Autonomous AI diagnostics launch in retail health clinics

CarePortMD retail health clinics at Albertsons grocery stores are now using the IDx-DR autonomous AI diagnostic system to detect a leading cause of blindness

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IDx

Nov 19, 2019, 11:16 ET

DOVER, Del., Nov. 19, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Patients at CarePortMD retail health clinics at Albertsons grocery stores now have access to the diabetic retinopathy eye exam – but it isn't an eye doctor making the diagnosis. It's an FDA-cleared autonomous AI diagnostic system called IDx-DR.

This makes CarePortMD the first retail health clinic to adopt this type of AI diagnostic technology, distinguishing Albertsons' retail health offering from others in the rapidly growing space. Albertsons, the nation's second largest grocery chain, added five CarePortMD clinics to stores in Delaware and Pennsylvania this past year.

"Artificial intelligence diagnostics like IDx-DR align seamlessly with our mission to increase the access, affordability, and quality of healthcare," said Ashok Subramanian, MD, the CEO of CarePortMD. "We are proud to offer this service to our patients as part of our comprehensive diabetes care program."

IDx-DR uses AI to identify patients with diabetic retinopathy and macular edema, common complications of diabetes and a leading cause of blindness. Experts recommend annual eye exams to catch disease in its early stages, but as few as 15% of Medicare patients actually do, according to a Diabetes Care study.

"Our goal is to ensure all patients with diabetes have access to the diabetic retinopathy exam so that we can improve patient outcomes," said Michael Abramoff, MD, PhD, Founder and CEO of IDx. "More patients are getting their healthcare in retail clinics, so there is value in exploring the space. We were attracted to CarePortMD's care coordination model; it's critical that results make it back to the patient's medical home and are triaged appropriately. This is a great opportunity to do AI the right way together."

The IDx-DR AI system is CarePortMD's latest addition to an innovative care delivery model designed to provide patients with diabetes and other chronic diseases with more convenient access to care and physicians with more actionable data. CarePortMD captures and transmits patient vitals, IDx-DR exam results, and other important health information to the patient's doctor.

"What I'm most excited about is that the retinal exam provides a rich source of information, helping to identify patients who are at highest risk for complications of diabetes," said Subramanian. "If we catch these high-risk patients earlier, it can result in significant savings for the healthcare system and better patient outcomes."

About IDx-DR
IDx-DR is an FDA-cleared AI-based diagnostic system designed for use at the front lines of care to detect diabetic retinopathy and macular edema, common complications of diabetes and a leading cause of blindness. IDx-DR is cleared by the FDA to make an assessment without the need for a clinician to also interpret the image or results, making it usable by health care providers who may not normally be involved in eye care.

The exam typically takes 5-10 minutes. Nurses use an automated fundus camera to take pictures of the patient's retinas – the back part of the eye. The pictures are then scanned by the autonomous AI's diagnostic software, which searches for signs of diabetic retinopathy. An immediate diagnostic report is produced at the point of care, allowing the physician to discuss the results with the patient while they are still in the office.

About IDx
IDx is a leading AI diagnostics company on a mission to transform the quality, accessibility, and affordability of healthcare. Founded in 2010 by a team of world-renowned clinician scientists, the company is focused on developing clinically-aligned autonomous algorithms that detect disease in medical images. By enabling diagnostic assessment in primary care settings, IDx aims to increase patient access to high-quality, affordable disease detection.

The company's first product, IDx-DR, is an FDA-cleared AI-based diagnostic system that detects diabetic retinopathy and macular edema. IDx is developing additional AI-based diagnostic systems for the detection of macular degeneration, glaucoma, stroke risk and ear infection.

IDx
2300 Oakdale Blvd
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Phone: 319-248-5620
www.eyediagnosis.net

IDx Contact:
Laura Shoemaker
Director of Marketing Communications
1-319-248-5620
[email protected]

SOURCE IDx