DIAGNOS Announces Project Update with a Mexican Government Organization

BROSSARD, QUEBEC–(Marketwired – Sept. 7, 2016) – Diagnos Inc. (“DIAGNOS” or “the Corporation”) (TSX VENTURE:ADK), a leader in healthcare technical services including screening, software and algorithm development, data analysis, and image processing, announces today an operational update related to a contract with a Mexican government organization valued at up to $1.7 million.
DIAGNOS has currently deployed 14 managed screening units in Mexico City. Each screening unit consists of a non-mydriatic fundus camera, access to DIAGNOS’ CARA telemedicine platform, and an optometrist responsible for taking images and collection of relevant patient information. Patient screening volume has reached 1,000 patients per day and is continuing to increase as more screening units are added and further education and marketing about the screening service spreads within each hospital site.
“The MIDE program will strengthen the Health Insurance to which all ISSSTE’s patients are entitled and will contribute to control one of the major public health problems our country faces: diabetes”, said Mr. Jose Reyes Baeza, Director General of ISSSTE, in an interview last march 2016 (source: https://www.radioformula.com.mx/notas.asp?Idn=577867&idFC=2016).
After the start of operations in July with 9 screening units, the Director General of ISSSTE along with his counterpart of IMSS (the Mexican Institute of Social Security) and the Minister of Health, announced the coverage of at least 518,000 diabetics for retina screening by 2018 in order to increase the coverage of new health technologies. “The prevalence of diabetes at ISSSTE is 12.8%, meaning that more than 800,000 patients live with this conditions”, Mr. Jose Reyes Baeza, Director General of the Institution in charge of providing health services and social security to the Mexican government organization’s employees and their families.
“Family Clinics (45 clinics) with the MIDE program in the 4 regional offices of the State of Mexico (covering Mexico City and its Metropolitan Area), will have a tool for computerized retina analysis, which involves taking pictures of the retina with a fundus camera, with an automated interpretation in 1 minute through a specialized software. With this technology you can promptly detect retinopathy, the leading cause of blindness worldwide and is usually diagnosed in advanced stages. It is estimated that about four out of every 100 people with diabetes in Mexico develop it. Still another advantage for this type of analysis is that will unburden the specialists, to properly referred patients only to specific cases that merit attention from the ophthalmologist”, finished Mr. Reyes Baeza (source: https://www.radioformula.com.mx/notas.asp?Idn=614873&idFC=2016).
“We are excited to have had a successful installation and launch thus far. More than 13,000 diabetic patients to the MIDE program have been screened since the beginning of the program. We expect to have a total of 17 screening units running in hospitals within the few weeks. The program to date is successful and we are negotiating the second year agreement with the government right now,” said André Larente, DIAGNOS’ President.
About DIAGNOS
Founded in 1998, DIAGNOS is a publicly traded Canadian corporation with a mission to commercialize technologies combining contextual imaging and traditional data mining thereby improving decision making processes. DIAGNOS offers products, services, and solutions to clients in a variety of fields including healthcare and natural resources.
About CARA
CARA is a tele-ophthalmology platform that integrates with existing equipment (hardware and software) and processes at the point of care (POC) and comprises: image upload, image enhancement automated pre-screening, grading by a specialist, and referral to a specialist. CARA’s image enhancement algorithms make standard retinal images sharper, clearer, and easier to read. CARA is accessible securely over the internet, and is compatible with all recognized image formats and brands of fundus cameras, and is EMR compatible. CARA is a cost-effective tool for screening large numbers of patients, in real-time and has been approved by regulatory authorities including Health Canada, US Food and Drug Administration, and the European Union.
Forward-looking information
This document contains forward-looking information. There can be no assurance that forward-looking information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in these
statements.
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For further information, please contact DIAGNOS, visit our website at www.diagnos.com, or visit the SEDAR website at www.sedar.com.