Medtronic Unveils New Advanced Diabetes Therapy Management Software
Minneapolis, MN - Medtronic, Inc. recently announced the launch of a new physician component to its CareLink Therapy Management System for Diabetes. CareLink Pro Software, the advanced therapy management software for healthcare professionals, allows healthcare professionals to quickly and easily analyze their patients' critical diabetes management data, and identify cause and effect relationships in therapy that may enhance office visits and optimize treatment decisions.
CareLink Pro Software and CareLink Personal Software provide an integrated approach to diabetes control by to simplifying data management associated with regular diabetes management. The new physician-based software enables professionals to retrieve a patient's data from the Internet after the patient uploads the data using his or her CareLink Personal account. The unique software platform also provides robust reports with data from the insulin pump, continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) sensor, and meter to solve the puzzle of glucose control.
"We expect these new physician tools to greatly simplify pump therapy initiation and the ongoing ‘fine tuning' adjustments associated with maintaining healthy blood sugar control," said Chris O'Connell, president of the Diabetes business at Medtronic.
"Due to large patient case loads, many endocrinologists are often overburdened and have less time to spend with each patient, so we believe that better information and closer communication between physician and patient will help improve diabetes management and therapy outcomes."
The CareLink Therapy Management System uncovers patterns and problems for better glucose control:
CareLink Personal Software for Patients
- Allows patients to upload data from their diabetes management devices to a secure, web-based online database
- Enables patients to discover glucose patterns and problems that meter software and logbooks would not uncover
- Reports help patients track insulin usage, carbohydrate intake, and glucose levels
CareLink Pro Software for Physicians
- Integrates critical clinical information from patient devices
- Provides easy-to-read reports that give insights to clinical patterns and patient behaviors
- Enables easier identification of patterns and problems than with blood glucose meter software or logbooks
- Reduces or eliminates in-office uploading time and makes office visits more productive
The only software that integrates meter, logbook and continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) data, the CareLink Personal Software helps patients learn how insulin, carbohydrates and exercise affect their diabetes. Detailed treatment reports feature easy to use charts and graphs, and reveal patterns and problems often overlooked by traditional meter software or paper logbooks.
"As a physician, I have less and less time to manage the dozens of patients in my practice suffering from diabetes," said Jill Abelseth, MD, The Endocrinology Group, Albany, New York. "CareLink Pro allows me to better organize my practice, manage multiple patients and provide more regular help to those individuals who need it most, ultimately providing better quality care."
All CareLink Software is compatible with most major blood glucose meters and is available for the MiniMed Paradigm REAL-Time Insulin Pump Systems. The patient software also supports the Guardian REAL-Time Continuous Glucose Monitoring System; CareLink Pro is expected to support the Guardian REAL-Time System in the near future.
REAL-Time Insulin Pump and Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) System
Medtronic currently markets the MiniMed Paradigm REAL-Time Insulin Pump and Continuous Glucose Monitoring System – the world's first insulin pump with REAL-Time continuous glucose monitoring. The MiniMed Paradigm REAL-Time System has all of the benefits of CGM plus the added value of precise insulin delivery through the use of insulin pump therapy. The Guardian REAL-Time System is a stand-alone CGM device and is available for adult patients as well as children and teenagers ages seven to 17.
Diabetes Statistics
According to the American Diabetes Association, almost 21 million Americans (seven percent of the population) have the disease. Diabetes affects children and adults, costing the United States more than $132 billion in direct and indirect costs.
SOURCE: Medtronic