Glytec, the only provider of cloud-based insulin management software across the continuum of care, announced a strategic partnership with Roche Diagnostics USA, a division of the world’s largest biotech company and a global pioneer in pharmaceuticals and diagnostics.
This digital health collaboration combines Roche’s expertise in medical devices and IT solutions with Glytec’s FDA-cleared insulin dosing decision support software, Glucommander™, to address the pervasive challenges with inpatient blood sugar management at the hospital bedside. Glucommander will be the first software application available to run on Roche’s smart-device next-generation hospital blood glucose system, cobas® pulse, which is designed with the intention of improving patient safety and care by empowering point-of-care clinicians to collect and take immediate action on glycemic management data.
Glucommander has been proven to reduce severe low blood sugar by 99.8%, 30-day readmissions by 36-68% and length of stay by up to 3.2 days. The safety and efficacy of Glucommander have been validated in hundreds of research studies, making it the most studied software solution in the category. One customer calculated that Glucommander led to over $9 million in cost savings in the first year of use.
“Our algorithmic decision support software has been helping hospital clinicians optimize glycemic management for nearly two decades, and we’ve seen the positive impact it can have,” said Ed Furlong, Chief Executive Officer at Glytec. “The fact that Roche understands the importance of inpatient glycemic management and chose Glytec as the first software partner for the revolutionary device it’s designing speaks volumes about the technology we’ve built and the direction the market is headed.”
Roche and Glytec Bring Innovation to the Point of Care
This combination of hardware and software is being designed to help nurses and physicians close the gap between getting data and taking action. Clinicians’ time is their most limited resource: the objectives of the partnership are to combine the immediacy of a bedside blood glucose test with Glytec’s clinically-proven insulin decision support on a single, handheld device, with the intention of streamlining workflows and saving time. The integrated device and applications are designed to improve patient safety and outcomes by empowering point-of-care clinicians to collect and take immediate action on glycemic management data.
“Diagnostics play a critical role in helping people live longer and healthier lives and we are hopeful that this partnership with Glytec will bring an innovative glucose management tool to the point of care,” said Brad Moore, Senior Vice President, Core Lab and Point of Care at Roche Diagnostics. “Our goal is to drive better care for patients and there is a great need for a diagnostic ecosystem that combines accurate results, robust data, and digital capabilities to improve the standard of care.”
CMS Amplifies Focus on Glycemic Management
With an understanding of the positive impact that proper insulin management can have on outcomes and cost of care, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) published two new eCQMs to measure glycemic management outcomes in August as part of its annual IPPS update. These rules suggest that hospitals should address prolonged, untreated high blood sugar at the bedside and that severe low blood sugar related to insulin management should be a never event.
