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A Collaborative Effort Monitoring Blood Sugar
Canton Repository, Feb. 26, 2008
BY DIANA ROSSETTI, REPOSITORY LIVING SECTION WRITER
 | NEW SELF-MONITORING SYSTEM
Louisville resident Wilbur Sanders said his new GlucoCom Telemonitoring System for diabetics from AultCare makes tracking his blood-sugar levels quick and easy. It transmits his test results by telephone to the hospital.
REPOSITORY PHOTOS MICHAEL S. BALASH |  | BLOOD GLUCOSE TREND.
Tracking the results of diabetic patients' blood monitoring is one of AultCare case manager Linda Hahn's responsibilities. Patients transmit their testing results via a phone transmitter system.
PHOTO COURTESY OF AULTCARE | | LOUISVILLE -- Even before 30-year diabetic Wilbur Sanders received his GlucoCom self-monitoring blood glucose equipment from AultCare, his health insurer, he was charting his own levels.
And, today, Sanders, 83, continues to maintain his own chart with colors indicating good and bad levels.
But it was shortly after he found himself in the Aultman Hospital emergency room four months ago with blood sugar levels dangerously low that members of AultCare's diabetic case management team contacted him with an offer he could not refuse.
"They told me about a new monitoring system that works on the phone line," Sanders, a Hercules Engines retiree, said. "I said, 'It sounds good to me. How much does it cost? And they said it was just part of their program."
Soon, Sanders received a package containing a transmitter the size of a pack of cigarettes and a new glucometer.
Four times daily, Sanders tests his blood by pricking his finger with the glucometer, which is plugged into the transmitter.
He then plugs the transmitter into his telephone line and within seconds the information is sent to a case management nurse at AultCare. Its ease of operation is a bonus, Sanders said.
Linda Hahn, an AultCare case manager and registered nurse, explained what happens on her end of the phone line.
"We're looking for trends, to see what their blood sugars are doing," she said. "If I find that someone is high every morning, I'll let their physician know. It's really a collaboration between us, the physician and the patient. We're trying to educate people about their disease."
When he and his wife Eleanor are away from home for the day, Sanders takes his glucometer along and tests his blood at the regular times. When they return home, he then connects the glucometer to the transmitter and sends the entire day's readings to Aultman.
Approximately once weekly -- though Hahn said frequency is an individual decision in each patient's case -- copies of the readings are sent to Sanders and his physician. The regular monitoring and reporting has been implemented to prevent or delay complications and reduce health risks.
Reach Diana Rossetti at (330) 580-8322 or e-mail: diana.rossetti@cantonrep.com
DIABETES COSTING $174 BILLION ANNUALLY IN U.S.
On Jan. 23, the American Diabetes Association released an alarming new figure for diabetes care in this country. The $174 billion annual cost, officials said, has risen by 32 percent since 2002.
A large percentage of that cost is associated with hospitalizations and costs for treatment of diabetes-related complications. The ADA-commissioned study also revealed that one out of every five health-care dollars is spent caring for someone diagnosed with diabetes.
According to Ann L. Albright, the organization's health care and education president, "The findings re-affirm that diabetes is a public health crisis and its implications are painful and far reaching. This underscores the importance of early diagnosis and treatment. Diabetes becomes much more costly in financial and human terms when the disease is not properly treated."
DIABETES DICTIONARY
Glucose -- One of the simplest forms of sugar.
Blood glucose -- The main sugar found in the blood and the body's main source of energy. Also called blood sugar.
Blood glucose meter -- A small, portable machine used by people with diabetes to check their blood glucose levels. After pricking the skin with a lancet, one places a drop of blood on a test strip in the machine. The meter (or monitor) soon displays the blood glucose level as a number on the meter's digital display.
Endocrinologist -- A doctor who treats people who have endocrine gland problems such as diabetes.
Insulin -- Hormone that helps the body use glucose for energy. The beta cells of the pancreas make insulin. When the body cannot make enough insulin, it is taken by injection or through use of an insulin pump.
Insulin reaction -- When the level of glucose in the blood is too low, also known as hypoglycemia.
Insulin resistance -- A body's inability to respond to and use the insulin it produces. Insulin resistance may be linked to obesity, hypertension and high levels of fat in the blood.
Pancreas -- An organ that makes insulin and enzymes for digestion. The pancreas is behind the lower part of the stomach and is about the size of a hand.
Insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus -- The former term for juvenile or Type I Diabetes, a condition characterized by high blood glucose levels caused by a total lack of insulin. Occurs when the body's immune system attacks the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas and destroys them. The pancreas then produces little or no insulin. Type 1 diabetes develops most often in young people but can appear in adults.
Type 2 Diabetes -- A condition characterized by high blood glucose levels caused by either a lack of insulin or the body's inability to use insulin efficiently. Type 2 diabetes develops most often in middle-aged and older adults but can appear in young people.
Source: The American Diabetes Association
On Jan. 23, the American Diabetes Association released an alarming new figure for diabetes care in this country. The $174 billion annual cost, officials said, has risen by 32 percent since 2002. A large percentage of that cost is associated with hospitalizations and costs for treatment of diabetes-related complications. The ADA-commissioned study also revealed that one out of every five health-care dollars is spent caring for someone diagnosed with diabetes. According to Ann L. Albright, the organization's health care and education president, "The findings re-affirm that diabetes is a public health crisis and its implications are painful and far reaching. This underscores the importance of early diagnosis and treatment. Diabetes becomes much more costly in financial and human terms when the disease is not properly treated." Glucose -- One of the simplest forms of sugar. Blood glucose -- The main sugar found in the blood and the body's main source of energy. Also called blood sugar. Blood glucose meter -- A small, portable machine used by people with diabetes to check their blood glucose levels. After pricking the skin with a lancet, one places a drop of blood on a test strip in the machine. The meter (or monitor) soon displays the blood glucose level as a number on the meter's digital display. Endocrinologist -- A doctor who treats people who have endocrine gland problems such as diabetes. Insulin -- Hormone that helps the body use glucose for energy. The beta cells of the pancreas make insulin. When the body cannot make enough insulin, it is taken by injection or through use of an insulin pump. Insulin reaction -- When the level of glucose in the blood is too low, also known as hypoglycemia. Insulin resistance -- A body's inability to respond to and use the insulin it produces. Insulin resistance may be linked to obesity, hypertension and high levels of fat in the blood. Pancreas -- An organ that makes insulin and enzymes for digestion. The pancreas is behind the lower part of the stomach and is about the size of a hand. Insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus -- The former term for juvenile or Type I Diabetes, a condition characterized by high blood glucose levels caused by a total lack of insulin. Occurs when the body's immune system attacks the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas and destroys them. The pancreas then produces little or no insulin. Type 1 diabetes develops most often in young people but can appear in adults. Type 2 Diabetes -- A condition characterized by high blood glucose levels caused by either a lack of insulin or the body's inability to use insulin efficiently. Type 2 diabetes develops most often in middle-aged and older adults but can appear in young people. Source: The American Diabetes Association
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