Blog

“Year’s end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on.” – Hal Borland This past year proved to be an exciting time in the advancement of diabetes care. New technology and new research are on the forefront of improving aspects of living with and even preventing diabetes. Take for instance the development of the artificial pancreas, the...

Recently, I attended Becker’s Review Healthcare IT and Finance conference in Chicago. The event drew hundreds of administrators and providers from around the country to address the substantial challenge in front of Healthcare CIOs and CFOs: proving the value of healthcare services our industry provides. Since the introduction of the Affordable Care Act, the healthcare industry’s focus has transitioned away...

Imagine if a patient’s blood glucose was still determined through urine strip testing. Although it was once seen as a best practice, it would now be laughable and likely thought of as downright poor patient care. As medicine evolves, the best practices and guidelines must continuously be reviewed and updated to account for the current evidence-based and state-of-the-art knowledge. In...

National Diabetes Month is a recognition that began 35 years ago, but perhaps is needed now more than ever before. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 30.3 million people have diabetes in the U.S. That amounts to roughly one in 10 Americans, and it’s only growing in prevalence. It is estimated that by 2050, this figure...

During National Diabetes Month, the week of November 5-11 provides an opportunity to recognize a special group of healthcare professionals, diabetes educators.  This week, also known as National Diabetes Education Week, is meant to be a time to celebrate all that diabetes educators do to help those affected by diabetes. At Monarch, we’ve had the opportunity to work with many...

In a new DiabetesMine blog post, “Convincing Hospitals That Glucose Management Matters,” author Dan Fleshler questions why some hospitals are still using “old-fashioned, time-consuming, error-prone approach to regulating blood glucose.” The blog, which features Monarch Medical Technologies, addresses one of the biggest challenges in the industry, convincing hospital administration and providers that glucose management needs to become a priority. The...

 On October 19th, Monarch Medical Technologies hosted its first annual EndoTool User Group Meeting in Charlotte, NC. Joined by clients across the country, the group explored ways to better utilize EndoTool IV and SubQ across their systems. While many left with pages of notes on how to improve their processes and education at their organizations, one overarching theme can...

When joining a new team, the first question is always why. Why is the opportunity attractive and why join? As a new member of the Monarch team, my why can be summed up simply by one sign. Last week, I spent my first few days with Monarch at the headquarters in Charlotte, NC. Upon entering the office, I was particularly...

All nurses deal with the prominent disease known as diabetes. It is a disease that effects all of us in one way or another. Either by family, friends, or co-workers, it has touched us all. As a hospital nurse for more than 20 years, I had not imagined that we could possibly manage our diabetic patients any way other than...

The expression, “you can’t have your cake and eat it too,” is all too familiar to most, particularly in healthcare. When referencing a glucose management tool, rumor has it that a software should be used regularly, or, for treating “difficult” scenarios, but not always both. This thought process needs to be stopped. A software such as EndoTool Glucose Management System...

Even though the protocol for dosing insulin can be carefully calculated for the particular patient in need, what if that patient’s need for insulin changes quickly after the initial dose recommendation? This concept is not only unheard of, it is very common. Based on a wide range of factors, such as a patient’s activity level, meals consumed, and stress, a...

In last week’s blog, we explained the importance of patient self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG), and continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) for patients with diabetes. This week, we want to go over the A1C test, goals and recommendations, and the limitations of A1C testing. What is it? According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, the A1C...

One of the most critical responsibilities of patients with diabetes is patient self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG). In order to assess glycemic levels, SMBG is available to caregivers and patients to evaluate the safety of the suggested glycemic management plan. It is not only important to check blood glucose levels, but continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) is essential to create a...

Let’s get back to the basics. Per the American Diabetes Association, insulin is a naturally occurring hormone secreted by the pancreas. Many people with type 1 diabetes are prescribed insulin because their bodies do not produce insulin, and insulin can be necessary for people with type 2 diabetes because their bodies do not use insulin properly. What are the routines?...

Earlier this month, the blog titled ‘Innovative Thinking > Product Selling’ summarized the idea of selling a concept instead of selling a product. The article informed the reader that in order to sell an innovative technology, they have to not only change what executives think, but also how they think. When it comes to recommending an insulin dose for hospitalized...