Diabetes

The proposal to mostly leave virtual providers out of the 2018 launch of the Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program makes no sense in light of the evidence that these programs work.

Patient engagement offers opportunities for shared decision making between visits, when those with diabetes or obesity make choices about food, exercise, or medication that affect health outcomes.

Legislators and Congress need to be pressured to achieve more price transparency in order to manage the high costs on insulin says Alan Carter, PharmD, principal investigator and senior advisor at MRIGlobal, and adjunct faculty at University of Missouri­—Kansas City School of Pharmacy.

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 insurers staying away from HealthCare.gov, where you live can affect your chance of surviving cancer, and a new deal could help people on Medicare with diabetes.

Digital providers have been seen as crucial to scaling the Diabetes Prevention Program to the 22 million seniors with prediabetes. Medicare spends $1 out of every $3 on diabetes, and disease prevention is essential to lowering overall healthcare spending.

The partnership is the latest pairing in the diabetes technology sector, as companies compete to offer ever less invasive tools for disease management.

According to Eda Cengiz, MD, MHS, FAAP, associate professor of pediatrics at Yale School of Medicine, diabetes management technology is just beginning and can have a positive impact on the daily lives of diabetes patients.

The agreement paves the way for those over age 65 to gain access to continuous glucose monitoring, following a historic policy change.

Researchers at the Medical College of Georgia show how age causes a protection against inflammation to decline.

The findings demonstrate why quality ratings focus heavily on managing diabetes and targeting 30-day readmission rates.

Patients with schizophrenia are at high risk of developing diabetes, particularly due to the effects of antipsychotic medications, but the results of a recently published trial indicate liraglutide can help improve glucose tolerance and body weight in prediabetic patients.

Nina Brown-Ashford, MPH, CHES, deputy group director at the CMS Innovation Center, discusses how Medicare’s Diabetes Prevention Program will help improve population health and contain the high costs of diabetes care.

The trials appearing in JAMA found insulin degludec showed even stronger benefits in helping avoid hypoglycemia at night, which is always a concern for those with diabetes.

The interventions sought to affect both health metrics and behavior, according to the papers appearing in the journal Obesity.

Material suppliers, manufacturers, pharmacies, and rebate programs all contribute to the rising prices of insulin, according to Alan Carter, PharmD, principal investigator and senior advisor at MRIGlobal, and adjunct faculty at University of Missouri—Kansas City School of Pharmacy.

This week, the top managed care news included the Senate announcing it would delay voting on the healthcare bill until after July 4; the FDA outlined a plan to expedite drug approvals; and Joe and Jill Biden launched the Biden Cancer Initiative.

The crossover among device makers, digital health, and big data continues, as consolidation that some have predicted in the diabetes space is apparent.

With the year 2017 halfway over, The American Journal of Managed Care® is looking back at the news of the first half of the year. Here we bring you the most read news stories, including conference coverage, a take on the new president’s first executive order, reimbursement challenges, and more.

The scientific statement seeks research on the mechanisms that make it so challenging for people to keep weight off once it is lost.

Diabetes patients will be more satisfied with treatment when they perceive benefits and will continue treatment when physicians keep in contact and point out the progress, says William Polonsky, PhD, CDE, president of the Behavioral Diabetes Institute and associate clinical professor at University of California, San Diego.

The study found that teenagers at the upper end of the "normal" BMI range later experienced higher death rates from lesser-known cardiovascular diseases.

Several studies looked at older diabetes drugs for possible effects on breast cancer prevention, as well as the effects of diet and alcohol use on breast cancer risk.

The offer of free medications to low-income Medicare beneficiaries with diabetes enrolled in Part D plans has no impact on generic prescribing rates.

The agreement will record data for patient experience, clinical improvement, and cost of care for patients switching from multiple daily injections to insulin pump therapy.