Press Releases

Asthmapolis CEO to Present at Respiratory Drug Delivery (RDD®) Europe 2013

MADISON, Wis. – [May 20, 2013] – Asthmapolis (az-MAP-ō-lis), the FDA-cleared mobile health solution for asthma and COPD, today announced CEO David Van Sickle will give an invited presentation during Respiratory Drug Delivery (RDD®) Europe 2013 in Berlin, Germany. On Friday, May 24 at 8:30 a.m., Van Sickle will present “Monitoring and Improving Compliance and Asthma Control: Mapping Inhaler Use for Feedback to Patients, Physicians and Payers” as part of the session track, “Designing Devices for the Marketplace.”

RDD Europe is a major scientific conference that will welcome pulmonary and nasal drug delivery experts from around the world. RDD conferences take place in both Europe and the USA in alternate years and are widely regarded as the premier venue for presenting the latest pulmonary and nasal drug delivery advances. The scientific symposium will bring together an audience of high level academic, industrial and regulatory experts involved in the research, development, investigation and marketing of existing and new therapies for delivery through the nose or lungs.

Van Sickle will discuss how Asthmapolis aims to improve the care of people with asthma, advance understanding of symptoms and triggers and help them achieve control of the disease. It uses a novel combination of smartphone applications and snap-on inhaler sensors that track when and how often patients use their inhaled medications. The geomedicine platform, available in both English and Spanish, is designed to help individuals with their daily preventive medications, reveal insights about their use of rescue medications and provide personalized feedback to improve their ability to successfully manage the disease.

Users receive ongoing educational outreach through email, text, mobile apps and phone support from a certified asthma educator. People who opt in may also share information about their medication use with their health care provider, giving them the ability to monitor whether their treatment is truly controlling symptoms.

About Asthmapolis
Founded in 2010, Asthmapolis aims to improve the management of chronic respiratory disease for people and healthcare professionals. Backed by The Social+Capital Partnership, California HealthCare Foundation and other investors, Asthmapolis is now working with organizations like Dignity Health, Wyckoff Heights Medical Center, Amerigroup Florida and the City of Louisville. Company recognition includes TEDMED Innovation Showcase, White House Champion of Change and Bluetooth Breakthrough Product awards. The system has been featured in The Economist, Washington Post, Fast Company, Wired and Scientific American.

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Asthmapolis Raises $5 Million in Series A Funding from The Social+Capital Partnership to Expand Digital Health Respiratory Solutions for 50 Million Americans

MADISON, Wis. – [April 4, 2013] – Asthmapolis (az-MAP-ō-lis), the FDA-cleared mobile health solution for asthma and COPD, today announces it has raised $5 million in a Series A round from The Social+Capital Partnership (“Social Capital”). With the funds, Asthmapolis will deliver new innovations and services for its comprehensive solution of sensors, leading mobile technology and personalized support, extending its reach to the more than 50 million people living with chronic respiratory disease in the United States today.

“Asthma alone is a $50 billion problem in the United States. We look forward to accelerating our commercial efforts to improve asthma control and produce sizable economic savings,” said David Van Sickle, CEO and co-founder of Asthmapolis. Mark Gehring, Asthmapolis president and co-founder, added, “To date we’ve helped our users achieve an extra 20,000 asthma-free days. Each day they feel better is also a day they don’t end up in the emergency department, which means reduced costs for our payer and health system customers.”

“Asthmapolis is a pioneering company at the intersection of sensors, analytics and digital health. The company boasts a strong pipeline, plus a compelling track record of successful patient outcomes,” said Ted Maidenberg, Social Capital’s general partner who joins the Asthmapolis board of directors. “In the context of health reform, Asthmapolis presents the first compelling business case in digital health for payers and providers seeking to better manage costs and outcomes for people with chronic respiratory disease.”

Asthmapolis uses a novel combination of smartphone applications and snap-on inhaler sensors that track when and how often patients use their inhaled medications. The geomedicine platform, available in both English and Spanish, is designed to help individuals with their daily preventive medications, reveal insights about their use of rescue medications and provide personalized feedback to improve their ability to successfully manage the disease.

The company launched a number of important partnerships in the last year, including programs with payers like Amerigroup Florida/WellPoint, providers like Wyckoff Heights Medical Center in New York and Dignity Health in California, and retail pharmacy and public sector initiatives through the City of Louisville.

“Through partnerships with entrepreneurs such as Asthmapolis, we are investing in ways mobile technology can help us and physicians improve the cost, quality and access to care,” said Richard Roth, VP of strategic innovation at Dignity Health. “Asthmapolis is a simple solution that is making an immediate impact on how physicians deliver care and how patients see results. The early stage success of Asthmapolis is evident in how mobile technology can empower patients, improve health and increase the quality of care.”

Asthmapolis is actively hiring for engineering, design, asthma education and other roles. To learn more about joining the team, visit asthmapolis.com/careers/.

About The Social+Capital Partnership
The Social+Capital Partnership (“Social Capital”) is a partnership of philanthropists, technologists and capitalists utilizing venture capital as a force to create value and change on a global scale. The Partnership is based in Palo Alto, California.

