VA pilot remote foot-temperature mat credited with reducing amputations and saving millions, witnesses tell committee
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Summary
A company that collaborated with VA on a remote temperature-monitoring mat said the program detects diabetic foot ulcers weeks earlier, cuts mortality, saves money per patient and could avert thousands of amputations if scaled — but enrollment and budgeting barriers limit expansion.
Dr. Jonathan Blum, a physician who co-founded Podimetrics, told the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs that a remote temperature-monitoring mat used in a VA initiative can detect developing diabetic foot ulcers well before they become emergencies.
The program: "From the comfort of a veteran's home, a veteran stands on the smart mat for just 20 seconds a day while they're brushing their teeth or combing in their hair. The mat then scans for temperature changes in the feet, which may indicate a developing foot ulcer," Blum said, describing the device Podimetrics deployed with VA in what witnesses referred to as the VA’s initiative to end diabetic limb loss.
Evidence and savings: Blum said VA-led research showed clinicians could detect about 97 percent of diabetic foot ulcers on the sole of the foot up to five weeks earlier than they otherwise would have been detected, and that program participation was associated with a 37 percent reduction in one-year mortality. He said VA estimated a per-participant savings of about $16,000 in the first year and that, if scaled to roughly 110,000 highest-risk veterans, the program could save about $1.8 billion annually and potentially prevent thousands of amputations and deaths.
Barriers identified: Dr. Blum and lawmakers described several obstacles to scaling the program. Enrollment has been limited: the VA reported fewer than 6 percent of eligible veterans enrolled for 12 months in the first year cited. Witnesses and members also pointed to budget silos inside VA; Podimetrics' costs are paid from the prosthetics budget while most savings (fewer hospital and outpatient costs) accrue to medical budgets. Blum warned that incentive and workload-credit structures that reward complicated procedures more than preventive care make wide adoption challenging.
Why this matters: Diabetic foot ulcers are common and lethal complications of diabetes; Blum cited a five‑year mortality after a foot ulcer of about 70 percent and said 85 percent of lower-limb amputations are caused by diabetic foot ulcers. For veterans, who have higher diabetes prevalence than the general population, a preventive monitoring program could reduce amputations, hospitalizations, and deaths, and produce budgetary savings.
Ending: Podimetrics’ testimony framed the mat program as a proven preventive intervention that faces operational barriers to broad VA rollout — rural and low-income veterans’ access, misaligned VA budget lines and incentives, and low enrollment in non-VA podiatry settings were highlighted as the principal issues to resolve for scaling.