Mary Caffrey

The transition to a value-based payment system may ultimately reward diabetes educators, but right now these professionals see challenges on the front lines.

Payers are making investments in care coordination to halt the overuse of services and medication. Certified diabetes educators (CDEs) are ideal candidates for this role, since so much of high healthcare spending is due to chronic disease.

A study found that certified diabetes educators embedded in a primary practice, while consulting with an endocrinologist, were able to dramatically improve A1C in a short time by overcoming clinical inertia.

Getting diabetes self-management education within reach of the target audience means putting trainers into primary care practices. A program from the University of Washington shows how to transport lessons from an academic center into local clinics.

The importance of care coordination and the role of diabetes educators in the primary care practice is a theme of the 2016 meeting of the American Association of Diabetes Educators, taking place in San Diego, California.

The authors note that employers dictate what Americans do for a large portion of the waking hours, and public health strategies to improve cardiovascular health could be targeted to certain job groups.

The findings of improved glycemic control but some incidence of diabetic ketoacidosis are consistent with other early findings of use of SGLT2 inhibitors in type 1 diabetes.

Adding more states and conditions to the Medicare Advantage value-based insurance design model will allow CMS to reach a more diverse group of plans and patients, in both rural and urban settings.

The institute is part of a planned development by Joseph Canizaro, who grew up in Biloxi and has transformed New Orleans' skyline over 4 decades.

The step comes in the wake of reports from Pro Publica, which found 47 incidents since 2012, and signs the problem was getting worse.

Medicaid expansion programs in Arkansas and Kentucky were found to be equally effective at improving healthcare access for the target population. Both programs face revisions following the election of Republican governors, who want to add work requirements.

The study reveals the importance of a taking a precision medicine approach to diabetes care.

The GAO report suggests that states will not be allowed to use the 1332 "superwaiver" process to roll back Medicaid coverage.

The 2016 presidential race has been mostly about the candidates' personal qualities and less about their policies. But that doesn't mean Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton don't have debate-worthy ideas in their healthcare platforms.

The GeneSight test address an unmet need that mental health leaders have wanted for years: a way to avoid the "try until it fails" approach in selecting anti-depressants.

The findings support observations from an expert panel convened by The American Journal of Managed Care, who said patients lack awareness of the consequences of diabetes on their vision.

Both Express Scripts and CVS Health said they were taking aim at prescription drug prices that keep going up even when competitors are available.

The report by FAIR Health notes that today's opioid epidemic, unlike past crises, is affecting more white suburban dwellers, who are more likely to have private insurance.

With Medicare preparing to reimburse for the Diabetes Prevention Program in January 2018, companies are forming or expanding to make this evidence-based program scalable to reach 86 million people with prediabetes.

The successor to an earlier value-based effort in primary care could reach 5000 practices and 3.5 million patients. The original model showed transformation but had not yet shown savings after 2 years.

Two consultants who help stakeholders in value-based transitions say CMS is serious about an aggressive pace for payment reform.

Experts say that at too many chain restaurants, individual meals exceed recommended calories for the entire day, to say nothing of excessive amounts of salt and fat.The Affordable Care Act will require most chains to put calorie counts on the menu by next year.

While most the attention for reducing 30-day readmissions is with the Medicare population, the study shows that children's needs also demand attention.

What can a university do when students are getting the mumps, even though they were vaccinated as children? The CDC examines what happened at the University of Illinois.

The approval paves the way for Sanofi's insulin and GLP-1 combination therapy, which is due for final FDA action in August.

The report found that in-person coaching and digital formats with human coaching were both effective and delivered value. ICER's review comes as Medicare is creating reimbursement standards to take effect in January 2018.

CMS will face the question of whether to approve Governor Matt Bevin's requests, which include work requirements, or see if he follows through on a threat to cancel Medicaid expansion for 450,000.

Presented by The Atlantic at the Democratic National Convention, the forum saw members of Congress, a scientist, and a patient all call for more prevention and early intervention in a disease that could swamp the federal budget by 2050.

Critics of the Hospital Compare "Star" ratings ask whether the failure to take patient wealth into account unfairly penalizes hospitals that care for larger numbers of poor patients.

This would be the second group of procedures targeted for bundled payments in Medicare. Rules for hip and knee replacements went into effect in April in 67 markets.