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Wyckoff Heights Medical Center Is First New York Hospital to  Offer Asthmapolis Mobile Asthma Management Program

Launched as Breathe Easy, this cutting-edge program is designed to improve the quality of life for Bushwick-area children with asthma

MADISON, Wis. – [March 19, 2013] – Asthmapolis today announced Wyckoff Heights Medical Center is the first hospital in New York to offer the Asthmapolis system to families of children with asthma. Through its Breathe Easy Program, the hospital will provide families with free access to Asthmapolis, an FDA-cleared mobile health solution designed to improve the care of people with asthma, advance understanding of symptoms and triggers and help them achieve control of the disease.

“Here in the Bushwick region of Brooklyn, we have one of the highest rates of asthma in the entire state of New York. The patients we serve in this community experience too many hospitalizations, emergency department visits and readmissions for asthma attacks,” said Dr. Gustavo Del Toro, chief medical officer at Wyckoff. “By partnering with Asthmapolis to introduce the first of its kind program in New York, we can use this mobile asthma management system to strengthen our level of chronic care, decrease those ED visits and hospitalizations, and ultimately improve the quality of life for children with asthma in Bushwick.”

Asthmapolis uses a novel combination of smartphone applications and snap-on sensors that track when and how often patients use their inhaled medications. The platform, available in both English and Spanish, is designed to help families stick with their child’s daily preventive medications, reveal insights about a child’s use of rescue medications and provide personalized feedback, targeted education and other tools that improve parents’ ability to successfully manage their child’s disease.

Wyckoff has been experiencing a growing number of readmissions for asthma patients. “Our number one cause of readmissions for adults and children is asthma. It’s higher than congestive heart failure or any other disease we treat,” said Del Toro. “We want to close a major gap in communication and care. Now that they will be enrolled in the Breathe Easy Program with Asthmapolis, we can develop a better monitoring model for these children with asthma, and find a way to better treat their condition.”

“This mobile program is going to allow us to do better follow-up with our families, give clearer instructions on how to take medications, and through more individual contact with the parents, help us understand why some children with asthma are bouncing back with frequent ER visits and admissions,” said Dr. Patrisha Woolard-Pickens, attending pediatrician at Wyckoff.

The Breathe Easy Program will also feature coordinated services from the new pediatric outpatient center at Wyckoff. The center hosts a dedicated asthma treatment room, open Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m., to manage outpatient care specifically for children with asthma. This new approach to asthma care helps families avoid long hours in the ER and admissions to the hospital.

“Through Asthmapolis, we are going to have a better understanding of what happens once a child is discharged and prescribed medication,” said Myra Ortiz, executive assistant at Wyckoff. “That’s what we need, not just knowledge that they have an inhaler, but access to data to know whether or not they are using it. That will be a huge help in improving our level of care.”

“Wyckoff’s Breathe Easy Program will reveal valuable new information about the day-to-day burden and management of asthma that can be used immediately to help reduce the number of preventable asthma attacks, emergency room visits, hospitalizations and readmissions – and alleviate a lot of unnecessary suffering,” said David Van Sickle, CEO and founder, Asthmapolis. “We’re honored to be Wyckoff’s partner in this important and groundbreaking work to help reduce the burden of asthma in their community.”

“We’re excited to be the first hospital in New York to work with Asthmapolis,” added Del Toro. “It’s extremely rare for a hospital in an underserved area of New York to be a pioneer, and yet we’re taking advantage of the fact that we’re a hospital that serves children of immigrants, Latinos and other working class people to do cutting-edge, bilingual asthma care.”

Families who would like to enroll in the program are invited to an open house on Saturday, March 23 from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Wyckoff’s Pediatric Center. Details are available online at www.wyckoffhospital.org/BreatheEasy, or through program coordinator Rachel McKenny, RN, MS, CPNP, (718) 963-7368 or rmckenny(at)wyckoffhospital.org.

About Wyckoff Heights Medical Center
Located in an ethnically diverse residential neighborhood directly on the border of northern Brooklyn and western Queens, Wyckoff Heights Medical Center is a 350-bed teaching hospital. A dedicated staff of 1,800 physicians, nurses and support personnel represent thirty- five distinct languages and cultures.

About Asthmapolis
Asthmapolis was founded in 2010 with the goal of improving the management of asthma for patients and healthcare professionals. The company’s inhaler 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, Dignity Health and others.

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Asthmapolis Partners with Amerigroup to Enhance Asthma Management Efforts

Amerigroup Launches Innovative Program in its Florida Health Plan

MADISON, Wis. – [March 12, 2013] – Asthmapolis today announced the launch of an innovative program in Florida with Amerigroup Florida, Inc. (“Amerigroup Florida”) designed to improve the care of members with asthma. Amerigroup Florida will provide the FDA-cleared mobile health solution designed to help its members better manage their asthma, improve understanding of symptoms and triggers and ultimately achieve control of the disease.

Asthmapolis uses a novel combination of snap-on sensors plus web and mobile applications that track when and how often patients use their inhaled medications. The platform, available in both English and Spanish, is designed to help people stick with their daily preventive medications, reveal insights about their use of rescue medications and provide personalized feedback, targeted education and other tools that improve members’ ability to manage their own disease.

Targeted Amerigroup Florida members with asthma will receive ongoing educational outreach through email, text, mobile apps and phone support from a certified asthma educator. Members who opt in to the program may also share information about their medication use with their health care provider and care givers, giving them the ability to monitor whether their treatment is truly controlling symptoms.

