SmartMat delivers preventative TelePodiatry care

VA podiatrists are seeing success with SmartMat and the remote temperature monitoring (RTM) program. As of January, 8,132 Veterans have received RTM services in one of the participating 158 VA locations, and enrollment continues to rise.

The RTM program encourages Veterans to focus on lifesaving preventative measures for their podiatry care. This includes use of Podimetrics’ SmartMat. The mat uses thermal imaging to measure the temperature of a Veteran’s foot each day. It then automatically sends the temperature reading to the Veteran’s VA clinic and a Podimetrics staff member.

The SmartMat reduces a Veteran’s likelihood of having complications from diabetic foot ulcers and other foot disorders. It can detect temperature changes in the foot up to five weeks before a diabetic foot ulcer appears. This means that Veterans with diabetes can avoid interventions such as diabetic foot ulcers and limb amputations.

Carol Biocic, podiatric nurse practitioner at Edward Hines, Jr. VA, handles ordering SmartMats for the hospital’s podiatry department. Biocic sees how the mats have empowered Veterans since 2018, when the hospital adopted the program.

“During the pandemic, SmartMat was a lifesaver for us. Most of our patients who receive Podimetric care have comorbidities and were afraid to leave the house during the pandemic,” Biocic said.

From 20 remote temperature monitoring patients to 247

Veteran enrollment and engagement in the hospital’s RTM program have increased significantly. Before the pandemic, there were 20 RTM patients enrolled in the hospital’s podiatry program. It now has 247 RTM patients. This increase may be due in part to consistent communication with Veterans. Since January 2023, in collaboration with VA, Podimetrics has made 1,436 calls to Veterans who were enrolled in podiatry care at the hospital.

“Veterans still have help without having to come in all the time. They always have someone to run things by. It just gives them a little more confidence in handling and managing their own conditions,” Biocic said.

Biocic takes pride in supporting Veterans’ health care needs. She described one patient’s experience while receiving treatment for a foot ulcer.

“It gave them this extra freedom. They weren’t having to come into the facility every week to have the ulcer taken care of. It saved them time. This was time they got to spend with grandkids instead,” she added.

To learn more about the SmartMat, visit the VA Diffusion Marketplace.