Diabetes

An estimated 30 million Americans are living with diabetes. Additionally, 84 million have prediabetes, a condition that will result in type 2 diabetes within 5 years if not properly treated. Long regarded as one of the most prevalent chronic diseases in United States, diabetes is also a leading cause of disability and the seventh-leading cause of death. Less discussed is one of the most common complications of diabetes: diabetic foot ulcers. If not properly treated with standard and adjunctive care, these chronic wounds can lead to permanent disability and premature death.

This week, the top managed care news included a federal judge ruling that the Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional; new diabetes standards address cardiovascular risk; efforts targeting loneliness show improved health outcomes.

The relationship between diabetes management and preventing cardiovascular events was a theme throughout 2018, and this is reflected in the new standards.

Throughout the year, The American Journal of Managed Care® (AJMC®) offered a number of video programs, including Peer Exchange discussions and interviews, on a range of topics. Here are the most-watched videos published by AJMC® in 2018.

The 2019 Standards of Care reflect an ongoing collaboration between the American Diabetes Association and the American College of Cardiology.

Two of The American Journal of Managed Care®'s top 5 most-read news stories were themselves top-5 roundups of hot topics in healthcare this year. The list was rounded out by cardiovascular, diabetes, and cancer news.

The report in Diabetes Care, the official journal of the American Diabetes Association, comes after reports of rising rates of diabetes and obesity among young adults and soaring insulin costs, which may mean diabetes is not being effectively treated.

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.

This week, the top managed care news included a CDC report that found life expectancy in the United States declined again; telemedicine use among physicians remains low; another study added to the debate over who should take statins.

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.