“This new approach will reduce the number of preventable asthma attacks and asthma related emergency room visits and hospitalizations for our members,” said Amerigroup Florida Chief Medical Officer Dr. Eina Fishman. “Focusing on disease education and management, and the importance of proper medication use will help our members understand the importance of controlling their asthma so they may live happier, healthier lives.”

“By using the Asthmapolis platform, Amerigroup has made it much easier for its Florida members to track and understand their symptoms, triggers and medication use, a key recommendation of the US national guidelines on asthma management” said David Van Sickle, CEO and Co-Founder of Asthmapolis. “Our work shows that digital support can help patients in managing the disease, resulting in meaningful improvements in asthma control. This in turn can contribute to fewer unnecessary emergency room visits and hospital admissions, and enable patients to achieve a higher quality of life. We’re excited to work with Amerigroup Florida to help them and their members reduce the burden of asthma in their community.”

About Amerigroup
Amerigroup, a wholly owned subsidiary of WellPoint, Inc., is the largest company focused solely on meeting the health care needs of financially vulnerable Americans. Currently serving approximately 2.7 million members in 13 states nationwide, Amerigroup is dedicated to offering real solutions that improve health care access and quality for our members, while proactively working to reduce the overall cost of care to taxpayers. Together with WellPoint’s affiliated health plans, we serve more than 4.5 million beneficiaries of state sponsored health plans in 20 states, making us the nation’s leading provider of health care solutions for public programs. Amerigroup accepts all eligible people regardless of age, sex, race or disability.

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Asthmapolis CEO Talks Sensors and The Future of Healthcare at SXSW

MADISON, Wis. – [March 7, 2013] – Can you imagine a world in which all your physiologic parameters were measured, monitored and managed in such a way that you always maintained perfect health? That world may be just around the corner – and it’s the topic of the SXSW panel “Sensor Technologies: The Future of Health?” on Monday, March 11 from 3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. in the Creekside Room at the Sheraton Austin, 701 East 11th Street.

Asthmapolis today announced David Van Sickle, CEO and co-founder, will present along with moderator Jean-Luc Neptune, senior VP of Health 2.0, and fellow panelists Lama Nachman, principal engineer at Intel, and Mark Winter, senior director of the X Prize.

Van Sickle will discuss how the Asthmapolis sensor is the cornerstone of the company’s FDA-cleared mobile health solution designed to improve the care of people with asthma, advance understanding of symptoms and triggers and help them achieve control of the disease.

Asthmapolis uses a novel combination of snap-on sensors and smartphone applications to track when and how often patients use their inhaled medications. The platform, available in both English and Spanish, then helps remind individuals of their daily preventive medications, reveal insights about their use of rescue medications and provide personalized feedback, targeted education and other tools that improve their ability to successfully manage the disease.

“By selecting this panel, the SXSW community gave sensors a vote of confidence to play a meaningful role in the future of healthcare,” said David Van Sickle, CEO and founder, Asthmapolis. “We’re fortunate to be recognized for our early work to make a difference in the care and treatment of asthma through sensors, apps and outreach, and I look forward to sharing our experiences – clinical, regulatory and technical – and weighing in on the current and future state of digital health.”

About SXSW Interactive
An incubator of cutting-edge technologies and digital creativity, the 20th annual SXSW Interactive Festival features five days of compelling presentations from the brightest minds in emerging technology, scores of exciting networking events hosted by industry leaders and an unbeatable line-up of special programs showcasing the best new websites, video games and startup ideas the community has to offer. From hands-on training to big-picture analysis of the future, SXSW Interactive has become the place to experience a preview of what is unfolding in the world of technology.

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Study Published in PLOS ONE Highlights Improved Asthma Control and Fewer Symptoms After Using Asthmapolis System

MADISON, Wis. – [February 28, 2013] – Asthmapolis today announced featuring the system in the remote monitoring of inhaled bronchodilator use and weekly feedback about asthma management has been published in the latest issue of the scientific journal PLOS ONE (http://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0055335). The study found improved asthma control and a decline in day-to-day asthma symptoms for participants receiving Asthmapolis’ weekly email reports and online charts summarizing inhaler use and location.

First author on the report is David Van Sickle, PhD, CEO and Asthmapolis co-founder, with contributors Sheryl Magzamen, PhD, MPH, and Shaun Truelove, MPH, from the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health, Department of Population Health Sciences, and Teresa Morrison, MD, MPH, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Environmental Health, Air Pollution and Respiratory Health Branch in Atlanta.

Asthmapolis is an FDA-cleared mobile health solution designed to improve the care of people with asthma, advance understanding of symptoms and triggers and help them achieve control of the disease. Asthmapolis uses a novel combination of smartphone applications and snap-on sensors that track when and how often patients use their inhaled medications. The platform, available in both English and Spanish, is designed to help individuals stick with their daily preventive medications, reveal insights about their use of rescue medications and provide personalized feedback, targeted education and other tools that improve their ability to successfully manage the disease.

Through this open-group short-term pilot study, the researchers sought to determine whether weekly email reports on monitored use of inhaled, short-acting bronchodilators might improve scores on composite measures of asthma control.

The team monitored inhaler use for four months using the Asthmapolis system, and participants completed periodic surveys, including the Asthma Control Test™ (ACT) to assess changes in asthma control. After the first month, participants received weekly email reports for the remainder of the study period that summarized their inhaler use during the preceding week and provided self-management suggestions derived from National Asthma Education and Prevention Program guidelines.

