“Bionic pancreas for type 1 diabetes feasible to implement in primary care, telehealth” -Healio, March 13, 2025
Sean M. Oser, MD, MPH, an Associate Professor of Family Medicine and Associate Director of the Primary Care Diabetes Lab at University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, was featured in an article by Healio, regarding his study of the Bionic Pancreas.
Insulin delivery for type one diabetes patients has become much more accessible and “easier than ever” through treatment with the Bionic Pancreas. This study shows that the glucose levels of patients who implemented Bionic Pancreas through primary care or an endocrinologist resulted in similar benefits and the same average glucose readings. Additionally, telehealth and in-person device initiation both report similar positive results.
Dr. Oser discussed how access to this device through primary care and telehealth opens doors for accessibility for patients and insulin delivery.
“If these kinds of glucose levels can be achieved with less intensive engagement required by the treating practitioner and less work by the patient, imagine how many more patients could be transitioned to a system like this.”
“In theory, primary care could support this system and start people on it more sustainably than other insulin pump systems that have very low primary care penetration, and specialty teams could support starting and managing more patients on technology like this, since the time needed for system training and startup as well as for ongoing management is less.”
Dr. Oser will continue his study by including a larger group of primary care clinics and patients, as well as adults with insulin-treated type two diabetes.
“The longer duration, larger number of providers and patients, the inclusion of type two diabetes and the randomized nature will provide more definitive evidence of how the system performs in real-world primary care settings, compared directly to patients’ usual method of insulin delivery and glucose management, rather than compared to endocrinologists.”
