Diabetes

Patients at high risk - including those with cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease - will be covered under the Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan (PCIP) until March 31, thanks to a decision this week from the Department of Health and Human Services.

Effective management of the comorbidities of diabetes and hypertension may increase survival in older breast cancer survivors.

Adherence to process of care measures was associated with reduced risk of 2 diabetes complications or any of 4 complications in a national industrial cohort.

Healthcare reform is already presenting new challenges and opportunities for endocrinology, a specialty that is under significant stress in the United States. A critical workforce shortage has drained the pool of practicing endocrinologists, just as the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is expected to send millions of newly insured people into the system.

This month's edition of Evidence-Based Diabetes Management, a news source of The American Journal of Managed Care, examines the science behind Mayor Michael Bloomberg's pursuit of soda portion limits, as well as alternatives for curtailing consumption to fight obesity. Soon after Mayor-elect de Blasio takes office, he must decide how to achieve Bloomberg's goal, including whether to continue litigation before the New York State Court of Appeals.

A consumer-directed health plan with a health savings account was associated with reduced adherence for 4 of 5 conditions.

The long-awaited update to guidelines for the management of hypertension - from the panel appointed to the Eighth Joint National Committee (JNC 8) - raises the recommended blood pressure threshold to determine the need for drug therapy in many patients.

To build on the success and ideas generated at last year's inaugural event, Joslin Diabetes Center once again brought together numerous key stakeholders in the collective battle to conquer diabetes and to provoke thought, innovation, and action. Highlights from Diabetes Innovation, which took place on October 3-5, 2013, in Washington, DC, are available in a special report published by The American Journal of Managed Care.

In an effort to avoid a coverage gap in health insurance, those covered under the Pre-existing Condition Insurance Plan (PCIP) will get until January 2014 to enroll into a new plan through the state or federal healthcare exchange website.

Drug Pipeline

With Science Reaching Consensus on Health Effects of Sugary Drinks, Talk of Portion Caps and Taxes Gains Steam Globally

Patients with diabetes who received prescribed heart medications by mail were less likely to visit the emergency room than those who picked up prescriptions in person, according to a new Kaiser Permanente study published in the American Journal of Managed Care.

Patients using mail order pharmacies have lower healthcare utilization, but somewhat less laboratory monitoring of persistent medications and slightly higher contraindicated medication use.

Medicare payment reforms require valid measures of high-quality healthcare. Different types of administrative wait time measures predicted glycated hemoglobin levels for new and returning patients.

Whereas population health focuses on the outcomes within a specific group, personalized medicine seeks to customize care delivery at the individual level. A recent discussion between Dr Eric Topol, director, Scripps Translational Science Institute, and Dr Farzad Mostashari, former director of the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, highlighted the diverging opinions of where future healthcare models need to go.

Findings indicate that patients using mail order pharmacies had significantly better adherence to antidiabetics, antihypertensives, and antihyperlipidemics than patients who used the retail dispensing channel.

In this interview, Curtis Triplitt, PharmD, associate professor and assistant dean of research, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Permian Basin, explains why diabetes should be treated with a patient-centered approach.

Yoga's stress-reduction benefits are well-known. Now, a study funded by NIH finds that restorative yoga burns subcutaneous fat in overweight women. The study may point to a practical way for the obese to ease into exercise.

Coverage of the 73rd Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association.

Coverage of the 73rd Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association.

Coverage from the 73rd Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association.

Coverage from the 73rd Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association.

With the unveiling of the first FDA-approved system with the name "artificial pancreas," Medtronic will seek a new CMS code that would cover both the insulin pump and the continuous glucose monitoring parts of the process, according to the company.

With speculation about an artificial pancreas rising, the September edition of Evidenced-Based Diabetes Management looked at the three systems that were being considered by the FDA including the threshold suspend technology Medtronic announced Friday and asked the next questions: Assuming the technology is approved, will insurers pay for it? How will this potentially life-altering advance make its way into the hands of the persons with diabetes who need it most?