SAN DIEGO & PITTSBURGH--(BUSINESS WIRE)--DermatologistOnCall a leading online dermatology company with a network of nearly 300 board-certified dermatologists in more than 40 states, and Clarify Medical Inc., the developer and marketer of the Clarify Medical™ Home Light Therapy System announced today that they had formed a strategic collaboration to provide innovative light therapy treatment for patients at home, at work or traveling, linked to the patients’ physicians through their smartphones.
Candidates for the Clarify Home Light Therapy system, which enables patients to deliver targeted narrowband UVB (Ultra Violet B) treatment to themselves at home, include those with chronic skin conditions such as psoriasis, vitiligo and severe eczema. These conditions are estimated to affect more than 30 million people in the United States. UVB therapy has been shown to be very effective in treating these diseases, but many patients are unable to visit physicians’ offices or clinics three times a week for months—or longer—to receive treatment. Clarify Home Light Therapy is available by prescription only and is provided under the direction of a physician. Additionally, Clarify CarePartners, highly trained nurses or other clinicians, coach patients on the use of the system, monitor ongoing treatment and encourage treatment adherence.
To ensure that anyone interested in the Clarify System has access to a consultation with a dermatologist, Clarify Medical will introduce DermatologistOnCall as an option for patients who either don’t have a relationship with a dermatologist or are unable to get an appointment any time soon. Clarify’s technologies are designed to allow physicians to control treatment and assess patient progress remotely through a HIPAA compliant Physician Portal to a cloud-based patient database.
“Remote medical supervision of phototherapy is a powerful application of our online technology,” said Mark P. Seraly, MD, founder and Chief Medical Officer of DermatologistOnCall. “Millions of patients could benefit from non-invasive, convenient home light therapy treatment when it is combined with highly experienced medical management. With the new Clarify Medical technology, physicians in our network will be able to control dosage, titration and duration of therapy remotely, as well as monitor patient adherence and treatment progress photos.”
“We are delighted to be working with DermatologistOnCall,” said Charlene Kakimoto MD, Clarify Medical’s Chief Medical Officer. “More than 25 percent of the patients we’ve engaged with do not have a dermatologist, and have asked for our help in finding one. DermatologistOnCall will provide an ideal response for this ongoing need, especially in areas of the country where office visits involve long wait or travel times. Together we have a fantastic opportunity to improve care for appropriate patients with chronic skin conditions. Our Clarify CarePartners, through the Clarify App, will help make sure that busy practices are diagnosing patients and managing their care, not dealing with questions about home phototherapy.”
“We believe that the DermatologistOnCall physicians will greatly welcome this opportunity to address chronic skin care problems through telemedicine,” said David Zynn President and CEO of DermatologistOnCall. “Patients with these incurable conditions need highly skilled medical management. They also need convenient care options they can afford, ones that give them back control over their lives. This partnership offers a great opportunity for our physicians to grow their online dermatology practices and improve patients’ quality of life.”
“Our partnership will address substantial unmet needs in very large patient populations where we have seen there is pent-up demand for change,” said Jim Sweeney, Clarify Medical President and CEO. “Online dermatology and “smart” technology options for home treatment and patient management are not the Wave of the Future, they are the Wave of the Present,” he added. “This partnership represents a major, immediate business opportunity for both companies.”
DermatologistOnCall and Clarify Medical plan to begin co-marketing their services in November. Financial and operational aspects of the partnership were not disclosed.
About DermatologistOnCall
DermatologistOnCall is the flagship product of Iagnosis, Inc., a Pittsburgh-based company focused on delivering faster healthcare treatment to patients through web-enabled solutions. The DermatologistOnCall® platform is known for being best-in-class for helping board-certified dermatologists in the U.S. offer patients convenient 24/7 online and mobile access to affordable, high-quality skin, hair and nail medical care. Iagnosis has been recognized in the industry for its innovation and high patient satisfaction ratings, and the company actively partners with physician practices, health systems, retailers, and other organizations to provide comprehensive and personalized care solutions to patients. Visit www.iagnosis.com for corporate information.
About Clarify Medical, Inc.
Clarify Medical, headquartered in San Diego, is a private company providing innovative technology, products and services that improve care for people with chronic skin conditions. Clarify Medical received FDA 510(k) clearance for its flagship offering, the Clarify Home Light Therapy System in May and is launching nationally in the U.S. in November. Visit www.clarifymed.com for more information on the company.