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LifeMD Partners with Withings to Transform GLP-1 Weight Management Care  

2 min read

Withings Health Solutions and LifeMD, Inc. announced a strategic partnership to combine GLP-1 medications with real-time, at-home monitoring of body composition and blood pressure. LifeMD becomes the first virtual primary care provider to employ the advanced technology of the Body Pro 2 scale, as well as the Withings BPM Connect Pro blood pressure monitor, to track the impact of GLP-1 treatments on a daily, longitudinal basis. 

 

Body Pro 2 includes body composition analysis measuring fat mass, visceral fat, muscle mass, water percentage, and bone mass, giving LifeMD’s licensed clinicians a much more comprehensive understanding of the effects of their GLP-1 weight loss program. The scale even allows care providers to send Personalized Health Nudges to better ensure compliance. 

 

Body Pro 2 also incorporates the Sudoscan® technology, allowing providers to monitor the Electrochemical Skin Conductance (ESC) of the small fiber nerves for their patients remotely. This critical daily feedback can be used to detect the earliest signs of diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN).

 

Since many GLP-1 users have other chronic conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease, users will also receive BPM Connect Pro to track changes in blood pressure. GLP-1 medications and the associated weight loss can result in lower blood pressure and lower risk for cardiovascular events. The Withings devices deliver the data to LifeMD’s licensed clinicians in near-real time through HIPAA-compliant cellular connectivity. Clinicians can then make adjustments to medications as necessary and benefit from larger datasets to make more informed decisions.

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What is Electrochemical Skin Conductance?

Electrochemical skin conductance (ESC) 
is a non-invasive measurement of the sudomotor function. It measures sweat gland nerve supply and assesses disorders of the autonomic nervous system, which is part of the peripheral nervous system.

Why is ESC important?

A significant number of diabetes patients will be affected by diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) in their lifetime, and the percentage of diabetes patients who might develop a diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) is also considerable. In addition, studies have shown that the 5-year mortality rate of DFU is comparable to cancer mortality. Given these urgent concerns, electrochemical skin conductance is a crucial tool for health care providers.

But this key measurement doesn’t just provide an essential health care solution. Consider the increased average medical costs 
for patients with diabetes, the billions of dollars in costs for patients with DFU in addition to the costs of the diabetes itself, and the tens of thousands of dollars in per-patient Medicare reimbursement and reimbursement per patient with diabetes-related foot amputation. It’s clear that electrochemical skin conductance can reduce the costs of diabetes patient care, as well as many of the risks to patient health. 

Unfortunately, the current diabetes patient journey presents significant roadblocks, including the low percentage of diabetes patients who actually have an annual foot exam, the number of patients who are misdiagnosed due to unreliable tools, and the lack of patient monitoring. These issues highlight the need for connected health products that can measure ESC and other key biomarkers. These devices and systems can empower patients to take charge of their home health monitoring and motivate them to make beneficial lifestyle changes. They can provide care teams the consistent, accurate data they need to make the right treatment decisions, elevating overall care and improving health outcomes. And of course, they can lower care costs. The health risks to diabetes patients are real and significant — but real and significant solutions exist that can create positive impacts all around.

Click the button below to download the infographic. 

Download Now [post_title] => What is Electrochemical Skin Conductance? [post_excerpt] => Electrochemical skin conductance (ESC) 
is a non-invasive measurement of the sudomotor function. It measures sweat gland nerve supply and assesses disorders of the autonomic nervous system, which is part of the peripheral nervous system. [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => closed [ping_status] => closed [post_password] => [post_name] => what-is-electrochemical-skin-conductance [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2024-12-12 21:11:11 [post_modified_gmt] => 2024-12-12 21:11:11 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://withingshealthsolutions.com/?p=1275 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) [1] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 1190 [post_author] => 1 [post_date] => 2024-04-16 08:08:05 [post_date_gmt] => 2024-04-16 08:08:05 [post_content] =>

Smart Scales have traditionally been used by consumers to track their personal wellness metrics. However, Withings saw an opportunity to use highly sophisticated technologies in an at-home setting that provide critical data for providers to make more timely and informed care decisions. Body Pro 2 is that type of technology - a scale that adds both nuance and robustness to at-home health management and has the potential to improve the early detection of diabetic peripheral neuropathies (DPN). 

