New research: Diabetes takes toll on life span and quality of life

Recent research published in Diabetes Care, a publication of the American Diabetes Association, found that diabetes is associated with a substantial reduction in life span.

The study sought to quantify the impact of diabetes status on healthy and disabled years of life for older adults in the U.S. and provide a baseline from which to evaluate ongoing national public health efforts to prevent and control diabetes and disability.

Adults with type 2 diabetes die, on average, nearly five years earlier than their peers without the condition, according to research statistics. They also develop disabilities — like losing limbs or toes due to poor circulation — six to seven years earlier than non-diabetics.

New Report from Northeast Business Group on Health: Employers Frustrated by Ineffectiveness of Traditional Diabetes Management Programs

Most employers have diabetes prevention or management programs in place but point to lack of employee engagement as a key factor in the ineffectiveness of such programs, says a new report from Northeast Business Group on Health (NEBGH). Traditional disease management techniques – primarily telephone outreach and information distribution – are not working to stem the diabetes epidemic, according to the report, based on a NEBGH Solutions Center research project that included an employer survey and roundtable discussion with 26 executives from employers, health plans, providers, consulting organizations and pharmaceutical firms.

“Employers are aware of the toll diabetes takes on their employees, as well as the impact to their organizations in terms of direct healthcare costs and indirect costs associated with diabetes-related absenteeism, presenteeism, disability and early retirement,” said Laurel Pickering, MPH, President and CEO of NEBGH. “But we need to look beyond what is currently in place in most organizations and actively pursue innovative new models of care delivery, new ways of engaging employees and new business models that reward high value care, if we are serious about making a dent in this American epidemic.”

Read more about the report's release here and access the full report here.

Cost of Diabetes Care Keeps Climbing, Report Shows

The cost of diabetes care in the United States has increased 48 percent in recent years, climbing to more than $322 billion annually, a new report shows.

Even greater increases in cost were seen with prediabetes care, which have risen 74 percent, and undiagnosed diabetes, which have jumped 82 percent, the researchers added.

In 2012, excess medical costs and lost productivity associated with diabetes totaled more than $1,000 for every American. That total includes $244 billion in medical costs -- including doctor's office and hospital visits, prescription drugs and other health conditions such as high blood pressureand kidney complications -- and $78 billion in lost work productivity.

Read the full story via HealthDay.

New Employer-facing Diabetes Education Resources from CDC

CDC has recently redesigned and expanded their National Diabetes Education Program website. Check out the site to explore a variety of employer-facing resources related to diabetes education.

New user-friendly landing pages feature the PPOD Toolkit and revised New Beginnings Guide along with Road to Heath, Tasty Recipes, Resources for Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders, and the Living a Balanced Life with Diabetes Toolkit. The website also includes a new searchable database of resources and links to CDC’s order site to easily order resources.

You can reach out to pca8@cdc.gov with any questions or for more information.

Latest Research on Our Nation's Health: Poor Diet and Lack of Physical Activity Have Significant Impact

Yesterday findings from the first major analysis of the health status of the U.S. population in more than 15 years was released by a global collaborative of scientists led by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington, The research found that while Americans are showing progress in reducing death rates (adjusted for age, across a variety of diseases), our poor diet and inadequate physical activity are dramatically impacting our nation’s health. Additionally, death rates from illnesses associated with obesity, such as diabetes and kidney disease, as well as neurological conditions like Alzheimer's disease, are on the rise.

“If the US can make progress with dietary risk factors, physical activity, and obesity, it will see massive reductions in death and disability,” said Dr. Ali Mokdad, head of the US County Health Performance team for IHME and former director of the Behavior Risk Factors and Surveillance Survey at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Unhealthy diets and a lack of physical activity in the US cause more health loss than alcohol or drug use.”

The findings were presented by Dr. Christopher Murray, IHME Director and one of the lead authors on the study at an event for mayors and other local officials hosted by First Lady Michelle Obama as part of the Let’s Move! Cities, Towns, and Counties anniversary convening.

In a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association on July 10 – “The State of US Health, 1990-2010: Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors” – researchers show the impact of premature deaths in children and young adults, the significant toll of disabling conditions, and the overall burden on health systems from a range of fatal and non-fatal health factors. It includes estimates for death and disability from 291 diseases, conditions, and injuries as well as 67 risk factors.

