May 1, 2020

An internet-based diabetes management platform improves team care and outcomes in an urban Latino population. (2015) Diabetes Care.

This paper highlights a “diabetes dashboard” software application developed by Dr. Welch and his clinical team. The dashboard focused on care provided by the diabetes team and the systematic assessment and management of common upstream behavior and psychosocial issues such as diabetes distress and depression. It also evaluated other patient engagement and treatment adherence issues. …

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April 19, 2020

Will COVID-19 push us to tackle our chronic disease epidemic?

This post explores the possibility and hope that COVID-19 is bringing new attention to the chronic disease epidemic in the United States. The author discusses why it is imperative that our future includes collective action to end the chronic disease epidemic: the greatest health crisis of the 21st century.



April 1, 2020

Telehealth program for type 2 diabetes: usability, satisfaction, and clinical usefulness in an urban community health center. (2015) Telemed J eHealth.

This paper explores an innovative telehealth intervention for diabetes that used an electronic, “smart” pillbox and related monitoring technology delivered by RN care managers at a community health center. Silver Fern posits that coupling remote home monitoring devices can enhance outcomes when used in conjunction with the Behavior Diagnostic Platform. (Full paper available online.)



March 1, 2020

Improvement in glycemic control following a diabetes education intervention is associated with change in diabetes distress but not change in depressive symptoms. (2012) Journal of Behavioral Medicine.

Based on a secondary analysis of Dr. Welch’s RCT data, this paper was the first to report the clinically important association between changes in diabetes distress (but not depression) and changes in blood glucose control during a diabetes education program. (Full text available online.)



February 15, 2020

Silver Fern adds CFO Mike Dylag to it’s growing team

Silver Fern welcomes Mike Dylag to the team as Chief Financial Officer. Mike brings more than 20 years of senior financial leadership to Silver Fern Healthcare. A results-oriented financial executive, his career has focused on the healthcare, technology, and workforce solutions industries.



February 1, 2020

Telehealth program for Medicaid patients with type 2 diabetes lowers hemoglobin A1C. (2012) Journal of Managed Care Medicine.

This paper examines the program features, clinical approach, and outcomes of an established, diabetes telehealth program that was delivered by registered nursing teams in a large hospital health plan to Medicaid patients with type 2 diabetes. This work informed Silver Fern’s approach to building a commercial version of the Behavior Diagnostic Platform. (Full text available …

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January 15, 2020

Silver Fern adds two MBAs: Chris Tucker & Julia Winer

Silver Fern is pleased to announce its newest team members: Chris Tucker, experienced healthcare leader, and Julia Winer, talented communications and policy strategist, bring a range of new skills and experiences to the company. Chris Tucker, SVP, Head of Operations, is a customer-focused executive with extensive experience throughout the healthcare system. He has leadership experience …

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January 1, 2020

Evaluation of clinical outcomes for gastric bypass surgery: results from a comprehensive follow-up study. (2011) Obesity Surgery.

This paper describes the development and application of a practical, post-surgical behavior and psychosocial assessment approach. A sizeable minority of people who undergo gastric bypass have type 2 diabetes as a co-morbidity. The availability of this assessment is essential because traditional post-surgical care is weak in the critical areas of self-management and psychosocial support as …

Continue reading “Evaluation of clinical outcomes for gastric bypass surgery: results from a comprehensive follow-up study. (2011) Obesity Surgery.”