Vermedx diabetes system wins Texas trial

Vermedx said its diabetes management program will be the centerpiece of a market test in San Antonio that could quickly spread  statewide.

Vermedx consists of databases and treatment information on diabetes. Alerts can be sent automatically to patients based on test results.

Note that this is not an Electronic Medical Record (EMR), and it's not a disease registry. Vermedx is essentially a decision-support system activated by lab data and informed by a database of past actions and results.

San Antonio has the second-highest diabetes death rate in the U.S., 49.8 per 100,000, trailing only New Orleans. The San Antonio Metropolitan Health District hopes a pilot program for 50,000 patients can cut that rate.

The pilot is being done based on a state mandate, and success for Vermedx could lead to its being selected for use statewide as early as next year.

A Vermedx white paper describes the system as a feedback loop, which can get test results from a lab, create recommendations based on mass patient histories, then generate data for the physician and Alert Letters to patients.

The Alert Letters explain the implication of test results, and suggest specific follow-up action. Once a patient is in the system they may also get a Reminder Letter if they fail to follow-up.

While Vermedx can be linked to an Electronic Medical Record (EMR) system, it can also stand-alone, running based solely on test results and its own resources.

Diabetes care represents about one-fourth of the U.S. annual health budget, estimated last year at $2.3 trillion or 20% of GDP.