Blue Star is a smartphone app that helps diabetics track their glucose readings,
analyzing patients' blood glucose readings and coaching them on medical
and behavioral changes they can make to minimize the disease's impact.
That
may sound strange, but it actually makes a lot of sense. Since BlueStar
gives patients recommendations on the dosing and timing of their
diabetes meds, it had to be approved by the FDA,
unlike activity tracking apps that don't have to do with diagnosis or
treatment. It's not a stand-alone app either—the patient's doctor
designs a diabetes care strategy, and the app helps keep the patient on
target. And since it's prescription-only, a patient's health insurance
will likely pick up the cost.
BlueStar
launched to small regions last year, and will roll out nationwide in
2014. Now that there's such a thing as a prescription-strength
smartphone app, I wonder if Candy Crush will be labeled a controlled substance. [BlueStar via IEEE Spectrum]
