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Ascensia Diabetes Care: Innovative Solutions for Diabetes Management

CIO VendorMichael Kloss, CEO
Diabetes is a growing concern for society that is having a serious social and economic impact on countries around the globe. According to recent estimates by the International Diabetes Federation, 425 million people worldwide have diabetes. Regular blood glucose monitoring provides people with diabetes, as well as their healthcare professionals, with the information required to determine the most effective diabetes management strategy. Because of this, blood glucose meters are one of the core pieces of technology that people require to manage their diabetes.

With a longstanding history of innovative diabetes management solutions, Ascensia Diabetes Care develops high-quality solutions and precision tools that are designed to help people with diabetes “more effectively manage their condition and take charge of their lives.” The company’s core products are highly accurate, easy-to-use blood glucose monitoring devices. Established in 2016 through the acquisition of Bayer Diabetes Care by PHC Holdings Corporation (previously known as Panasonic Healthcare Holdings), Ascensia Diabetes Care has a legacy of over 70 years of delivering innovative diabetes care solutions. The company operates in 31 countries, and approximately 10 million people use its products globally.

The CEO of Ascensia Diabetes Care, Michael Kloss, states, “What underpins our range of products is remarkable accuracy.” The company’s two main strip platforms, CONTOUR NEXT and CONTOUR PLUS, are each remarkably accurate and deliver better error margins than current ISO accuracy requirements. As part of their alliance with Medtronic, the largest insulin pump manufacturer, Ascensia has co-developed the CONTOUR NEXT LINK 2.4 and CONTOUR PLUS LINK 2.4 that connect directly with Medtronic’s integrated insulin pump systems for highly accurate calibration.
Ascensia’s latest blood glucose meters, the wireless-enabled CONTOUR NEXT ONE and CONTOUR PLUS ONE smart meters, seamlessly connect with the CONTOUR DIABETES app. The app automatically captures, stores and analyzes readings, and generates insights into how a patient’s activities affect their blood glucose levels.

The most recent version of the CONTOUR DIABETES app is based on the Information-Motivation-Behavioral skills model of behavioral science. The app is able to identify sub-optimal patterns in blood glucose readings. If it finds a pattern, the app highlights it to the user and suggests potential ways they could better manage their diabetes—whether it is through changes to food intake, exercise, or medication. Moreover, the CONTOUR DIABETES app helps people set reminders to ensure that they actually implement the recommended lifestyle changes. “We are helping people make behavioral changes to their lifestyle through personalized diabetes management,” adds Kloss.

Diabetes management is not just about blood glucose and future solutions need to help people with all aspects of it

Although Ascensia believes that blood glucose monitoring will continue to remain as a core aspect of diabetes management for millions of people with diabetes worldwide, one area of focus for the future is interconnected diabetes management solutions and services to support patient self-management.

“Our goal is to develop a holistic, integrated digital diabetes management solution that connects multiple sources of data from various parts of a person’s diabetes care,” explains Kloss. “Effective diabetes management is about more than blood glucose, and future solutions need to help people with all aspects of it, from glucose monitoring and medication management to nutrition advice and exercise plans, to coaching and emotional support.”

Kloss adds that this is not something any one company can achieve alone. “Collaboration is key in this area, which is why we are collaborating with leading science and technology companies and healthcare professionals to ensure that we develop solutions that can make a positive difference in diabetes management. Our intention is that our tools are able to empower people with diabetes to change how they manage it, so that they can live a healthy life.”