No significant changes in asthma control appeared during the first month, however, after participants began receiving email reports and online information about their inhaler use, mean ACT scores increased 1.40 points for each subsequent month in the study. At the conclusion of the study period, 75% of participants had controlled asthma (by ACT score) compared with 38% at entry.

Participants reported increased awareness and understanding of patterns with their asthma, including the time and location of inhaler use, their asthma triggers, level of control and the importance of adherence to preventive practices.

“I learned that I used my inhaler more than I remember. I was able to see and relate to my doctor that my asthma is not under control,” one participant described.

Study participants also reported knowing the time and location where they used their inhaler helped to highlight locations and exposures to triggers that led to symptoms. “I’ve been more keen to note surroundings when I feel shortness of breath,” one participant said. “It opened my eyes to triggers I wasn’t aware of in the past.”

Weekly feedback also helped to reinforce participant use of controller medications, and the majority expressed an interest in continuing to track their inhaler use. “I’m now using my controller medicine more regularly and on time,” said another participant. “I noticed that my rescue inhaler use went down significantly when using a daily inhaler as well.”

“Today, many patients have inappropriately low expectations for their own disease control or are unaware that more can be done to prevent attacks and day-to-day symptoms. Others fail to voice concerns or to report troublesome symptoms,” said Van Sickle. “This study has demonstrated that simple interventions that use objectively collected data from daily life can make self-management more compelling, play a valuable role in developing and reinforcing better habits and provide patients with valuable information to help guide management and achieve control of their disease.”

Paper: Remote monitoring of inhaled bronchodilator use and weekly feedback about asthma management: An open-group, short-term pilot study of the impact on asthma control, by David Van Sickle, PhD, Sheryl Magzamen, PhD, MPH, Shaun Truelove, MPH, Teresa Morrison, MD, MPH, PLOS ONE, 28 February 2013.

About PLOS ONE
PLOS ONE publishes primary research from all areas of science and employs a combination of peer review and post-publication rating and commenting, to maximize the impact of every report it publishes. We are published by the Public Library of Science (PLOS), the open-access publisher whose goal is to make the world’s scientific and medical literature a public resource. All works published in PLOS ONE are Open Access.

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Asthmapolis Wins Bluetooth Breakthrough Product Award

MADISON, Wis. – [February 26, 2013] – Asthmapolis today announced the company won the inaugural Bluetooth® Breakthrough Award in the Product Category from the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG). The SIG received over 300 submissions from around the world, and presented the awards during a special ceremony yesterday at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain.

“The Asthmapolis inhaler sensor and mobile application is the perfect representation of how Bluetooth technology is enabling innovative and life-enhancing uses cases in everyday products” said Suke Jawanda, Bluetooth SIG CMO. “A standard medical device, an inhaler, can now collect data and turn it into useful, and potentially life-saving information for patients and physicians. Asthmapolis is redefining what is possible with wireless connectivity – making asthma management more convenient, smarter and better with Bluetooth.”

Asthmapolis uses a novel combination of snap-on, Bluetooth enabled inhaler sensors, mobile applications and advanced analytics to help patients and physicians with asthma management. The FDA-cleared mobile health platform, available in both English and Spanish, helps individuals stick with their daily preventive medications, reveals insights about their use of rescue medications and provides personalized feedback, targeted education and other tools that improve their ability to successfully manage their disease. Through crowdsourced information, Asthmapolis is creating the first real-time geospatial view of where asthma symptoms are occurring and inhalers are used, providing an objective, accurate and reliable record capable of correlating symptoms, locations, and temporal patterns of disease.

“We chose Bluetooth given the ubiquitous installed base of clients in smartphones, low power capabilities and perhaps most importantly, the ability to help us reduce the form factor of the Asthmapolis sensor. With our Bluetooth sensor and our smartphone app, we can carry the time, date and location data about an asthma event through to our server in an elegant, streamlined way,” said David Van Sickle, CEO and founder, Asthmapolis. “It is an honor to take home this prize in the Bluetooth Breakthrough Product Category, particularly since it is awarded by the Bluetooth SIG – fellow innovators who are pushing the envelope with Bluetooth technologies in ways that will change the future of healthcare.”

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Asthmapolis CEO to Speak at CES 2013 Digital Health Summit

LAS VEGAS, Nev. – [January 7, 2013] – Asthmapolis today announced that founder and CEO David Van Sickle will discuss innovations in mobile health, medical devices and the cloud in a keynote panel at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) this week in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The panel, “Why Healthcare Has Its Head in the Cloud,” brings together industry pioneers to discuss how the cloud is breaking down barriers and empowering communication among mobile apps, EMRs and medical devices, literally liberating the data for better patient outcomes.

“2013 is going to be a turning point for digital health, so I’m delighted to join this panel to talk about the promise of mobile and cloud based technologies in healthcare,” said Van Sickle. “With a record number of medical devices and apps being showcased at CES, it’s clear that the Digital Health Summit is harnessing the momentum of this exciting movement.”

The keynote luncheon will take place Thursday, January 10, 2013 at 1:00 p.m. at the Las Vegas Convention Center, hall N250. For more information, visit http://bit.ly/VanSickleCES.

