LifeMap Solutions, a subsidiary of BioTime, announced the pilot program of COPD Navigator, an mHealth app that will help patients monitor and manage Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). Available for iOS devices, the application was developed in close partnership alongside researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
“COPD patients can slow the progression of the disease and improve quality of life through effective self-management.” said Corey Bridges, CEO of LifeMap Solutions. “The promise of the mHealth revolution is to empower patients with self-management tools that are engaging and easy to use.”
COPD Navigator tracks patient data that includes symptoms, medication and treatment adherence, and overall quality of life.COPD Navigator tracks patient data that includes symptoms, medication and treatment adherence, and overall quality of life. The information collected can be presented in an easy-to-grasp and configurable graph that allows the patient to recognize patterns in their own health history, as well as send this information to their doctor. Furthermore, the app provides real-time alerts about local air quality and extreme weather, and delivers educational content from leading respiratory hospital National Jewish Health.
Beyond the app for patients, LifeMap is building the entire COPD management solution, which also includes Bluetooth-enabled inhaler technology and a companion app for care providers. Through integration with Apple’s HealthKit platform, COPD Navigator will accept inhaler usage information from any HealthKit-compliant, smart inhaler device though for the time being, LifeMap will provide a smart device of its own design. The inhaler-usage information is crucial for tracking medication adherence and identifying environmental and behavioral triggers of exacerbations.
On the other hand, the app for care providers offers a view of the health status of their patient populations. Providers have the ability to drill down into a specific patient’s record or can flag multiple high-risk patients, set rules for events-based alerts, and intervene early to reduce the risk of acute exacerbations. It also enables them to send health alerts and reminders to their patients.
Beyond the app for patients, LifeMap is building the entire COPD management solution, which also includes Bluetooth-enabled inhaler technology and a companion app for care providers.The last pillar of LifeMap’s strategy is to use all of the data collected to facilitate ongoing research into COPD, and eventually other medical conditions. To this end, the company is working alongside the Icahn Institute for Genomics and Multiscale Biology to develop algorithms for predicting exacerbations, identifying effective interventions, and personalizing care plans based on demographics, lifestyle, and clinical history.
With its Asthma Health app, LifeMap Solutions was one of the launch partners for Apple’s Research Kit platform.
COPD is the third leading cause of death in the US, and it affects an estimated 24 million Americans.