Company History
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In 1993, while in graduate school, Kazi Ahmed was diagnosed with diabetes. Seeking a way to lead a near-normal quality of
life—while dealing with a disease that afflicted both of his parents—Ahmed took a proactive approach by consulting
with specialists and poring over thousands of papers, abstracts and other studies about diabetes. He already knew the potential
devastation of diabetes and its complications: blindness, kidney disease, and nerve damage resulting in amputation. But these
results were not inevitable, for an important study—the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial—in that same year
showed that intense monitoring and tight glucose control can reduce dramatically or even prevent long-term diabetes-related
complications.
Ahmed used these research findings, along with his computer programming skills, to devise a blood glucose tracking system for
use on his hand-held computer. This system was the first of its kind—Ahmed invented a program that allowed him to upload
data from his blood glucose meter directly to his computer. It didn't take long for him to discover the potential of his diabetes
management tool and realize that many others—such as the more than 25 million Americans or 220 million worldwide
inhabitants diagnosed with diabetes—could benefit from the program as well. With Ahmed's life savings and additional
funding from investors, NuMedics, Inc. was formed. The company's first product was labeled
Diabetes Partner™—a comprehensive software application
that enables diabetes patients to easily monitor insulin dosages, nutritional intake and blood glucose levels. Unlike the
traditional handwritten log books many diabetes patients use, Diabetes Partner presents individuals with more than just numbers;
the program displays the data in color-coded graphs and charts to provide a visual representation of trends and patterns.
Diabetes Partner received a positive response from care providers and patients alike, and the company soon realized that in
order to transform and improve diabetes care, similar electronic tools were needed in physicians' offices. So, the growing
NuMedics team designed CliniPro® to allow care providers access to patient charts, data
tracking and analysis tools, an appointment book, and an electronic mail system directly from their computer desktops. With
CliniPro, healthcare professionals can also establish an electronic link with their patients who use Diabetes Partner and
complete the telemedicine bridge. Patients can transfer their healthcare data via secure modem connection, through NuMedics,
to their physicians for ongoing, accurate, immediate monitoring. The data, in turn, become valuable, secure information for
vital outcomes and other studies.
By late 1997, after building the development team and completing the company's initial two products, the vision of proactive,
interactive diabetes management tools that facilitate a higher standard—yet lower cost—of care had become a reality.
NuMedics continues to move forward with its plan to modify its platform software technology to address other chronic illnesses
and situations in which careful monitoring and management are essential.
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