Asthmapolis Expands Dignity Health Study to Include Mercy Medical Group Patients

MADISON, Wis., Aug. 6, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Asthmapolis announced today that it will be expanding its asthma study at Woodland Healthcare in Woodland, Calif. to also include patients from Mercy Medical Group, another Dignity Health system, located in neighboring Sacramento, Calif.

"We're excited to expand the study to include the patients and physicians at Mercy Medical Group," noted David Van Sickle, co-founder and CEO of Asthmapolis. "With the addition of this system, thousands of additional individuals in Sacramento will now be eligible to participate in a free program to better understand and manage their asthma."

Dignity Health, formerly Catholic Healthcare West, is the fifth largest healthcare system in the United States. The Asthmapolis study is part of the organization's comprehensive, integrated clinical care model created to improve the lives of adults and children with chronic disease by reducing cost, expanding access and improving quality of care. "This is a tremendous opportunity to work with a state-of-the-art technology to improve the health of our patients," stated S. Rubina Inamdar, M.D., Head, Division of Allergy and Immunology at Mercy Medical Group. 

Study participants will be equipped with the Asthmapolis inhaler sensor, which sits on top of inhalers that are used to relieve symptoms in the event of an asthma attack. When an inhaler is used, the sensor works with the participant's cell phone to transmit the time and location of the attack to the company's computer network.

The study is open to both English and Spanish-speaking patients, and there is no enrollment cost. Participants will be compensated $25 upon enrollment, and those who complete the study will be entered in a drawing to win $500.

The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) rates Sacramento as one of the most challenging cities to live with asthma, with worse than average air quality. In May, the area experienced an asthma outbreak as a result of windy weather conditions combined with high pollen counts.

To join the study, or for more information, please contact Jesika Riley, study coordinator, at (530) 669-5633 or [email protected].

About Asthmapolis
Asthmapolis was founded in 2010 with the goal of improving the management of asthma for patients and healthcare professionals. The company's medication sensors, mobile applications and other tools enable asthma patients and their physicians to gain more awareness of asthma control and understanding of triggers, while also providing public health researchers with timely, comprehensive and objective data on the burden of asthma in communities. Asthmapolis has partnered with organizations such as the Air Pollution and Respiratory Health Branch at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the California HealthCare Foundation, Catholic HealthCare West and others. For more information, please visit www.asthmapolis.com.

The Asthmapolis medication system and associated software has not been cleared for use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

SOURCE Asthmapolis