 

Remote patient monitoring provides immediate, daily measurements to track and manage patient care for at-risk patients. As the creator of the original home smart scale, Withings has 15 years of experience in this field and hundreds of peer-reviewed studies of its products and measurements. In 2022 Withings acquired Sudoscan®, the FDA-cleared medical device for assessing DPN. We have now incorporated the Sudoscan® technology -  which is already used by thousands of clinicians around the world - in our Body Pro 2 device.

 

Rather than hoping patients come for a regular foot exam, doctors and other health professionals can now monitor signs of diabetic peripheral neuropathy with daily readings to detect the earliest changes in small fiber neuropathy, at a stage when interventions can have the most profound effect. With 70% of patients with diabetes suffering from DPN at some point, regular assessment is critical. Unfortunately, annual comprehensive foot exams, as recommended by the ADA, have patient compliance issues and the conventional assessment techniques used by primary care practitioners (PCPs) often miss asymptomatic patients.

 

Body Pro 2 assesses small fiber nerves by emitting low voltage pulses to stimulate the sweat glands in the foot and measures reactivity to the impulse, providing a quantitative Electrochemical Skin Conductance (ESC) score. An equivalence study compared the ESC measurements of Withings’ at-home device with those of the Sudoscan device which has been used in specialty clinics and hospital settings for more than 10 years (1). The multi-center, cross-sectional study was carried out in four French university hospitals with 147 patients. Results demonstrated an almost perfect agreement in terms of sensitivity, specificity, and repeatability.

Within 60 seconds of stepping on the scale, patients and care teams receive feedback indicating whether small fiber neuropathy may be present. Care teams can then determine, based on the potential extent of the neuropathy, whether ongoing monitoring or immediate referral to a specialist is needed. The data are displayed on the screen and seamlessly transmitted to the care team by cellular, wireless, or bluetooth technology. This connectivity allows the physician to communicate with the patient and provide instructions for care.

 

Beyond the usual weight and BMI biomarkers, the Body Pro 2 is the first at-home cellular scale to measure body composition using multifrequency Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA). The body composition readings include fat mass, visceral fat, muscle mass, bone mass, and water percentage. A built-in algorithm, ProgramMemberID, assures that the data are coming from the patient - not a family member - and an engagement score helps a provider adjust advice to the patient accordingly.

 

Eric Carreel, Founder and President of Withings, commented, "Body Pro 2 allows for early detection of a largely underdiagnosed condition and therefore a better management of the diabetic foot. I also believe that providing access to longitudinal ESC data has the potential to help the industry rethink how we should care for patients with diabetes."

*

  1. Riveline JP, Mallone R, Tiercelin C, Yaker F, Alexandre-Heymann L, Khelifaoui L, Travert F, Fertichon C, Julla JB, Vidal-Trecan T, Potier L, Gautier JF, Larger E, Lefaucheur JP. Validation of the Body Scan®, a new Device to detect small fiber neuropathy by assessment of the sudomotor function: agreement with the Sudoscan®. Front Neurol. 2023 Oct 31;14:1256984. doi: 10.3389/fneur.2023.1256984. PMID: 38020587; PMCID: PMC10644320
  2. Amit Goel et al., « Comparison of Electrochemical Skin Conductance and Vibration Perception Threshold Measurement in the Detection of Early Diabetic Neuropathy », PLOS ONE 12, no 9 (7 septembre 2017): e0183973, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0183973

  3. Angelica Carbajal-Ramírez et al., « Early Identification of Peripheral Neuropathy Based on Sudomotor Dysfunction in Mexican Patients with Type 2 Diabetes », BMC Neurology 19, no 1 (31 mai 2019): 109, https://doi.org/10.1186/s12883-019-1332-4

  4. Selvarajah D, Cash T, Davies J, Sankar A, Rao G, Grieg M, Pallai S, Gandhi R, Wilkinson ID, Tesfaye S. SUDOSCAN: A Simple, Rapid, and Objective Method with Potential for Screening for Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy. PLoS One. 2015 Oct 12;10(10):e0138224

Interested in partnering with us?

