Two hospitals in the District of Columbia will test patient access via cell phones to personal health records software as a way to better manage high-risk diabetics in underserved areas.

The George Washington University Hospital and Howard University Hospital will develop a program to use cell phones to enable patients to maintain electronic diaries of their weight, blood glucose levels and blood pressure. Participating patients will be given a cell phone and a PHR populated with electronic health record data from the Howard University Diabetes Treatment Center.

Values entered into the phone that do not match clinician-set ranges will trigger an alert on the screen and information on correcting the problem and getting help.

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