50 million people live with chronic respiratory disease in the U.S. and it is a $50 billion problem. Asthmapolis has raised $5 million from the Social+Capital Partnership to address both.
The system combines a sensor that snaps onto asthma inhalers with a mobile app that displays data to the user and provides insights about their treatment. The company also provides personalized feedback in email, text, mail, and personal calls to help patents more effectively manage their disease. For clinicians, Asthmapolis provides dashboards with real-time and summary data so they can monitor their patients.
“No one offers an automated, comprehensive disease management platform like we do – combining sensors, apps, analytics and personalized services for patients – and we’re the only ones to date that have FDA clearance for this type of solution,” said CEO and cofounder David van Sickle, PhD in an email. “Traditional disease management doesn’t combine technology with services in this way, and disease management apps don’t collect passive information through sensors or provide real-time feedback with nurse educators.”
Sickle formerly worked as a epidemiologist focusing on asthma and respiratory health at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He was frustrated by the lack of objective and timely data about asthma, as well as the lack of communication between doctors and patients that comprised treatment of the disease. He said doctors lacked information about their patients between visits, and patients often misunderstood how to effectively control their asthma. By using inhalers to capture data, Asthmapolis seeks to bring a greater level of transparency and insight to the treatment and prevention of the disease.
Asthma is still a pervasive problem in the U.S.. Each year, uncontrolled asthma leads to 500,000 hospitalizations, 2 million Emergency Room visits, 10 million physician visits, and 25 million missed days of school or work. Additionally, 60% of asthma conditions are uncontrolled, but getting it under control can potentially save patients thousands of dollars.
Asthampolis can also save hospitals, doctors, and insurance companies money. The startup has rolled our commercial partnership programs with Amerigroup Florida (Wellpoint), Wyckoff Heights Medical Center in New York, Dignity Health in California, and pharmacy and public initiatives in the City of Louisville. To date, Asthmapolis claims to have helped users achieve 20,000 asthma-free days. This financing will support development of new services to extend its reach to people living with all forms of chronic respiratory disease, not just asthma.
The company is based in Madison, Wisconsin. It was founded in 2010.
Photo Credit: Asthmapolis
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