Roche Integrates Accu-Chek Connect Glucose Meter with Apple Health App
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Data from Bluetooth-enabled meter can now be shared with other health tracking apps.
Roche recently announced that its Bluetooth-enabled Accu-Chek Connect blood glucose meter will now post blood glucose and carb data to Apple’s Health app on the iPhone. Now, users can seamlessly share blood glucose data with other diabetes and health tracking apps such as mySugr, Glooko, OneDrop, Meal Memory, and many others. Apple Health integration can reduce manual entry, which fatigues most patients, and brings potential for more informative and comprehensive data displays (blood glucose + exercise + food + sleep, etc.).
The Accu-Chek Connect system was launched in August 2015, and consists of the Accu-Chek Aviva Connect meter, an app (available on both Android and iOS devices), and an online portal. See our previous test drive for more details. Providers can activate the optional bolus calculator feature on the app (the Accu-Chek Bolus Advisor). The Connect app is the first FDA-cleared app with a built-in prescription insulin dosage calculator.
Battle of the Connected Meters: Accu-Chek Connect vs. LifeScan’s Verio Flex
Both devices have similar key features (Bluetooth-enabled, connectivity with free Android and Apple apps, Apple Health integration) and some differentiating characteristics. The Accu-Chek Connect app has a built-in bolus calculator, the ability to add meal pictures, and uploads to a web platform. The OneTouch Reveal app has none of those features, but it does have valuable high-low pattern recognition and a friendlier user interface. The Verio Flex meter is $10 cheaper than Accu-Chek Connect (~$19.99 vs. $29.99), though the Accu-Chek connect includes a rebate offer in the box that can save up to $25. LifeScan announced an exciting partnership with WellDoc recently to integrate the FDA-approved BlueStar software for type 2 into the new Verio Flex meter and Reveal app. Like Roche’s Connect app, BlueStar contains an insulin bolus calculator feature, though information on the timing or product integration specifics has not been released.
Big Picture
In addition to added convenience and capacity for improved insight into one’s data, this signals that the “Big 4” blood glucose meter companies are opening up to digital health and giving users the ability to share their data with other apps. We look forward to a future with a flourishing ecosystem of diabetes apps that cater to different patient needs and challenges: meals, exercise, hypoglycemia, etc. Such apps will ideally pull data automatically and passively from connected devices, reducing the burden on patients to do more. –AB/NK
