New Remote Patient Monitoring Partnership Aims to Enhance Diabetes Care

UBMD Pediatrics has entered into a collaboration with Cecelia Health to enhance care for children with type 1 diabetes by providing remote patient monitoring.

UBMD Pediatrics is a medical group that has offices across western New York. It provides primary and specialty healthcare to young adults and children.

Cecelia Health is a virtual-first provider that focuses on various chronic diseases, including diabetes. The organization provides services such as remote clinical support and device training.

Through the collaboration, UBMD Pediatrics will provide its patients with access to remote care management and physiological monitoring.

“Dedication to discovery, patient care, and advancing science is what defines renowned academic medical centers like ours,” said Steven E. Lipshultz, MD, A. Conger Goodyear Professor and chair of pediatrics in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo, in the press release.

Despite growing evidence of the benefits of remote care, adoption is often not possible due to the need for financial resources. However, UBMD Pediatrics received a $1.43 million grant from the Leona M. and Harry B Helmsley Charitable Trust, which funded the collaboration.

The grant will provide for three years of service. During this time, researchers hope to examine various aspects of using RPM for diabetes care, such as the efficacy of cellular-enabled tablets in enabling pediatric patients to take complete control of their diabetes technologies, such as continuous glucose monitors and insulin pumps.

The organizations hope that access to remote care will result in improved HbA1c levels and reduced hospital admissions for diabetic ketoacidosis.

Researchers also intend to explore how video care, along with the ability to transmit data electronically, compares to phone-only support.

“UBMD Pediatrics is proud to join forces with the Helmsley Charitable Trust and Cecelia Health to transform the lives of the patients we serve by translating innovation in the lab to improve outcomes at the bedside and in the community, elevating care in an equitable and inclusive way for all patients,” Lipshultz said.

Research shows that telehealth can successfully be used to treat diabetes, with one study detailing how the care modality lowered hemoglobin A1C levels. The study included a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials, which took place over the course of 10 years.  

Remote patient monitoring has also proven successful in treating other conditions, including COVID-19. A recent study showed that the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics successfully used a home monitoring system to track the progress of the disease remotely, thereby reducing the number of people receiving care in the hospital.