Contact Us [post_title] => Withings Introduces Body Pro 2, an Rx Device for Early Detection of DPN* [post_excerpt] => Smart Scales have traditionally been used by consumers to track their personal wellness metrics. However, Withings saw an opportunity to use highly sophisticated technologies in an at-home setting that provide critical data for providers to make more timely and informed care decisions. Body Pro 2 is that type of technology - a scale that adds both nuance and robustness to at-home health management and has the potential to improve the early detection of diabetic peripheral neuropathies (DPN). [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => closed [ping_status] => closed [post_password] => [post_name] => withings-introduces-body-pro-2-an-rx-device-for-early-detection-of-dpn [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2024-04-25 07:55:15 [post_modified_gmt] => 2024-04-25 07:55:15 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://withingshealthsolutions.com/?p=1190 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) ) [post_count] => 2 [current_post] => -1 [before_loop] => 1 [in_the_loop] => [post] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 1275 [post_author] => 1 [post_date] => 2024-05-20 14:03:17 [post_date_gmt] => 2024-05-20 14:03:17 [post_content] =>

What is Electrochemical Skin Conductance?

Electrochemical skin conductance (ESC) 
is a non-invasive measurement of the sudomotor function. It measures sweat gland nerve supply and assesses disorders of the autonomic nervous system, which is part of the peripheral nervous system.

Why is ESC important?

A significant number of diabetes patients will be affected by diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) in their lifetime, and the percentage of diabetes patients who might develop a diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) is also considerable. In addition, studies have shown that the 5-year mortality rate of DFU is comparable to cancer mortality. Given these urgent concerns, electrochemical skin conductance is a crucial tool for health care providers.

But this key measurement doesn’t just provide an essential health care solution. Consider the increased average medical costs 
for patients with diabetes, the billions of dollars in costs for patients with DFU in addition to the costs of the diabetes itself, and the tens of thousands of dollars in per-patient Medicare reimbursement and reimbursement per patient with diabetes-related foot amputation. It’s clear that electrochemical skin conductance can reduce the costs of diabetes patient care, as well as many of the risks to patient health. 

Unfortunately, the current diabetes patient journey presents significant roadblocks, including the low percentage of diabetes patients who actually have an annual foot exam, the number of patients who are misdiagnosed due to unreliable tools, and the lack of patient monitoring. These issues highlight the need for connected health products that can measure ESC and other key biomarkers. These devices and systems can empower patients to take charge of their home health monitoring and motivate them to make beneficial lifestyle changes. They can provide care teams the consistent, accurate data they need to make the right treatment decisions, elevating overall care and improving health outcomes. And of course, they can lower care costs. The health risks to diabetes patients are real and significant — but real and significant solutions exist that can create positive impacts all around.

Click the button below to download the infographic. 

Download Now [post_title] => What is Electrochemical Skin Conductance? [post_excerpt] => Electrochemical skin conductance (ESC) 
is a non-invasive measurement of the sudomotor function. It measures sweat gland nerve supply and assesses disorders of the autonomic nervous system, which is part of the peripheral nervous system. [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => closed [ping_status] => closed [post_password] => [post_name] => what-is-electrochemical-skin-conductance [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2024-12-12 21:11:11 [post_modified_gmt] => 2024-12-12 21:11:11 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://withingshealthsolutions.com/?p=1275 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) [comment_count] => 0 [current_comment] => -1 [found_posts] => 2 [max_num_pages] => 1 [max_num_comment_pages] => 0 [is_single] => [is_preview] => [is_page] => [is_archive] => [is_date] => [is_year] => [is_month] => [is_day] => [is_time] => [is_author] => [is_category] => [is_tag] => [is_tax] => [is_search] => [is_feed] => [is_comment_feed] => [is_trackback] => [is_home] => 1 [is_privacy_policy] => [is_404] => [is_embed] => [is_paged] => [is_admin] => [is_attachment] => [is_singular] => [is_robots] => [is_favicon] => [is_posts_page] => [is_post_type_archive] => [query_vars_hash:WP_Query:private] => 8a0acb5d1219761399540a0a52182de6 [query_vars_changed:WP_Query:private] => [thumbnails_cached] => [allow_query_attachment_by_filename:protected] => [stopwords:WP_Query:private] => [compat_fields:WP_Query:private] => Array ( [0] => query_vars_hash [1] => query_vars_changed ) [compat_methods:WP_Query:private] => Array ( [0] => init_query_flags [1] => parse_tax_query ) )
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What is Electrochemical Skin Conductance?

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Withings Introduces Body Pro 2, an Rx Device for Early Detection of DPN*

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