AJMC and the American Association of Diabetes Educators Publish Joint Issue

PLAINSBORO, N.J., and CHICAGO—The American Journal of Managed Care (AJMC), now in its 22nd year as the leading peer-reviewed journal supporting research in managed care, has published a special joint issue of Evidence-Based Diabetes Management with the American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE), the 14,000-member multidisciplinary organization of healthcare providers dedicated to improving diabetes care and outcomes through innovative education, management, and support.

“We are pleased and excited to work with The American Journal of Managed Care to share the message that partnerships with diabetes educators for the delivery of Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support and the Diabetes Prevention Program can assist payers in meeting today’s healthcare goals,” said 2016 AADE President Hope Warshaw, MMSc, RD, CDE, BC-ADM, FAADE. “Empowering people at risk for or with prediabetes or diagnosed with diabetes to self-manage their disease will improve their health and quality of life, while reducing costs for the system.”

The December issue of EBDM focuses on the growing body of evidence that Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support, or DSMES, is an effective disease management tool that saves health systems money but is woefully underutilized. More widespread use of DSMES will require that payers—both public and private—rethink policies and payment structures.

Editor-in-chief Robert A. Gabbay, MD, PhD, FACP, the chief medical officer and senior vice president of Joslin Diabetes Center, and Warshaw lead off the issue with a joint commentary that argues early, consistent DSMES should be the norm, “not the exception.” They call for reimbursement standards to align with the 2015 joint statement from AADE, the American Diabetes Association, and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics—which seeks education at key points: (1) at diagnosis, (2) at annual assessments, (3) when complications occur, and (4) during transitions in life and care.

“The quest now is to move referral and utilization of DSMES from a rec­ommendation to an expectation,” Gabbay and Warshaw write. “Today, people who fail to follow through on a referral for a

mammogram, a colonoscopy, or blood work know they will hear about it at the next visit. In diabetes care, DSMES must be treated with the same urgency.”

In addition to coverage of AADE16, the organization’s annual conference held earlier this year in San Diego, California, the special issue features the following:

· Catherine A. O’Brian, PhD, and Leslie E. Kolb, MBA, BSN, RN, of AADE’s Department of Science and Practice, discuss the accumulating evidence of the value of diabetes self-management education and support programs accredited through AADE’s Diabetes Education Accreditation Program. The data support expanded coverage by public and private insurers.

· Mary Ann Hodorowicz, RDN, MBA, CDE, CEC, addresses the role of diabetes educators in helping accountable care organizations meet quality measures through care coordination, given the central role that primary care plays in treating persons with diabetes. Hodorowicz explores the critical role of DSMES in achieving the Triple Aim of improved population health, improved patient experience, and reduced costs.

· The issue discusses AADE’s role in scaling the National Diabetes Prevention Program to the point that Medicare is prepared to pay for it beginning January 1, 2018, as well as AADE’s recommendations for reimbursement policy.

Sara Belanger, director of sales for The American Journal of Managed Care, encouraged payers and policymakers to not only read the current issue but also to heed AADE’s advice about the epidemic of diabetes. “These are the voices on the front lines of an epidemic that is costing us $245 billion a year,” she said.

About the Journals and AJMC.com

The American Journal of Managed Care is the leading peer-reviewed journal dedicated to issues in managed care. AJMC.com distributes healthcare news to leading stakeholders across a variety of platforms. Other titles in the franchise include The American Journal of Accountable Care, which publishes research and commentary on innovative healthcare delivery models facilitated by the 2010 Affordable Care Act. AJMC’s Evidence-Based series brings together stakeholder views from payers, providers, policymakers and pharmaceutical leaders in oncology and diabetes management. To order reprints of articles appearing in AJMC publications, please call (609) 716-7777, x 131.

About the AADE

The American Association of Diabetes Educators is a multi-disciplinary professional membership organization dedicated to improving diabetes care through innovative education, management and support. With more than 14,000 professional members including nurses, dietitians, pharmacists, exercise specialists, and others, AADE has a vast network of practitioners working with people who have, are affected by or are at risk for diabetes. Learn more at diabeteseducator.org.