Changes with health plans can be disruptive to patients with diabetes who face changes in supplies and medications that make it difficult to manage their disease, said Jaime A. Davidson, MD, FACP, MACE, professor of medicine, Touchstone Diabetes Center, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.
Changes with health plans can be disruptive to patients with diabetes who face changes in supplies and medications that make it difficult to manage their disease, said Jaime A. Davidson, MD, FACP, MACE, professor of medicine, Touchstone Diabetes Center, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.
Transcript
What challenges have your Medicare patients had in ordering diabetes supplies and has it affected their health?
Actually, it’s disruptive. I call the system disruptive. Because every year there are changes. We have an article actually that shows for supplies, especially for glucose sticks and meters, they decided to have a big change and when the patients receive the new meters or the new strips they didn’t know how to use them, they didn’t trust them, they didn’t use them, and actually that was very disruptive and people got out of control.
And the same is true for medications. Every year they change plans. It’s not just Medicare, it’s plans that we need to check on a yearly basis because this plan looks better. And then if one of the patients is taking, for example, one type of insulin, the new plan may not have it. And then they will exchange from a different insulin. And then, there’s a lot of confusion.
So, I call that part of the system disruptive. Economically, they think they save money, but at the end it costs us all more money, because the patients don’t do as well.
Dr Dalia Rotstein: Physicians Must Be Aware MS Affects People of All Backgrounds
April 24th 2024Dalia Rotstein, MD, MPH, emphazises the importance of awareness that multiple sclerosis (MS) impacts patients from various backgrounds as clinicians think through ways to improve access to care and research efforts in MS.
Read More
Empowering Community Health Through Wellness and Faith
April 23rd 2024To help celebrate and recognize National Minority Health Month, we are bringing you a special month-long podcast series with our Strategic Alliance Partner, UPMC Health Plan. In the third episode, Camille Clarke-Smith, EdD, MS, CHES, CPT, discusses approaching community health holistically through spiritual and community engagement.
Listen
Beyond Insulin: The Impact of Next-Generation Diabetes Technology
April 17th 2024Experts explain how new diabetes technologies like continuous glucose monitors are transforming care beyond intensive insulin therapy, offering personalized insights and improving outcomes for patients of all treatment levels.
Read More
Overcoming Employment Barriers for Lasting Social Impact: Freedom House 2.0 and Pathways to Work
April 16th 2024To help celebrate and recognize National Minority Health Month, we are bringing you a special month-long podcast series with our Strategic Alliance Partner, UPMC Health Plan. Welcome to our second episode, in which we learn all about Freedom House 2.0 and the Pathways to Work program.
Listen