Diabetes

Modest weight loss (>3%) among metformin-treated patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus was associated with decreased costs, lower resource utilization, and lower rates of treatment discontinuation.

The USPSTF recommendations are already being practiced by some payers like BCBS and Aetna.

Two recent policy announcements, one from Medicare and another from the US Preventive Services Task Force, signal a shift toward understanding that America's battle with obesity and diabetes is not only a medical but also a behavioral health problem, and must be treated as such.

Yesterday's announcement that Pennsylvania will become the 27th state to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act was closely watched in both healthcare and political circles, for it shows further accommodation to both local health needs and political considerations. Will Pennsylvania's deal with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services be the last, coming after Arkansas and Iowa? Or is it a sign that Medicaid, which has always combined federal mandates with some local flavor, will continue to shift with the political winds in the states?

The recommendation, based on a review conducted by KPRA EPC, identified significant changes in metabolic parameters like glucose, blood pressure, and LDL, following counseling, among individuals with cardiovascular risk factors.

The American Journal of Managed Care's ACO Coalition, now at 100 members, gives healthcare leaders a way to share ideas for improving population health. A recent Web-based exchange involving Mount Sinai ACO's diabetes strategy showed how the initiative is working to spread good ideas across the country.

The study, published in Diabetes Care, evaluated patients who participated in the NIH-sponsored Look AHEAD program.

The test, the first-ever to distinguish the type 1 form of diabetes, could detect the ZnT8 autoantibody in 65 percent of the samples from patients with diagnosed type 1 diabetes and gave false positive results in less than two percent of the samples from patients diagnosed with other disease.

A century ago, employee health and well-being was of such little concern to most US employers that it took the passage of workers' compensation laws for most to care, because suddenly it affected the bottom line.

HHS said that many Medicare Advantage plans wrongly inflated patient risk scores, costing the government billions. Although no insurers were specifically named, HHS researchers said it was evident that the practice of overbilling was occurring industry wide.

Older patients who are diagnosed with HIV/AIDS present a variety of challenges for providers, especially when it comes to controlling their costs of care.

Jardiance, which was approved in Europe in May of this year, was late in coming because of certain issues raised by the FDA at Boerhringer's manufacturing plant.

With diabetes costs taking double-digit increases--and expensive newer meds launching--insurers are tightening restrictions on drug use.

ADA 74th Scientific Sessions

ADA 74th Scientific Sessions

ADA 74th Scientific Sessions

ADA 74th Scientific Sessions

On the second day of "Patient-Centered Diabetes Care: Putting Theory Into Practice," Jan Berger, MD, MJ, president of Health Intelligence Partners, moderated the panel discussion "Measuring the Impact of Pharmacists in Diabetes Patient Care."

Joyce furthered the discussion on the role of pharmacists in patient-care started by Haydon-Greatting by providing case studies that stemmed out of a CMS-funded research grant.

Dr. Vojta emphasized the importance of analyzing existing good patient data to improve care outcomes.

As part of its mission to bring together stakeholders engaged in implementing the Affordable Care Act, The American Journal of Managed Care created the ACO and Emerging Healthcare Delivery Coalition, which gives participants opportunities to share best practices in using new reimbursement models. The final panel of "Patient-Centered Diabetes Care: Putting Theory Into Practice" invited ACO Coalition members to present insights on diabetes care.

The panel discussion for Session 3, "The Role of Health Plans and Payers in Patient Care," discussed the role of payers in revolutionizing the system to make it patient-centric.

Pearson emphasized a coordination of care, between the primary care provider, the pharmacist, and payers, to improve patient care.

During her presentation, Haydon-Greatting who has trained as a pharmacist, talked about the influential role that a pharmacist could play in patient care and disease management.

Information technology will be crucial to pushing disease prevention efforts in healthcare.

Accountable care is forcing providers to develop new capacities and strategies for managing cost and quality trends. Prospectively managing the health of populations requires shifting the focus of care delivery from episodic interventions to continuous population management. As a result, accountable care organizations (ACOs) are dedicating considerable focus to developing the infrastructure and tools needed to help patients manage their chronic conditions. This is a significant departure from traditional care-delivery models and will require provider organizations to develop new partnerships and embrace new methods.