Diabetes

With Science Reaching Consensus on Health Effects of Sugary Drinks, Talk of Portion Caps and Taxes Gains Steam Globally

Patients with diabetes who received prescribed heart medications by mail were less likely to visit the emergency room than those who picked up prescriptions in person, according to a new Kaiser Permanente study published in the American Journal of Managed Care.

Patients using mail order pharmacies have lower healthcare utilization, but somewhat less laboratory monitoring of persistent medications and slightly higher contraindicated medication use.

Medicare payment reforms require valid measures of high-quality healthcare. Different types of administrative wait time measures predicted glycated hemoglobin levels for new and returning patients.

Whereas population health focuses on the outcomes within a specific group, personalized medicine seeks to customize care delivery at the individual level. A recent discussion between Dr Eric Topol, director, Scripps Translational Science Institute, and Dr Farzad Mostashari, former director of the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, highlighted the diverging opinions of where future healthcare models need to go.

Findings indicate that patients using mail order pharmacies had significantly better adherence to antidiabetics, antihypertensives, and antihyperlipidemics than patients who used the retail dispensing channel.

In this interview, Curtis Triplitt, PharmD, associate professor and assistant dean of research, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Permian Basin, explains why diabetes should be treated with a patient-centered approach.

Yoga's stress-reduction benefits are well-known. Now, a study funded by NIH finds that restorative yoga burns subcutaneous fat in overweight women. The study may point to a practical way for the obese to ease into exercise.

Coverage of the 73rd Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association.

Coverage of the 73rd Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association.

Coverage from the 73rd Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association.

Coverage from the 73rd Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association.

With the unveiling of the first FDA-approved system with the name "artificial pancreas," Medtronic will seek a new CMS code that would cover both the insulin pump and the continuous glucose monitoring parts of the process, according to the company.

With speculation about an artificial pancreas rising, the September edition of Evidenced-Based Diabetes Management looked at the three systems that were being considered by the FDA including the threshold suspend technology Medtronic announced Friday and asked the next questions: Assuming the technology is approved, will insurers pay for it? How will this potentially life-altering advance make its way into the hands of the persons with diabetes who need it most?

Patient-centered diabetes care is most effective when targeted to patients with HbA1c >8.5 percent, according to a study.

After the FDA warning and removal of rosiglitazone from the VA National Formulary, glucose control may have declined among those discontinuing rosiglitazone without receiving replacement medication.

Access to affordable, quality healthcare for poor Americans varies dramatically among the states, according to a new study that found a wide disparity in measures of health between states with the best healthcare systems and those with the worst.

As healthcare delivery evolves to be more efficient and cost-effective, health technology continues to show the biggest promise.