kind FDA product approval last year, but its usage is now becoming commonplace.
“In one way, we are taking the touch, the face-to-face touch. But on the other hand, we are providing a much better care for people with diabetes and I think this is the goal. The goal is to find ways how we can take the opportunity... and actually provide better care for the patient,” said Atlas.
Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston is the first to adopt Dreamed Diabetes in Texas, but other telemedicine companies finding ways to expand as well. It’s expected this will be the future of medicine.