Diabetes

An analysis of the largest cohort available reveals that youths with type 1 diabetes, on a Medicaid managed care plan, are less likely to be readmitted within 90 days of discharge.

The health groups' letter comes after CSPI's February report, Carbonating the World, which spelled out global investment by Coca-Cola and PepsiCo.

The results, published in Diabetes Care, move the hope of pancreatic cell islet transplants close to commercialization, which would bring the technique to more patients who cannot produce their own insulin.

Data on drug prescriptions, diagnoses, and events are increasingly being used for epidemiologic and pharmacologic studies and for the evaluation of quality of care, but questions arise about how complete and accurate the diagnoses and events in these databases are.

The top stories in managed care include a recap of Patient-Centered Diabetes Care, the case for the Oncology Medical Home, UnitedHealth leaves Affordable Care Act exchanges in 2 states, and CMS expands alternative payment model for primary care.

From the focus on prevention to the possibilities of telehealth, the annual meeting presented by The American Journal of Managed Care and Joslin Diabetes Center showed where care is heading.

The authors say increased attention to gut and adipose hormones will reveal pathways to treat infertility.

The study, funded by Medtronic, follows an earlier study that compared pump users to those using daily injections to manage type 2 diabetes.

FDA classifies this as a Class I recall, which means using the device could result in adverse health effects or death.

Concern about overnight hypoglycemic events drives decision-making for patients with type 1 diabetes.

With the news that Medicare will soon pay for diabetes prevention, the 2016 edition of Patient-Centered Diabetes Care, presented by The American Journal of Managed Care, offered up-to-the-minute news on how technology will change the prevention and clinical care models, why ending stigma is key to treating obesity, and what’s ahead in insulin therapy.

Patient-Centered Diabetes Care (PCDC) is important because it provides a venue to share new knowledge and to meet different stakeholders that impact diabetes care, explained Robert A. Gabbay, MD, PhD, FACP, chief medical officer of the Joslin Diabetes Center, chair of PCDC, and editor-in-chief of Evidence-Based Diabetes Management.

While payer coverage for obesity care has improved since the American Medical Association declared that obesity is a disease, there's still a long way to go. Physician training must improve to eliminate stigma that keeps patients from getting care they need, according to experts who appeared at Patient-Centered Diabetes Care.

CMS' plan to pay for the National Diabetes Prevention Program is an important step toward payer coverage of technology-based diabetes care. But reimbursement for telehealth to treat type 2 diabetes remains challenging.

Diabetes care is incredibly complex and people are still trying to use data to predict issues with glycemic control, determine what the best combinations of drugs are, and to improve adherence with patients, explained Lonny Reisman, MD, CEO of HealthReveal and keynote speaker at Patient-Centered Diabetes Care.

It takes a village to manage people with diabetes, and that includes involving other professionals like diabetes educators, dieticians, and pharmacists more effectively, said Robert A. Gabbay, MD, PhD, FACP, chief medical officer of the Joslin Diabetes Center, chair of Patient-Centered Diabetes Care, and editor-in-chief of Evidence-Based Diabetes Management.

There may be some reluctance to reimburse telemedicine because there is a feeling that telemedicine costs might be added to overall cost, rather than be substituted, David Brumley, MD, MBA, senior medical director at Tufts Health Plan, explained at the 4th Annual Patient-Centered Diabetes Care Meeting, held April 7-8 in Teaneck, NJ.

Growth in retail health clinics reveals unmet medical needs for Americans who lack insurance, who cannot leave work, or who have disconnected with the health system. This growing sector of the health system is diagnosing and treating diabetes cases that would otherwise be missed.

Lonny Reisman, MD, CEO of HealthReveal, told attendees at Patient-Centered Diabetes Care that harnessing multiple disparate data sources can help physicians deliver better solutions at the point of care.

With not enough endocrinologists to go around, primary care physicians are important when it comes to caring for patients with diabetes, Albert Tzeel, MD, MHSA, FAAPL, regional medical director, senior products, Humana, said at the 4th Annual Patient-Centered Diabetes Care Meeting, held April 7-8, in Teaneck, NJ.

What we're reading, April 8, 2016: Disney demanded a soda study be withdrawn; WHO wants a reduction in the price of insulin; and hospitals need better tools to flag harmful prescription drugs.

A review of national Veterans Health Administration data has identified how the number of glucose-lowering agents used prior to insulin initiation impacts glycemic control.

Clinical pharmacy specialists impact patient care through improvements in clinical outcomes for diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia via clinical interventions and promotion of medication adherence.

The warnings on labels will come after FDA reviewed long-term safety data.

While this study focused on calculating the global burden of diabetes, it comes as advocacy groups are stepping up calls for soda taxes marketing limits to rein in the effect of unhealthy food and drink on poor countries.