DiabetesWise Is Helping People with Diabetes Thrive Through Unbiased Device Reviews
Korey Hood, PhD, and his team – in collaboration with Stanford University, people with diabetes, and other stakeholders – created a platform that helps people with diabetes take control of their health with confidence and clarity through transparent and comprehensive device reviews.
Investors, learn how you can become a Health Moonshot Champion and support Health Transformers like Korey Hood, PhD.
The Challenge
Imagine being diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes (T1D) while pursuing your PhD in the field of Type 1 diabetes. That irony is Korey Hood’s story, and the spark for DiabetesWise.
“Being diagnosed with the same disease I was researching seemed like a strange coincidence. But looking back, I think it was a calling that gave me some extra passion for doing the work,” says Hood.
Being a clinical and health psychologist, Hood was no stranger to the clinical rules of taking insulin. But it was after he was diagnosed that he started realizing the real challenges of having diabetes. From choosing the right CGM to deciding whether an insulin pump was the best option, Hood was overwhelmed by the endless decisions that had to be made. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a place where he could get unbiased information or compare different devices to understand how those devices could fit into his life.
That gave rise to one big question in Hood’s mind – if he, a diabetes researcher, couldn't find unbiased information online about basic diabetes questions, particularly around medical devices, what hope was there for the person without an insider view?
Origin Story
This problem gave Korey Hood, PhD, a professor and a staff psychologist at Stanford University, the spark of an idea for a digital platform that would educate people with diabetes about the options they had to manage their condition.
A major driving force for Hood to build the platform was the fact that millions of individuals in the United States are affected by diabetes or are on their path to developing the condition. Among those who rely on insulin, around 5-6 million people struggle with effective management because access to diabetes devices, such as insulin pumps and continuous glucose monitors (CGMs), is often concentrated in urban areas.
So, leveraging his expertise in clinical research studies, Hood joined forces with three other experts to bring DiabetesWise to life. They pitched their idea to the Helmsley Charitable Trust and received support for the next five years through a $4M grant. The funding helped them work independently of commercial interests, focusing solely on creating an educational platform accessible to everyone, regardless of their choice of device or manufacturer.
As often happens with startups, solving one problem unearthed another. After the DiabetesWise platform was deployed, Hood began gaining insights into the different groups of people with diabetes who still couldn’t have their problems solved through his platform. These were essentially people who relied on primary care physicians for diabetes management. The challenge was that these primary care physicians didn’t always have the expertise or resources to provide comprehensive care, leaving many individuals without ready access to the tools that could significantly improve their diabetes management and overall wellbeing.
Korey also learned that these challenges were more pronounced for individuals residing in remote or rural areas, where the limited healthcare infrastructure and geographical barriers made it difficult for them to manage their condition effectively.
Then, Hood and his team started developing a professional version of DiabeteWise for healthcare providers that would help them better match people with diabetes to the right devices.
A short while after launching both platforms, Hood and his team conducted clinical trials involving around 500 people with diabetes to measure DiabetesWise’s impact. Their goal was to see if DiabetesWise would encourage more discussions about diabetes devices with healthcare providers and lead to more people adopting them.
“We could tell just across the first couple of months that people were accessing it and that they were using it as a tool to share information or handouts that they had with their providers and start on that process,” says Hood.
Under the Hood
DiabetesWise was designed after drawing inspiration from models like Consumer Reports. Developed by a small team of four full-time members who dedicate their efforts to the platform and a larger advisory group of endocrinologists, psychologists, primary care practitioners, certified diabetes educators, and individuals living with diabetes themselves, the platform acts as a source of reliable and unbiased information.
On DiabetesWise, people with diabetes can compare treatments and devices – including insulin pumps, connected pens, smart pens, automated insulin delivery systems, and emerging technologies – based on different features, free from the influence of device manufacturers’ agendas. It provides comprehensive information and resources for each device category, from guides on using them to tips for navigating insurance coverage.
In addition to its technology-focused content, DiabetesWise also emphasizes community and storytelling through its “Wisdom” section, where people share their personal experiences of starting and stopping devices and the reasons why. This helps people with diabetes make informed decisions about what devices would better fit their unique circumstances and lifestyle.
DiabetesWise Pro has a prescription assistance tool that streamlines the process of understanding and accessing diabetes management options, making it easier for healthcare providers to find the best device options for their patients.
When it comes to the business model, DiabetesWise operates with a dual focus: serving both direct-to-consumer needs and partnering with healthcare providers, clinics, and payers. While the core services are free to access for individuals with diabetes, the team is exploring avenues to collaborate with healthcare stakeholders to ensure sustainability and scalability. In the latter case, the DiabetesWise team is looking for people interested in supporting some of their services. For instance, they are exploring innovative strategies to embed prescription tools into electronic health records (EHRs) in order to streamline the process of prescribing diabetes management devices.
In addition, they are also considering partnerships with payers to bundle DiabetesWise with other services that could enhance patient support and education during critical moments, like when starting continuous glucose monitoring (CGM).
DiabetesWise is also developing resources such as videos, handouts, and guidance materials to support both individuals and healthcare providers. These resources will facilitate communication and decision making, empowering individuals to take control of their diabetes management while providing healthcare providers with valuable tools for patient education and support.
Last Words
Born out of Stanford and developed by a team of professionals with backgrounds in healthcare, DiabetesWise stands out for its mission of providing unbiased resources and support for individuals managing diabetes. With their focus on devices, DiabetesWise stands alone as a trusted partner that can help any insulin-dependent individual figure out what tools are right for them. Whether they need to start, stop, or switch devices, DiabetesWise is ready to help.
We’re also bullish on DiabetesWise because it fosters community. The platform fosters engagement and interaction among its members, creating an environment where individuals can share their experiences, learn from one another, and find solidarity in their diabetes journey. With all these features, DiabetesWise is driving a positive change in the diabetes space and improving outcomes for individuals living with diabetes. Join us in welcoming them to the StartUp Health family and the Type 1 Diabetes Moonshot Community.
Connect with DiabetesWise via email
Call for Alzheimer’s Innovation
With support from the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF) and Gates Ventures, we’ve launched a new global initiative created to develop a collaborative innovation community alongside leading companies, research teams, and stakeholders with a mission to accelerate progress in prevention, diagnosis, and management of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. Learn more and apply for an Alzheimer’s Moonshot Fellowship.
Become a Health Moonshot Champion
Health moonshots are fueled by passionate families, foundations, and industry organizations committed to achieving health moonshots. Learn how you can join other champions of the T1D Moonshot or one of our other global health moonshots.
Follow us on social media for daily updates on Health Transformers: Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.
Published: Mar 28, 2024