About CES
With more than four decades of success, the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) reaches across global markets, connects the industry and enables CE innovations to grow and thrive. The International CES is owned and produced by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), the preeminent trade association promoting growth in the $195 billion U.S. consumer electronics industry.

About Van Sickle
David Van Sickle is a PhD asthma epidemiologist formerly at CDC where he was in charge of asthma outbreak investigations. The lack of data on what might be triggering these outbreaks was the inspiration for Asthmapolis. David is also an expert and very well connected in the mobile health (mHealth) and quantified self communities, as well as in federal agencies such as CDC and HHS.

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Asthmapolis Expands Dignity Health Study to Include Mercy Medical Group Patients

MADISON, Wis. – [July 27, 2012] – 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 jesika.riley@asthmapolis.com.

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Asthmapolis Receives FDA Clearance for Asthma Inhaler Sensor Technology and Accompanying Software System

MADISON, Wis. – [July 10, 2012] – Asthmapolis announced today that it has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 510(k) clearance to market its asthma sensor system and associated software to healthcare providers and their patients.

“We are thrilled to have achieved this important milestone to support our mission of providing tools to help patients and their healthcare providers better understand and control their asthma symptoms,” noted Inger Couture, Chief Regulatory Officer of Asthmapolis. “Despite all we know about asthma and how to treat it, the majority of patients still do not have the disease under control, and traditional approaches to self-management have been time-consuming and complicated. The Asthmapolis technology makes it much easier to track symptoms and use of metered dose inhalers, allowing patients, their families and their doctors to gain a valuable new perspective on the disease.”

The Asthmapolis inhaler sensor sits on top of inhalers that are used by patients with asthma and COPD. When an inhaler is used, the sensor works with an accompanying mobile phone application to capture information about day-to-day burden and management. By automatically tracking the time and location of events, the tools – which include web and mobile phone applications – improve awareness of level of disease control and provide a greater understanding of triggers and patterns in symptoms in individuals and communities. The sensor data is also used to provide personalized guidance and targeted education drawn from the National Asthma Education and Prevention program.

“In addition to driving better patient-physician communication about asthma management, the tool also gives physicians the ability to quickly identify how patients in their population are doing and take steps to help patients get their disease under control,” said David Van Sickle, co-founder and CEO of Asthmapolis. “Our mission is to make it easier for patients and their physicians to do a better job of managing asthma with less effort than traditionally required.”

“Asthmapolis is a novel system devised to facilitate what could be termed ‘health networking’ between the patient and the healthcare system,” noted Robert F. Lemanske, Jr., M.D., who heads the Division of Pediatric Allergy, Immunology and Rheumatology at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. “The geographic tracking of inhaler use can provide novel information regarding environmental factors that trigger acute events in individual patients. Avoidance of such environments would further improve overall asthma control and reduce healthcare costs.”

Asthmapolis is currently participating in several asthma studies across the United States, including one with Dignity Healthcare in Woodland and Sacramento, California, and one with the City of Louisville and Norton Healthcare in Kentucky.

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Asthmapolis Begins Enrollment of Patients in Asthma Study

Inhaler Sensors Will Track Usage, Collect Data

Louisville, Ky. – [June 1, 2012] – With the help of Madison, Wis.-based Asthmapolis, Louisville’s asthma demonstration project has begun enrolling patients in a free, year-long asthma study to help the city identify possible causes of asthma attacks in the region and to help patients better manage their illness. Enrollment will include up to 500 participants and will take place at 11 Walgreens locations across the city from now until November 2012.

Louisville-area residents that meet the following criteria are invited to participate in the study:

Have a medical diagnosis of asthma and do not have an accompanying diagnosis of COPD or lung cancer
Have a current prescription for an emergency inhaler (e.g., albuterol)
Speak English and are age 5 or older
Have Internet and/or email access to receive reports, including a compatible communication device (“smart phone”) such as an Android or iPhone

Participants will be provided with the Asthmapolis inhaler sensor, which attaches to the top of medications 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. Of the total participants receiving the Asthmapolis inhaler sensor, 100 will also have a sensor provided to track their use of controller medication.

“This study will be a valuable opportunity for the city of Louisville to gain new insight into asthma trends in the area, and for participants to be able to better manage their asthma,” said David Van Sickle, co-founder and CEO of Asthmapolis. “We’re excited to be contributing our inhaler sensor technology to this important project and hope that it will serve as a model for future public health projects in other locations with high rates of asthma.”

The study is being funded by Norton Healthcare, Owsley Brown Charitable Foundation and The Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky.

“This new, user-friendly technology has the potential to improve compliance with inhalers and to assist the physician with more timely management when asthma flares,” said Dr. Joshua Honaker, System Vice President, Physician Services of Norton Healthcare Inc. “As a result, patients and families may be able to avoid ER visits and hospitalizations.”

Louisville also received a Smarter Cities Challenge grant from IBM, who will provide technical assistance and help explore other sources of data for potential connections between asthma and the environment.

“Louisville is involved in pioneering work in the health data analytics field,” said Mayor Greg Fischer. “This is the kind of thinking that makes us a world-class city, and will allow us to tackle a problem like asthma head-on.”

The IBM team will arrive in Louisville in August to look at other data types that also affect asthma attacks, including traffic congestion, vegetation cycles and weather.