To explore the trends for the United States in depth, go to our Global Burden of Disease visualization page and search for the US in any of our tools: www.ihmeuw.org/GBDCountryViz.

UnitedHealth Reports Success With Diabetes Management Program

According to Employee Benefit News, a two-year study from UnitedHealthcare shows its disease management program for diabetes can help people with the condition manage it more effectively, while also reducing related costs.

The study followed 620 people with diabetes for two years, examining their compliance with six key diabetes treatment and testing requirements, including regular primary care visits and screening tests for blood sugar, cholesterol, cancer, kidney function and eye disease. Key findings include:

• Twenty-one percent of participants in the diabetes management program saw a reduction in their health risk scores, which are used to measure expected health care costs for an individual or a population.
• Participants, on average, achieved compliance with 75% of the key requirements vs. 61% for those diabetics not enrolled in the plan.
• The compliance rate of plan participants increased 6% over two years.
• Health care costs grew at a 4% slower pace for the diabetes management program participants than for employees not participating in the program.

The program, available to self-insured employers, offers some diabetes supplies and diabetes-related prescription drugs at no charge, as well as no co-pays for related doctor visits, at an estimated savings of up to $500 a year for participants.

Diabetes Costs Nation $245 Billion Annually

The growing toll of diabetes cost the nation a record high $245 billion in 2012, a 41% increase from $174 billion in 2007, says USA Today. The study Economic Costs of Diabetes in the U.S. in 2012, commissioned by the American Diabetes Association, estimated the health care and work-related costs of diagnosed diabetes. The full study will be published in the April issue of Diabetes Care.

The study estimated that 22.3 million people in the USA were diagnosed with diabetes in 2012. An earlier study by the association estimated that nearly 17.5 million people in the USA were diagnosed with type 1 or type 2 diabetes in 2007. The study found that direct medical costs totaled $176 billion, reflecting hospital and emergency care, office visits and medications. Indirect costs added up to $69 billion, which includes absenteeism, reduced or lost productivity, and unemployment caused by diabetes-related disability.

Six coalitions receive funding for diabetes prevention efforts

NBCH announced today that six member coalitions have been selected to receive $182,000 in funding of grants and stipends to increase awareness and lay the groundwork for coverage of the lifestyle change program that is part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Diabetes Prevention Program (National DPP). This initiative is a public-private partnership designed to bring to communities an evidence-based lifestyle change program to prevent type 2 diabetes.

The education stipends will support coalition efforts to implement an educational programming series about the National DPP and conduct a market readiness analysis. The seed grants will provide coalitions with the resources to work towards benefit design and incentive strategies to cover the National DPP lifestyle change program using a pay-for-performance approach in their own markets. The four coalitions awarded the education stipends are: the Employers’ Health Coalition in Fort Smith, AR; the Greater Philadelphia Business Coalition on Health; the Louisiana Business Group on Health, and the Oregon Coalition of Health Care Purchasers. The coalitions awarded the seed grants are the Knoxville, TN-based HealthCare 21 Business Coalition and the Memphis Business Group on Health in a joint project effort, and the Virginia Business Coalition on Health.

“Employers need to invest in a culture of health in their workforce and should view diabetes as a coming tsunami,” said Andrew Webber, NBCH president and CEO. “We are working with the CDC and our member coalitions to assist employers and communities in focusing efforts on this chronic disease that can be dramatically prevented by making simple lifestyle changes. Employers can play an important role in educating employees and advancing the awareness of type 2 diabetes prevention.”

This program’s activities are funded through a cooperative agreement between the Community Coalitions Health Institute of NBCH and the CDC.

CDC Releases Diabetes Report Card

According to the Diabetes Report Card, recently released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the number of diagnosed cases of diabetes grew by 50 percent or more in 42 U.S. states, and by 100 percent or more in 18 states. A breakdown of U.S. diabetes cases shows especially sharp increases among people in the South and in Appalachian states. In 2010, 18.8 million Americans had been diagnosed with diabetes and another 7 million had undetected diabetes, according to the CDC.

