Innovative Diabetes One-Stop Shops
This entry has been selected as a finalist in the
Innovations for Health: Solutions that Cross Borders competition.
We provide affordable and convenient Type 2 diabetes care in ‘one-stop-shops’, empowering middle and low-income patient populations in Mexico
About You
About You
About Your Organization
Organization Name
Clinicas del Azúcar
Organization Website
Organization Country
Mexico
Country where this project is creating social impact
Mexico
Is your organization a
Please select
How long has your organization been operating?
1‐5 years
Has the organization received awards or honors? Please tell us about them
-MIT Legatum Fellowship
-Echoing Green Fellowships
-Mexican Technology Council Innovation Award
References - Please provide two references with a two-sentence biography, email address, and phone number for each
Iqbal Qadir- MIT Legatum Center Director
quadir@MIT.EDU
(617) 324-2749
Rich Leimsteiner- Echoing Green Director, Fellow and Alumni Programs
Rich@echoinggreen.org
(646)-539-5994
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Innovation
Select the stage that best applies to your solution
Growth (your pilot is up and running, and starting to expand)
How long have you been in operation?
Operating for 1‐5 years
The Need: What problem are you trying to solve?
We are trying to solve the lack of access to diabetes care. Diabetes is rapidly becoming a global health catastrophe and Mexico is in the same track (WHO). Although no economic strata is immune to diabetes, the truth is that low-income people are hit the hardest (IDF). Government statistics estimate 70,000 yearly deaths from diabetes in Mexico. Prevalence in low-income segments is almost double and recent findings show that 30% have complications and only 5% of patients have good control.
The Solution: What is your solution? Be specific!
We provide affordable and convenient Type 2 diabetes care in ‘one-stop-shops’, empowering middle and low-income patient populations in Mexico.
Diabetes in Mexico is called ‘the disease of the rich’. This is because current alternatives of care are expensive, inconvenient and far from the possibilities of 90% of the population. By developing innovative evidence-based algorithms for diagnosis and disease management, and by creating a chain of low-cost diabetes clinics, we will revolutionize the way diabetes care is delivered in developing countries and for the 14 million patients with diabetes in Mexico
The Model: Walk us through a specific example of how your solution makes a difference; include your primary activities
We create specialized low-cost ‘one-stop-shops’ diabetes clinics to provide affordable and convenient care close to the patient. We introduce low-cost screening devices, proprietary evidence-based algorithms and mobile health solutions to reduce the price of care significantly and empower patients to obtain better control of their disease. Each patient pays a Fixed-Fee memberships that allows her to have the diagnostics, labs and consultations of one year. We saved the patients more than 15 trips to the clinic and reduced 60% the cost of care. We estimated that each patient that joins the clinic reduces by 50% the chance of developing a complication due to the integral and complete care
Patients will have unlimited follow-up visits and access to low-cost diagnosis
The Marketplace: Who are your peers and competitors? Identify others also working to address the needs you are and what differentiates you from them. What challenges could these players pose to your success or growth?
Our main differentiations is because we are disrupting the way we treat chronic diseases in low-income settings. Government-run centers in the country are structured mainly to treat infectious diseases, which makes chronic care expensive and inconvenient. Other competitors are the private providers but their are fragmented and very expensive
We studied the behavior and needs of diabetics; analyzed all the available patient data and available technology to design a clinic that will have high-quality standards but very low equipment and personnel requirements. With our model we can reduce the annual cost of care from $700 USD to less than $250 USD
The main challenges is to empower the patient and change the paradigms of the actual model of care
This Entry is about (Issues)
Social Impact
Founding Story: We want to hear about your "Aha!" moment. Share the story of where and when the founder(s) saw this solution's potential to change the world.
I am very passionate about social enterprises and how I can improve the life of many people in Mexico. After graduating in 2010 from my MBA, I received job offers to work for a consulting and a healthcare company. I knew that as an MBA from MIT Sloan I could have a very well paid job and nice living conditions in Boston. However, I also saw that every year more than 70,000 people were dying in Mexico from the lack of sustainable health delivery mechanisms for poor people. I was also motivated because my mom has diabetes and I saw how difficult it is for her to get and affordable and convenient care. It was not an easy decision. I had loans to pay, only a few savings in the bank and there was a recent increase of violence in Monterrey due to drug cartel fights. However, I knew that I had the technology, knowledge and skills to solve the problem and I decided that it was my social obligation to come back to Mexico, prove the solution and help diabetic patients
Please describe the goal of your initiative; outline what you are trying to achieve
Revolutionize the way we treat diabetes not only in Mexico, but in the entire world. Dr. Julio Frenk, the former Minister or Health in Mexico and Dean of the Harvard School of Public Health, inaugurate the first clinic saying that it will only be with models like Clinicas del Azúcar, how we were going to be able to fight this huge challenge of diabetes
What has been the impact of your solution to date?
We already opened the first clinic where we have served in just two months more than 400 patients. 95% of them is the first time they have access to a specialized diabets care
What is your projected impact over the next five years?
Create more than 50 clinics to impact more than 100,000 patients, reduce 15,000 complications and saved the patients more than 70 US Millions
Winning entries present a strong plan for how they will achieve and track growth. Identify your six-month milestone for growing your impact
Create the first two clinics and implement the evidence-based algorithms for nurses
Identify three major tasks you will have to complete to reach your six-month milestone
Task 1
Open one more clinic
Task 2
Finish and implement the evidence- based algorithms
Task 3
Increase marketing
Now think bigger! Identify your 12-month impact milestone
Open three more clinics and impact more than 10,000 patients!
Identify three major tasks you will have to complete to reach your 12-month milestone
Task 1
Standarize all the processes
Task 2
Implement a very robust patient managemente software
Task 3
Develop a automatic retinopathy detection algorithm
Sustainability
Tell us about your partnerships
We have partnered with the Mexican Technology Council and two US medical device companies
Are you currently targeting other specific populations, locations, or markets for your innovation? If so, where and why?
The north of Mexico
What type of operating environment and internal organizational factors make your innovation successful?
Execution and the correct reading of the patient needs
Please elaborate on any needs or offers you have mentioned above and/or suggest categories of support that aren't specified within the list
Other technology innovations that we can implement to offer to low-income patients
Mentorwhip to scale and expand to other countries. Diabetes will be a huge problems in most developing and emergin markets
 | 64 weeks ago Emily Bosland said: Hi Javier, This sounds like a very interesting approach to tackling diabetes! You mention that your model allows for clinics to become ... about this Competition Entry. - read more > |
| 66 weeks ago Javier Lozano updated this Competition Entry. |
| 66 weeks ago Javier Lozano submitted this idea. |
