Over the past decade, there has been a significant investment in digital health companies that aimed to improve outcomes for the 38 million Americans living with type 2 diabetes. These companies offer products that come with a high price tag but promise to reduce healthcare costs in the long run by preventing serious complications such as amputation and kidney failure. However, a recent systematic review by the Peterson Health Technology Institute has found that digital tools used to manage diabetes through finger-stick blood glucose readings do not lead to clinically significant improvements over standard care. In fact, these tools end up increasing healthcare spending rather than reducing it.
Caroline Pearson, the executive director of the institute, stated that most solutions in this category do not provide clinical benefits that justify their cost. While the review did find that certain populations may benefit from these digital tools, the overall evidence does not support widespread adoption of these products. Despite some potential benefits for specific groups, the report concludes that the current evidence does not support the broader use of these products.
The massive investments in digital health companies aiming to improve outcomes for individuals with type 2 diabetes have failed to deliver on their promises. Despite some potential benefits for specific groups, many of these products do not deliver significant clinical benefits to justify their cost. As a result, healthcare spending may actually increase rather than decrease when using these digital tools for managing diabetes.
In conclusion, despite billions of dollars being invested in digital health companies aimed at improving outcomes for individuals with type 2 diabetes over the last decade, there is no substantial evidence to suggest that many of these products are effective or justified by their cost. The current evidence suggests that these tools may even increase healthcare spending instead of reducing it.
