Type 1 diabetes management and CGM integration are now on the table for WellDoc’s BlueStar, a management platform well known for being the first mobile health product to secure reimbursement as a diabetes therapy.

Thanks to a new FDA clearance, the company’s seventh, BlueStar will include integrated glucose level insights related to food, medication and activity that are based on the data from their Dexcom CGM. These data will be available to a user’s clinician as well, so that they may review and adjust an ongoing treatment plan if necessary. In addition, the platform picked up a new insulin on board feature that helps gauge how much insulin is active in the body from previous doses.

"With this clearance, we are very proud to bring BlueStar to support people living with Type 1 diabetes," Welldoc Chief Medical Officer Dr. Mansur Shomali said in a statement.

WHY IT MATTERS

Much like Type 2 diabetes, managing Type 1 diabetes requires a near-constant attention to insulin levels that substantially impact the patient’s quality of life. Although Type 2 is more prevalent, as of 2015 there were still roughly 1.25 million adults and children with living with Type 1 in the US.

Support from Welldoc’s platform, and in particular these new CGM data integrations, could reduce the burden of these patients.

"With this clearance, we are very proud to bring BlueStar to support people living with Type 1 diabetes," Welldoc Chief Medical Officer Dr. Mansur Shomali said in a statement. "People with Type 1 diabetes have unique challenges and needs. They have to manage glucose, food, insulin, and physical activity throughout their hectic daily schedules. They can now use BlueStar to simplify some of their diabetes-related tasks such as calculating carbs, dosing insulin and connecting to their favorite devices.”

THE LARGER TREND

The latest clearance is also another step forward for WellDoc’s BlueStar, which has already been employed in a number of programs since its reimbursement debut in 2013. Most recently, WellDoc entered a new partnership with Competitive Health that will deploy the tool to clients of the latter company.

The platform has been tied to increased patient engagement and cost savings in studies backed by the company, and over the years has gained a number of features including hypertension and weight management support as well as educational content for users.