Diabetes

Coverage of our peer-reviewed research and news reporting in the healthcare and mainstream press.

A newly published study from the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing finds that heavy alcohol consumption poses a risk for suboptimal long-term weight loss among patients with a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes.

Only 19% of patients in this sample had good diabetes control based on their tested glycated hemoglobin levels. Patients diagnosed with mental health conditions in this study were more likely to have good diabetes control.

New reports from the CDC have highlighted troubling increasing trends in suicides and drug overdose rates as life expectancy in the United States declined.

This week, the top managed care news included a CMS plan for changes in drug coverage that brought a wave of criticism; a government task force recommended more people at risk for HIV take pre-exposure prophylaxis, known as PrEP; the American College of Cardiology issued an Expert Consensus Pathway on treatment of patients with type 2 diabetes and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.

Atherosclerosis and peripheral artery disease are significant long-term complications of diabetes that demand more education and quality care to prevent limb loss. The conclusion of National Diabetes Month offers an opportunity to draw attention to ways to prevent these outcomes and screen for them early.

The authors noted that until recently, medications to control blood glucose were not expected to offer any benefit in helping patients avoid cardiovascular events.

Results presented at the American Heart Association in Chicago provided the strongest evidence to date on what heart failure specialists have discussed for several years now: the possibility that SGLT2 inhibitors might be used to prevent heart failure in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Sandoz announced it will no longer pursue FDA approval for its proposed biosimilar rituximab; when it comes time to set the clocks back an hour for daylight saving time, hospitals opt for paper records during the night shift to compensate for challenges with electronic health records; new research on the effectiveness of over-the-counter (OTC) medicines finds little evidence that these products will relieve a child’s symptoms when sick.

Every week, The American Journal of Managed Care® recaps the top managed care news of the week, and you can now listen to it on our podcast, Managed Care Cast.

The report, more than a year in the making, comes at the start of Diabetes Awareness Month.

This week, the top managed care news included a proposal to allow Medicare to pay the same prices for certain drugs as what other countries pay; President Donald Trump signed a law to fight the opioid crisis; an FDA advisory panel voted narrowly to retain a 10-year-old guidance for safety trials for diabetes drugs.

Here are 5 interesting findings from the October 2018 issue of AJMC®.

Cardiovascular outcomes trials have changed type 2 diabetes drug development and added to the knowledge base, but some think these giant studies make therapies too costly and discourage innovation.

Amgen has announced that the price of its proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) inhibitor, evolocumab (Repatha), will be reduced by 60%, from an annual price of $14,100 down to $5850.

The October 2018 issue of The American Journal of Managed Care® (AJMC®) includes studies on diabetes outcomes, the effect of feedback reports on physician behavior, accountable care organization performance, and more. Here are 5 findings from the research published in the issue.

Casting messages widely throughout an electronic health record instead of using more focused direct messaging in diabetes care leads to more hospital visits and higher medical costs, according to a study published in the current issue of The American Journal of Managed Care®.

The analysis of data from EMPA-REG OUTCOME arrives as the FDA weighs the future of these large trials.

Incorporating an autopend functionality into clinical decision support improved glycated hemoglobin laboratory test completion by between 21.1% and 33.9% for reminder messages read within 57 days.

Patient preference should be considered because medications don't work if adherence is poor, the experts noted.

The actual costs of implementing the evidence-based Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) were compared with the latest reimbursement rates provided by CMS.

More frequent electronic health record (EHR) message forwarding in primary care teams is associated with worse outcomes and higher medical costs for patients with diabetes.

For 2017, New Jersey's largest insurer made particularly good progress in certain diabetes measures and in cancer screenings.

Employers may not look forward to purchasing healthcare, but they are in the position to transform the market. More employers are getting more involved in healthcare by championing alternative payment models and other services to their employees.

POSTERS AT THE 2018 American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE) Annual Conference covered updates on new therapies and technology, strategies to help patients overcome fear of using insulin, and innovations in diabetes self-management education and support. Following are a few snapshots of the research presented at AADE.