SUNDAY, March 16 (HealthDay News) -- Diabetics taking part in
the Diabetes Ten City Challenge showed improvement across all key
clinical and satisfaction indicators in the early stages of the
program, according to a preliminary report released this week by
the American Pharmacists Association (APhA).
The challenge is an employer-based diabetes self-management
program that was launched in October 2005. The 31 participating
employers in 10 cities work with hundreds of pharmacists to help
more than 1,000 people manage their diabetes. The program is
supported by drug maker GlaxoSmithKline.
Through the challenge, employers establish a voluntary health
benefit for workers, dependents and retirees with diabetes, and
waive co-payments for diabetes medications and supplies if
participants work with a pharmacist "coach" to manage their
condition in collaboration with their doctors and diabetes
educators.
The preliminary report includes an analysis of data on 914
people who took part in the challenge for at least three months as
of Sept. 30, 2007. The report found clinical improvements in all
recognized standards for diabetes care, including:
- Decreases in laboratory measures (mean) for hemoglobin A1C (a
laboratory test showing average blood sugar control over the
previous two to three months), LDL cholesterol, and blood pressure
over the initial year of the program.
- Increases in the number of participants with current influenza
vaccinations, foot examinations and eye examinations.
- A 21 percent increase in the number of participants achieving
the American Diabetes Association goal of A1C level of less than
7.0.
- An increase from 43.8 percent to 57.7 percent of participants
achieving National Cholesterol Education Program goals for LDL
cholesterol.
- A 15.7 percent increase in the number of participants achieving
recognized goals for systolic blood pressure.
"The results to date prove that this collaborative-practice
model is effective for managing diabetes and replicable in diverse
locations and employers," interim report co-author William M.
Ellis, chief executive officer of the APhA Foundation, said in a
prepared statement. "In years of experience with this model, we
have seen that when you have positive clinical outcomes and
increased patient satisfaction in the early states, the economic
benefits follow."
The preliminary report appears in the March/April issue of the
Journal of the American Pharmacists Association. The final
report, which will include data on cost savings to employers, will
be issued in 2009.
Diabetes, which affects 21 million Americans, costs the United
States more than $174 billion a year and is the country's sixth
leading cause of death, according to background information in a
news release about the preliminary report.
More information
The U.S. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney
Diseases has more about
diabetes control.
