The ADCES (Association of Diabetes Care & Education Specialists) is dedicated to improving diabetes care through innovative education, management, and care. When the ADCES wanted to build DANA – a trusted online resource for diabetes care technology – Netrix used agile web development tools and methodologies to build a first-of-its kind website that has already exceeded web traffic expectations and has the entire diabetes care industry buzzing
For Crystal Broj, serving as Chief Technology & Innovation Officer at the Association of Diabetes Care & Education Specialists (ADCES) is more than a job. It’s personal. Broj’s sister and two of her closest friends have diabetes. For her, the ADCES is not just an association, a place, or a paycheck. It’s a passion. A passion for empowering diabetes educators to expand the horizons of innovative education, management, and support.
But when the leadership team at the ADCES surveyed the landscape a few years ago looking for a central repository of information for diabetes care technology – like glucometers, insulin pumps, and diabetes-focused apps – they were shocked and surprised that it didn’t exist. So, they decided to build it. And the concept for the website called DANA (Diabetes Advanced Network Access) was born.
Broj and her colleagues selected Netrix to take the vision and concept and turn it into reality. “Netrix provided us with the most comprehensive, thoughtful, and creative proposal during our RFP process,” says Broj. “It was by far the best in terms of melding with our vision and expectations. And they couldn’t have been better to work with during the entire project. They really impressed us from start to finish.”
A Web Destination for All-Things-Diabetes Technology The Netrix team handled all front-end and back-end components, applying agile web development project management, working in concert with the ADCES’s graphic design firm on colors, fonts, and design treatments. “Since nothing like this existed, we knew there were going to be many iterations and many changes, and Natrix planned for it,” says Broj. “We built things in small, interchangeable pieces, so we could edit them or move them around easily and as needed.”
The DANA website took just under a year to design and develop. Pages were designed to be easily updated by the ADCES staffers, and a content management system allows for the fast uploading of new product photos, videos, and copy.
“Netrix’s project management was superb,” says Broj. “They brought their “A” game to every meeting. And they responded within a day to all our questions and requests.”
The planning, design, and project management have paid off. The new website at DANAtech.org has attracted thousands of visitors in just a few short months.
And over 70 percent of those visitors are new ones which means the demand for this kind of content among healthcare providers is high and they’ve only scratched the surface. There are thousands more providers who will likely seek access to DANAtech.org as they provide care for more than 30 million people now living with diabetes, according to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
“We’re making it easier for diabetes educators to find the latest technology information and deliver better care,” says Broj. “The DANA site is saving time, saving on medical expenses, and is likely saving lives. It’s an important innovation for our industry and Netrix Group played a critical role in making it happen.”
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