Physicians around the country are reaping benefits from online programs that help them track their patients' chronic diseases, such as asthma and diabetes.Patients are uploading real-time data via the phone or the Internet. Timothy Bailey, MD, an endocrinologist in Escondido, Calif. says it means better and timelier patient care.

If one of Bailey's patients reports out-of-control diabetes, Bailey is able to view that patient's numbers immediately and offer advice right away instead of having to conduct an extended interrogation.

Jim McCallum, MD, an endocrinologist at Scripps Clinic in Loyola, Calif., finds the monitoring system saves time for both doctors and patients, and it helps him more easily identify patterns, he said.

Bailey, McCallum and their patients with diabetes use technology from Carlsbad, Calif.-based iMetrikus. iMetrikus, along with technology companies, such as Eclipsys Corp., WebMD and Per Se Technologies, are among those that have developed software to enable chronically ill patients to upload results from devices such as blood glucose meters and blood pressure cuffs.

Acceptance has been a long time coming, says Rose Higgins, vice president of sales and marketing for iMetrikus. "Our biggest accomplishment has been riding out the market's readiness," she said. "It's taken a little while for the market to mature." Today iMetrikus boasts more than 100,000 users, of which 5,000 are physicians or other healthcare providers.