“As cities compete on quality of place, smarter cities like Louisville will lead using tools like these,” said Ted Smith, director of the city’s Department of Economic Growth and Innovation. “For the first time, a city will be able to look at asthma with a holistic view of the triggers and possible resultant treatments.”

Louisville ranks high among U.S cities in both allergens and poor air quality, two major triggers of asthma. A 2009 survey indicated that 15 percent of adults surveyed in Louisville had asthma, which is higher than both the state rate of 14.9 percent and the national percentage of 13.5.

To learn more about the project or enroll please speak with a pharmacist at one of the participating Walgreens locations or go to http://asthmapolis.com/louisville.

Walgreens Louisville Enrollment Locations:

200 East Broadway
7338 Dixie Highway
4025 Taylorsville Road
9409 Shelbyville Road
5201 South 3rd Street
808 Eastern Parkway
2021 Hikes Lane
2368 Frankfort Avenue
2420 Lime Kiln Lane
3421 West Broadway
13807 English Villa Drive

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Asthmapolis To Exhibit Inhaler Sensor at 2012 International Conference of the American Thoracic Society

MADISON, Wis. – [May 21, 2012] – Asthmapolis announced today that it will be exhibiting its latest asthma inhaler sensor at the annual International Conference of the American Thoracic Society, to be held May 18-23 in San Francisco. The ATS International Conference is considered the premier conference on pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine in the United States, and one of the largest industry events in the world.

“We are looking forward to being part of this event and having the opportunity to introduce our inhaler sensor and disease management technology to the worldwide clinical audience that this conference attracts,” noted David Van Sickle, co-founder and CEO of Asthmapolis. “Despite the development of more effective medications, asthma remains a significant and costly health problem in the United States and beyond. The conference will be an exciting venue for us to demonstrate the ways in which our sensor-guided disease management programs can improve understanding and management of asthma and COPD.”

The Asthmapolis sensor attaches to the top of inhalers that are used by patients with asthma and COPD. When the medication is inhaled, the sensor transmits the time and location of the event to the company’s computer network. Patients can track their progress online or on their phone, receiving personalized guidance and targeted education to help them improve their management. Physicians and other healthcare providers can remotely monitor how well their patients are adhering to prescribed medications and assess their overall level of disease control. Information from Asthmapolis provides public health agencies with valuable data to determine trends at the public-health community level.

The ATS conference features the latest and most significant developments in the areas of clinical practice; clinical, basic, and translational research; health advocacy; and professional and patient education. The 2011 conference drew 13,000 attendees from 95 countries and offered more than 500 sessions, 800 speakers and 5,400 original scientific research abstracts and case reports.

In addition to exhibiting at ATS 2012, Asthmapolis currently has two large studies under way, including one with Dignity Health Care in Sacramento, Calif., and one with the city of Louisville, Ky., that will involve assistance from IBM, which recently selected the Louisville program as a Smarter City awardee.

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Asthmapolis Announces Participation in Louisville Asthma Study, Including IBM Smarter Cities Grant Award

MADISON, Wis. – [March 23, 2012] – Asthmapolis announced today that it will be participating in a yearlong study to help the city of Louisville, Ky. better understand what is causing asthma attacks in the region and to help patients better manage their illness. The study is being funded by Norton Healthcare, Owsley Brown Charitable Foundation and The Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky, with the organizations contributing $37,500, $37,500 and $75,000, respectively.

Beginning in May, the company will provide up to 500 Louisville residents with its new inhaler sensor, which works with mobile phones to record the time and location of every inhaler use. The study will also include assistance from IBM, which has selected Louisville to receive about $400,000 in technical support for the research as part of its “Smarter Cities Challenge.”

“We are excited to be able to contribute our inhaler sensor technology toward the city of Louisville’s efforts to collect newer, more reliable data about when and under what conditions asthma attacks are occurring,” noted David Van Sickle, co-founder and CEO of Asthmapolis. “With estimates of 100,000 asthma sufferers in the Louisville area, getting a better handle on what is causing attacks and being able to help patients better manage their disease can really have a huge impact.”

The Asthmapolis sensor sits on top of emergency inhalers that are used by asthma patients in the event of a severe attack. When an inhaler is used, the sensor works with the patient’s cell phone to transmit the time of the attack to the company’s computer network. If the patient’s cell phone is equipped with global-positioning software, it will also send the location. In addition providing valuable data that can be used to determine trends at the public health level, the device also allows physicians to remotely monitor their patients’ adherence to prescribed medications and to assess their level of disease control.

IBM will provide expertise in helping Louisville identify and analyze large volumes of data from a variety of sources, including air quality, pollen outbreaks and traffic congestion, which can be compared with the information from the participants’ inhalers.

“This project is unique because it brings together innovation, public health and data to help better understand our problems with asthma,” said Ted Smith, director of Louisville’s Department of Economic Growth and Innovation. “The brain power that IBM will bring to our city is even more valuable than dollars, and will put Louisville at the forefront of innovation around a very important local issue.”

Louisville ranks high among U.S cities in both allergens and poor air quality, two major triggers of asthma; the number of days the city exceeded federal smog standards tripled between 2005 and 2011. According to a 2009 survey, 15 percent of adults surveyed in Louisville reported they had asthma—higher than the state rate of 14.9 percent and the national percentage of 13.5.

Physicians from the University of Louisville are also involved, helping to determine which patients should be invited to participate.

