IRIS Technology Passes 100,000th Patient Mark for Diabetic Retinopathy Exams

Demand to close care gaps and workflow-based integrated system drives company growth

PENSACOLA, Fla. – Oct. 31, 2016 – Intelligent Retinal Imaging Systems’ (IRIS) diabetic retinopathy diagnostic solution has now examined more than 100,000 patients with diabetes, diagnosing nearly 10 percent with immediate, sight-threatening disease and 47 percent with some form of pathology, company officials announced today.

Diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of preventable blindness in the United States in people 20 to 65 years of age. The standard approach to diabetic retinal exams (DREs) focuses on referring patients with diabetes to an eye specialist, leaving 50 percent of them unexamined each year.

The key IRIS benchmarks include:

• Patients examined: 118,518
• Pathology was identified: 55,177 patients
• Patients found to have mild to moderate disease that could easily progress: 43,588
• Patients that have been saved from potential blindness: 11,589

At current rates, one in three Americans with diabetes will have diabetic retinopathy by 2050. Early detection can reduce the risk of severe vision loss by 90 percent, and can significantly reduce long-term healthcare costs. IRIS’ FDA-cleared, telemedicine service improves quality of care by providing access to digital retinal exams in primary care offices which enables physicians to close a care gap for patients with diabetes and be compliant with a critical Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) requirement.

“We are proud of the partnerships we’ve established with primary care physicians to reach this milestone, but we’re just getting started. Thirty million Americans have diabetes, and half of them go unexamined. If IRIS can provide retinal exams quickly and inexpensively to more patients while making the primary physician’s job easier, everyone wins,” said IRIS CEO Jason Crawford. “Over the last two years, we have seen an astonishing demand for the IRIS solution. Our Company’s growth has tripled and I see that trend continuing in 2017.  As a result, we will be doubling our workforce, which will enable us to meet the demand for our technology and provide access for more patients to be examined.”

Many IRIS clients, which include major health systems and physician group practices, have successfully integrated the IRIS diabetic retinopathy diagnostic solution with their electronic health records. The integrations increase data availability and accuracy, while ensuring diagnoses are appropriately recorded, referred and billed.  IRIS ensures compliance with HEDIS and reduces the burden associated with reporting, while improving efficiency and enabling providers to focus on patient care.  For more information, visit www.retinalscreenings.com.