States with the largest increases over the 16-year period from 1995 through 2010 were Oklahoma, up 226 percent; Kentucky, up 158 percent; Georgia, up 145 percent; Alabama, up 140 percent, Washington, up 135 percent, and West Virginia, up 131 percent, according to the study.

Although much of the increase in the number of people diagnosed with diabetes is likely due to more people developing the condition, the study also notes that diabetes treatments have improved, which may mean that more people are living longer with their disease.

Type 2 diabetes, which can be prevented through lifestyle changes, accounts for 90 percent to 95 percent of all diabetes cases in the United States, according to the CDC.

"These rates will continue to increase until effective interventions and policies are implemented to prevent both diabetes and obesity," Ann Albright, director of CDC's Division of Diabetes Translation, said in a statement. Employers and purchasers have an important role to play in designing benefits that help employees effectively manage diabetes.

November is National Diabetes Month

In observance of National Diabetes Month, the National Diabetes Education Program and its partners are changing the way diabetes is treated by working together to help people better understand HOW to make the necessary changes in their day-to-day lives in order to prevent type 2 diabetes, manage their diabetes to prevent complications, and live healthier lives. The website has a variety of tools and resources coalitions can use to promote diabetes awareness and education throughout the month.

National Diabetes Education Program offers employer resources

Check out the National Diabetes Education Program 2012 Outreach ad Promotional Plan providing ideas to improve the health of people in your community -- especially tose living with diabetes. This resource highlights NDEP's promotional activities throughout the year and can help you get ideas for incorporating NDEP's messages and resources into your activities.

AAFP Foundation's Behavioral Economics Roundtable on Diabetes Summary Report

The American Academy of Family Physicians Foundation recently released a new report that examines how behavioral economics can address the social and environmental nature of diabetes. The Behavioral Economics Roundtable on Diabetes Summary Report is an outcome of the AAFP Foundation’s Behavioral Economics Roundtable on Diabetes, which took place June 2, 2011, and was supported by Sanofi US. 

More than 30 primary care physicians, diabetologists, behavioral economists, public health and behavioral scientists, government officials and diabetes stakeholders contributed to and shaped the findings of the report. Click here to download the report...

National Business Coalition on Health Funds Diabetes Care Demonstration Projects

Three NBCH-member coalitions selected to engage physicians in improving diabetes care in local communities

To increase the number of physicians providing excellent care for patients with diabetes, $125,000 is being awarded by the National Business Coalition on Health (NBCH) to three member coalitions. The Dallas-Fort Worth Business Group on Health, the Mid-America Coalition on Health Care (Kansas City) and the Wichita Business Coalition on Health Care have been selected to participate in demonstration projects to expand the NCQA Diabetes Recognition Program in their communities. In generous partnership with Sanofi, the program goal is to promote the adoption of effective employer and plan driven strategies at the community level to increase the number of NCQA diabetes recognized providers. Read the full release...

Diabetes Recognition Program Expansion Seed Grant

REMINDER: Applications are due September 9, 2011 with awardees announced in early October. Awardees will have the balance of the year to plan and develop their DRP expansion strategy, and 2012 will be spent in the implementation phase.

Through its nonprofit affiliate organization, Community Coalitions Health Institute (CCHI), NBCH will award $125,000 to a maximum of five coalitions to support DRP efforts within a given community. The application is being released in conjunction with a technical guide of best practice strategies and lessons learned associated with DRP promotion. We recommend that applicants consider these best practices as they develop their proposals and project plans.

See CCHI Website for more details...

Pharmacy Coaching Program Piloted in Ohio Motivates Participants to Better Manage Diabetes and High Blood Pressure

An innovative one-on-one pharmacy coaching program used by employees of the City of Cincinnati and the Kroger Co., both group members of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Ohio, is credited with helping employees better manage two of the most serious and pervasive chronic conditions threatening the health of the nation – diabetes and high blood pressure. Read the full release...

Diabetes Recognition Program Expansion Seed Grant

NBCH is pleased to release the application for the Diabetes Recognition Program (DRP) Expansion Seed Grants in generous partnership with sanofi-aventis. In short, the DRP Expansion Seed Grants will provide coalitions the resources to promote the adoption of effective employer and plan driven strategies at the community level to increase the number of diabetes recognized providers through NCQA’s recognition program.