“It is our pleasure to be a part of this landmark initiative,” said Dr. Nemr Eid, Director of Pediatric Pulmonary Medicine at the University of Louisville. “You always get a better grasp on things when public health, academia and industry are working hand in hand. Hopefully we will be able to translate data points into clinically useful correlates.”

Asthmapolis has previously conducted two pilot projects with the sensors in partnership with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, each with about 40 patients. One was in Wisconsin, and the other was in rural areas across several Midwestern states.

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Asthmapolis Introduces New Inhaler Sensor at Pre-Eminent Health Care IT Conference and Exhibition

MADISON, Wis. – [February 20, 2012] – Asthmapolis is demonstrating its new inhaler sensor, which works with mobile phones to record valuable information about every inhalation, at the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) annual conference and exhibition, held today through Friday, February 24, 2012, at the Venetian Sands Expo Center in Las Vegas.

HIMSS is the largest U.S. cause-based, not-for-profit healthcare association focused on the optimal use of information technology and management systems for the betterment of health care. Its annual conference and exhibition is considered the world’s largest and most respected in the industry.

Asthmapolis is the leading provider of tools to help patient and health care providers better manage asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The company is a partner of Qualcomm Life and will be exhibiting as part of the Qualcomm Life Pavilion Tuesday, February 21 through Thursday, February 24.

“With the new Asthmapolis sensor patients can easily track their management and impact of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease,” said David Van Sickle, co-founder and CEO. “Our goal is to make it easier for patients and their physicians to do a better job of managing these diseases every day.”

Van Sickle also noted that the forthcoming platform will feature new mobile applications and desktop interfaces designed to provide patients with personalized education and guidance.

Asthmapolis allows physicians to remotely monitor their patients’ adherence to prescribed medications and to assess their level of disease control, providing them with novel information about whether treatment is controlling symptoms and improving quality of life.

A recent U.S. Centers for Disease Control report estimates that the economic costs of asthma alone are $56 billion per year in the United States. Despite improvements in treatment and outdoor air quality, as well as a reduction of two common asthma triggers – second-hand smoke and smoking in general – the majority of patients do not have their symptoms under control, and the rate of those suffering from asthma has not declined.

About Qualcomm Life

Qualcomm Life is defining and connecting the wireless health network to improve lives and advance the capabilities of medical devices. Qualcomm Life is focused on device connectivity and data management and empowers medical device manufacturers to deliver wireless health quickly and easily to those who need it. The Qualcomm Life team has the experience and the wireless know-how to make the enormous complexities of a wireless connection look simple. We draw from our parent company’s more than 25 years of wireless connectivity experience, know-how and universal interoperability to enable unified machine-to-machine (M2M) communications. To learn more, please visit www.qualcommlife.com.

Qualcomm Life is a trademark of Qualcomm Incorporated, registered in the United States and other countries.

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Data from Asthmapolis Medication Sensors Will Be Available to Healthcare Providers through 2net Platform

MADISON, Wis. – [December 8, 2011] – Asthmapolis, a company developing new technologies to help patients and physicians improve the management of asthma, will be integrating its inhaled medication sensors into the 2net™ Ecosystem developed by Qualcomm Life, a newly formed, wholly owned subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ: QCOM). The partnership was announced during the third annual mHealth Summit, held December 5 through December 7, 2011, in Washington D.C.

The wireless health collaboration will allow Asthmapolis medication sensors to seamlessly operate with the Qualcomm 2net platform, securely transmitting information about the day-to-day management of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The Asthmapolis sensors were featured in the Qualcomm Life Pavilion exhibit, along with other technologies offered by fellow Qualcomm Life partners, to celebrate the launch of the 2net Ecosystem. Qualcomm also introduced its $100 million Qualcomm Life Fund, which will be used to invest in the acceleration of wireless health services and technology adoption.

“We’re excited to be a part of Qualcomm’s effort to streamline the development and adoption of promising new wireless solutions to today’s health challenges,” noted David Van Sickle, PhD and co-founder of Asthmapolis. “The 2net platform will provide individuals and their physicians with valuable new information to help maintain health and guide the care and treatment of chronic diseases such as asthma and diabetes.”

At the center of the 2net platform is a home base station designed to be interoperable with different medical devices and applications. The technology provides end-to-end wireless connectivity while allowing medical device users and their physicians or caregivers to easily access biometric data. According to Qualcomm Life, more than 40 medical device manufacturers, application developers and health care services companies are either integrating with or considering the 2net Ecosystem.

Qualcomm is a trademark of Qualcomm incorporated, registered in the United States and other countries. 2net and Qualcomm Life are trademarks of Qualcomm Incorporated.

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Asthmapolis Presents Initial Results of Rural Asthma Study at mHealth Summit

MADISON, Wis. – [December 5, 2011] – Asthmapolis, a company developing new technologies to help patients and physicians improve the management of asthma, presented the initial results from its study of asthma among rural residents of the Midwest at the mHealth Summit, a major event in the mobile and wireless health industry held today through Wednesday in Washington, D.C.

The study involved 32 rural adults with asthma who used the Asthmapolis medication sensor, an electronic device that uses GPS to passively and objectively monitor the time and location of use of short-acting bronchodilators over a four-month period in 2010.

