Diabetes

Amid two seemingly unrelated trends, the rise of high-deductible health plans and the growing prevalence and burden of chronic diseases, it may time to rethink the concept and regulation of preventive services, argue advocates of value-based insurance.

Gregory L. Fricchione, MD, of Harvard Medical School, says that primary care physicians and specialists alike can benefit from a heuristic equation that considers a patient's stress and resilience levels.

Modern life is full of stress, and understanding how stress affects the brain is essential to developing ways to prevent its harmful effects on the body, according to Gregory Fricchione, MD, of Harvard Medical School.

Takaji Kittaka Jr, MD, has coordinated the integration of 3 hospitals, 2800 employees, and disparate physicians, while helping to create nurse navigator positions and population managers. Uniting all of these specialties in the common goal of achieving greater alignment was the topic of Dr Kittaka's presentation at the National Association of Managed Care Physicians' Spring Managed Care Forum 2014 in Orlando.

In obese patients, we assessed the lack of advice to lose weight and its association with cardiovascular risk using the REGICOR chart (adaption of Framingham).

Edmund J. Pezalla, MD, MPH, national medical director, Aetna Pharmacy Management, says that Aetna recognizes the implications of the obesity epidemic and how it contributes to a variety of other medical problems such as diabetes and hypertension.

Out-of-pocket expenses for diabetes treatment have gone down for many U.S. patients over the past decade, according to a new study. But nearly a quarter of people with diabetes still face high expenses.

Women with diabetes are 14 percent less likely to be screened for breast cancer compared to women without diabetes, according to a study. "Managing the demands of a chronic condition such as diabetes is challenging for many women, leaving other preventative actions, like screening for cancer, to fall by the wayside," said a physician and author. "Our study found having diabetes posed a significant barrier to breast cancer screening even after considering a woman's socioeconomic status, a known contributor to disparities in care among women."

As hundreds of thousands of diabetics get health coverage under the federal law, insurance companies are aggressively targeting this glut of new patients, who are expensive to treat and often lax in taking medications and following their diet.

The American Journal of Managed Care brought together than 125 diabetes advocates, providers, and educators, along with health plan leaders and pharmaceutical executives, to Princeton, N.J. Attendees gained insights into giving persons with diabetes with the right level of support to manage their disease.

Amy Tenderich of DiabetesMine.com, a web-based news source for persons with diabetes, took part in panel discussions at Patient-Centered Diabetes Care: Putting Theory into Practice, sponsored by The American Journal of Managed Care.

As the healthcare landscape evolves, so will the way that providers help patients manage their diabetes.

Fighting the nation's related epidemics of obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus will take a nationwide strategy that increasingly tailors treatment to individual patient needs, and new approaches are need to get patients to take medications and make lifestyle changes to be healthier. That was the consensus of an expert panel convened Thursday by The American Journal of Managed Care to open its two-day conference, Patient-Centered Diabetes Care: Putting Theory into Practice, which is taking place at the Princeton Marriott at Forrestal. The conference continues today, opening with a keynote address by Robert A. Gabbay, MD, chief medical officer at the Joslin Diabetes Center, Harvard Medical School.

Ironman triathlete Jay Hewitt will speak tomorrow at the evening reception of Patient-Centered Diabetes Care: Putting Theory into Practice, which is bringing leaders in diabetes healthcare delivery to the Princeton Marriott at Forrestal. On Friday, Dr. Robert Gabbay, chief medical officer of the Joslin Diabetes Center, will offer a keynote address.

Robert A. Gabbay, MD, PhD, chief medical officer and senior vice president, Joslin Diabetes Center, says that there are opportunities for treating diabetes within accountable care organizations (ACOs).

Metformin, the go-to drug for patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), may help control glycated hemoglobin (A1C) levels, but it does not help prevent heart failure in heart attack patients who do not have the disease, according to a new study from the Netherlands.

Bariatric surgery has more powerful long-term effects on controlling type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) that medical therapy alone, according to the largest, long-term study comparing methods.

Should patients with moderately elevated levels of triglycerides be treated, even while cardiologists await the results of a trial that may provide a definitive answer?

From a session called How to Navigate the Maze of Pharmacotherapy in Diabetes? to oral abstracts and posters, the relationship between cardiac risks and rising incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus received plenty of attention Saturday at the 63rd Scientific Sessions of the American College of Cardiology, being held in Washington, DC.

Robert A. Gabbay, MD, PhD, chief medical officer and senior vice president of Joslin Diabetes Center, highlights why stakeholders should attend the Patient-Centered Diabetes Care: Putting Theory into Practice event on April 10-11, in Princeton, NJ.

Drug therapy management implementation in 2 health plans resulted in significant cost savings and modest to significant reductions in emergency department visits and inpatient admissions among patients with diabetes.