Healthcare Technology Featured Article

December 06, 2011

Entra Health Systems and Qualcomm Join to Offer mHealth Diabetes Solution


Entra Health Systems today announced that it will integrate its blood glucose meter with the 2net platform from Qualcomm Life Inc. to provide a standalone home monitoring solution for assisted living, caregiver/home monitoring devices, and at diabetes-based fitness centers, hospitals and clinics.

Qualcomm Life Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated.  MyGlucoHealth Wireless is the blood glucose meter manufactured by Entra that will be used with the 2net platform.

The combination of the two technologies allows patients to not only monitor their blood glucose levels but also to transmit that information to their doctors.

Even though more and more people are being diagnosed with diabetes and other chronic illnesses as the population ages, mHealth is helping patients to live – and be – better by allowing them to monitor their health much more closely. By using the mobile health products and services offered by mHealth, such as Entra’s wireless blood glucose meter, the wireless industry is dramatically reforming healthcare by improving access and quality of care while decreasing costs, according to recent reports.  

The new 2net Hub is a plug-and-play connectivity gateway into the 2net platform's data center, according to the press release at marketwatch.com.

"The 2net Platform opens up a broad range of markets for MyGlucoHealth Wireless technology," said Richard Strobridge, CEO of Entra Health, in the press release. "It's a new opportunity that provides immediate interconnection between interactive devices within a homecare environment. The wireless link created by the 2net hub allows a connected care team to receive real-time testing data, which the team can use to aid patients in better controlling their diabetes. MyGlucoHealth offers immediate feedback and resources to keep the patient connected and motivated to better manage their personal care and improve their lifestyle."

mHealth apps will top $400 million and climb to 142 million downloads globally by 2016, according to Jupiter Research.

“Our engagement with Entra Health is bringing to life our vision for better connected care that can have a significant impact on the management of chronic disease,” adds Rick Valencia, vice president and general manager of Qualcomm Life, in the press release. “MyGlucoHealth is engineered to enable the availability of important diabetes management information via the 2net Platform. It gives clinicians access to data that they can use in an effort to increase patient involvement, improve clinical outcomes and reduce the overall cost of chronic disease management."

Strobridge says that by collaborating with Qualcomm Life, his company is now able to “offer an affordable solution that connects patients with a wide range of healthcare resources," noting that, in the U.S.,  diabetes affects nearly 10 percent of the population, 25.8 million adults and children and that percentage is significantly higher among elder Americans.

This solution will be particularly useful in underserved rural and ethnic populations, where “diabetes is pervasive, grossly under-monitored and extremely expensive to manage,” according to the press release. “In many cases, public health is paying for patient neglect and the lack of local care providers,” says Strobridge. “We see the MyGlucoHealth/2net Platform integration as an unobtrusive means of extending the reach of clinicians into a patient's home or assisted living environment to provide better care and ultimately alleviate some unnecessary healthcare expenditures."


Deborah DiSesa Hirsch is an award-winning health and technology writer who has worked for newspapers, magazines and IBM in her 20-year career. To read more of her articles, please visit her columnist page.

Edited by Carrie Schmelkin
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