“We’re very encouraged by these results, which demonstrate the feasibility and utility of inhaled medication sensors to assess the frequency, timing and location of asthma symptoms in a population,” noted David Van Sickle, PhD and co-founder of Asthmapolis. “In addition, our report indicates that many rural residents in this study did not have their disease under control and were suffering from frequent asthma symptoms, most of which could be prevented with appropriate treatment.”

Altogether, a total of 1,476 inhaler events were observed over the study period. According to national guidelines, use of a rescue inhaler – one designed to relieve symptoms whenever they occur— more than two days per week is a sign of uncontrolled asthma. Of the 32 participants, nine had one or more seven-day period during which their asthma was uncontrolled, 21 had seven-day periods during which their asthma was well controlled, eight did not have any period during which their asthma was under control and just four maintained control over their asthma for the full duration of the study. Of the 31 participants who had events, only 10 used their rescue inhaler less than once a day on average.

The study, which Van Sickle co-authored with Sheryl Magzamen, PhD of the University of Oklahoma, was funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and conducted in response to a 2009 CDC study that revealed an unexpectedly high prevalence of asthma and asthma symptoms among rural residents. The results provide a new perspective on the day-to-day burden of the disease in this demographic group, and they indicate that the technologies employed in the study, and the information they provide, have the ability to complement and strengthen public health surveillance.

In addition, these findings raise questions about the relationship between rural environmental exposures and the development of asthma. Much more is known about asthma among rural populations in low- and middle-income countries than in the United States, where the focus on asthma has been as a disease of urban centers. Part of Asthmapolis’ mission is to use sensors to reveal new patterns of asthma that may help to better understand the origins of the disease.

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Press Releases

Asthmapolis CEO to Present at Respiratory Drug Delivery (RDD®) Europe 2013

Asthmapolis Raises $5 Million in Series A Funding from The Social+Capital Partnership to Expand Digital Health Respiratory Solutions for 50 Million Americans

Wyckoff Heights Medical Center Is First New York Hospital to  Offer Asthmapolis Mobile Asthma Management Program

Launched as Breathe Easy, this cutting-edge program is designed to improve the quality of life for Bushwick-area children with asthma

Asthmapolis Partners with Amerigroup to Enhance Asthma Management Efforts

Amerigroup Launches Innovative Program in its Florida Health Plan

Asthmapolis CEO Talks Sensors and The Future of Healthcare at SXSW

Study Published in PLOS ONE Highlights Improved Asthma Control and Fewer Symptoms After Using Asthmapolis System

Asthmapolis Wins Bluetooth Breakthrough Product Award

Asthmapolis CEO to Speak at CES 2013 Digital Health Summit

Asthmapolis Expands Dignity Health Study to Include Mercy Medical Group Patients

Asthmapolis Receives FDA Clearance for Asthma Inhaler Sensor Technology and Accompanying Software System

Asthmapolis Begins Enrollment of Patients in Asthma Study

Inhaler Sensors Will Track Usage, Collect Data

Asthmapolis To Exhibit Inhaler Sensor at 2012 International Conference of the American Thoracic Society

Asthmapolis Announces Participation in Louisville Asthma Study, Including IBM Smarter Cities Grant Award

Asthmapolis Introduces New Inhaler Sensor at Pre-Eminent Health Care IT Conference and Exhibition

Data from Asthmapolis Medication Sensors Will Be Available to Healthcare Providers through 2net Platform

Asthmapolis Presents Initial Results of Rural Asthma Study at mHealth Summit

Don’t Miss

Asthmapolis CEO to Present at Respiratory Drug Delivery (RDD®) Europe 2013

Asthmapolis Raises $5 Million in Series A Funding from The Social+Capital Partnership to Expand Digital Health Respiratory Solutions for 50 Million Americans

Wyckoff Heights Medical Center Is First New York Hospital to Offer Asthmapolis Mobile Asthma Management Program

Launched as Breathe Easy, this cutting-edge program is designed to improve the quality of life for Bushwick-area children with asthma

Asthmapolis Partners with Amerigroup to Enhance Asthma Management Efforts

Amerigroup Launches Innovative Program in its Florida Health Plan

Asthmapolis CEO Talks Sensors and The Future of Healthcare at SXSW

Study Published in PLOS ONE Highlights Improved Asthma Control and Fewer Symptoms After Using Asthmapolis System

Asthmapolis Wins Bluetooth Breakthrough Product Award

Asthmapolis CEO to Speak at CES 2013 Digital Health Summit

Asthmapolis Expands Dignity Health Study to Include Mercy Medical Group Patients

Asthmapolis Receives FDA Clearance for Asthma Inhaler Sensor Technology and Accompanying Software System

Asthmapolis Begins Enrollment of Patients in Asthma Study

Inhaler Sensors Will Track Usage, Collect Data

Asthmapolis To Exhibit Inhaler Sensor at 2012 International Conference of the American Thoracic Society

Asthmapolis Announces Participation in Louisville Asthma Study, Including IBM Smarter Cities Grant Award

Asthmapolis Introduces New Inhaler Sensor at Pre-Eminent Health Care IT Conference and Exhibition

Data from Asthmapolis Medication Sensors Will Be Available to Healthcare Providers through 2net Platform

Asthmapolis Presents Initial Results of Rural Asthma Study at mHealth Summit

Don’t Miss

Wyckoff Heights Medical Center Is First New York Hospital to  Offer Asthmapolis Mobile Asthma Management Program