Diabetes

The move means the nation's largest payer will invest in diabetes prevention, which has been a focus of CDC, the American Medical Association, and the American Diabetes Association.

An estimated 29.1 million Americans have diabetes; most have type 2 disease. While the CDC reported in December that new cases had fallen for the first time in a generation, there are disparities in who gets the disease. It hits harder among the poor and minorities.

The study from researchers at Cleveland Clinic found that during the years before full implementation of the Affordable Care Act, a shift in treatment methods for patients with a painful condition was associated with fewer amputations and deaths. But large disparities remain.

This week, the top managed care stories include Humana announcing executive bonuses are now partially tied to value, Veterans Affairs has expanded access of hepatitis C drugs to all veterans in the system, and CDC releases guidelines on prescribing opioids.

In Soda Politics, Marion Nestle, PhD, traces the history of the giant soda companies in the United States, and how they have copied the tactics of Big Tobacco to get children "drinking sugar," with resulting rates of diabetes and obesity. Other groups are joining Nestle in criticizing the export of heavy soda marketing to the developing world.

The availability of a novel predictive biomarker in diabetes care could have benefits for patients, payers, and pharma.

Medication therapy management is a key component of ensuring good outcomes in diabetes care. The clinical pharmacist can play a key role in ensuring good transitions of care, avoiding problems of polypharmacy, addressing financial issues, and providing patient education.

Dr Gabbay is editor in chief of Evidence-Based Diabetes Management.

There has been interest in learning whether the SGLT2 inhibitor class could benefit those with type 1 diabetes who have been unable to achieve good glycemic control on insulin alone. The thought is that this class could help smooth out daily peaks and valleys in blood glucose levels.

A case management program implemented by Coventry Healthcare in one of the nation's poorest areas produced positive, measurable results among patients with diabetes.