Digital Healthcare Introduces Retasure in Asheville, NC
New Product Streamlines Diabetic Retinal Scanning
ASHEVILLE, N.C., July 26 -- Digital Healthcare, a Wake Forest company specializing in retinal risk assessment for diabetics, announced today that the Carolina Internal Medicine Associates of Asheville, NC has become the first practice in the United States to install Retasure, a new retinal imaging risk assessment solution.
Retasure is a simple, affordable, non-invasive solution that allows primary care physicians to capture retinal images of diabetic patients with a procedure that takes less than five minutes. The images are then transmitted over a secure, HIPPA compliant network to a board certified ophthalmologist at an accredited reading center for examination. Results are returned to the primary care physician within 72 hours.
"We are very excited that Carolina Internal Medicine Associates has installed Retasure," said Scott Sanner, Senior Vice President, North American Operations of Digital Healthcare. "Retasure makes it possible for primary care physicians to insure that their diabetic patients have an annual risk assessment to prevent blindness and other eye complications. It also increases the range of care offered by primary care physicians."
"Retasure is a major step forward in diabetic patient care," said Dr. Kenneth Kubitschek of Carolina Internal Medicine Associates of Asheville, NC. "Retasure allows us to detect retinal damage before it compromises their eyesight, and it will prove invaluable in early detection of retinal problems."
Retasure was introduced in the United States earlier this year, and more than one million diabetic patients world-wide have received retinal risk assessments using Digital Healthcare software. There are approximately 20 million diabetic patients in the United States, but it is estimated that only about half of them have any retinal risk assessment performed.
Retasure offers several advantages to primary care physicians and their patients: It can be operated by non-clinicians; it is non-invasive and requires no dilation; it obtains exceptionally high-quality digital images of the retina using a simple-to-operate fundus camera; it returns results quickly to primary care physicians; and it encourages patient compliance.
"Giving diabetic patients greater access to a service that can save their eyesight is what makes Retasure special," Sanner said. "Retasure can significantly improve patient compliance by enabling the primary care physician to perform retinal imaging in their office. If any sight threatening eye condition is discovered (including glaucoma and age related macular degeneration), the patient can quickly be referred to an ophthalmologist for treatment."
Diabetics are at risk for blindness due to diabetic retinopathy, the leading cause of blindness among working age American adults, according to the National Eye Institute. Regular eye exams, including retinal imaging, are key to detecting threats to eyesight.
Digital Healthcare is the global leader in retinal risk assessment. They are the world's leading provider of care management programs for diabetic retinopathy. Their award-winning MS-HUG technology is used by leading hospitals and research centers including Case Western University, Wake Forest University, Vanderbilt University and the United States Military.
CONTACT: Bill Zaferos, +1-414-224-0210
