These are heady times for Podimetrics, a Massachusetts startup whose early-detection system for diabetic foot ulcers could save thousands of amputations every year. Fresh off a $45 million infusion of venture capital, the company ranks among the nation’s fastest-growing healthcare firms. Its signature product, the SmartMat, has earned FDA approval, and industry giants like Blue Cross and the VA are lining up for partnership deals.
“Every four minutes in the US, a limb is amputated due to diabetes—and most are actually avoidable,” Jon Bloom, Podimetrics’ co-founder and CEO, said in a recent interview. “I saw patient after patient needlessly suffering and wanted to be the change they needed to live better and live longer. We’re on a mission to end unnecessary ‘Civil War’-style amputations for patients dealing with diabetes.”
The “Civil War” reference dates to Bloom’s years as an anesthesiologist, where he was floored by the sheer volume of diabetic foot amputations. He sometimes spent entire days in the operating room assisting on limb removal, calling to mind the military surgical tents of the 19th century, with their endless parade of wounded soldiers lining up one after another for amputation of wounded arms and legs.
The science underlying the SmartMat dates to the middle of the 2010s, when Bloom tested a prototype in collaboration with researchers at the VA and MIT. In that study, the technology correctly predicted 97 percent of diabetic foot ulcers up to five weeks before they became clinically observable. That led to a larger pilot program in the VA system in 2019. Its success, in turn, gave to rise to additional pilots in the Blue Cross system and other regional healthcare networks.
The SmartMat works by monitoring the temperature of your feet, assessing patterns, and flagging changes in blood flow that suggest the formation of a foot ulcer. These data are sent remotely to your care provider, who interpret the numbers and decide when (and if) interventions are needed. Patients’ only responsibility is to step on the mat for 20 seconds every day.
That ease of use is a core part of Podimetrics’ strategy. “We needed to find a method that would give us very high engagement, working with patients that are often overwhelmed by their care needs,” Bloom told Fierce Health Care recently. “[Diabetes] preys on those with limited access to care, and with limited access to preventive care.”
At present, the SmartMat is only available within the VA and the regional health networks that are trying the technology on a pilot basis. But the company’s on a steep growth trajectory; Inc. Magazine recently listed it as one of the 15 fastest-growing U.S. firms in the health-products sector. And Bloom is deeply committed to making the SmartMat available to the people who need it the most. “Today’s current healthcare system is still biased to patients who already have good access to the right care,” he says. “It is becoming increasingly more important for business leaders and innovators to ensure their technology will impact all patients—not just those patients who already have solid access to high quality care.”
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