Engaging with Communities to Reduce Diabetes Development

Excerpt

The prevalence of overweight and obesity in adults and children in the United States continues to increase, leading to an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes.1 As more adults develop diabetes and its complications, multiple stakeholders, including providers, payers, policymakers, community organizations and others, have begun collaborating to reduce diabetes development. One area that has begun to gain traction between providers and payers is to link patients at higher risk of developing diabetes with evidence-based behavioral weight loss interventions such as the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP). The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) estimated that Medicare will have spent $42 billion more in 2016 for fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries with diabetes than for those without diabetes.2 Motivated largely by estimated cost savings for DPP enrollees, Medicare expects to cover this lifestyle intervention starting in January 2018, and other payers are likely to broaden their coverage as well. The national YMCA is leading a charge to provide DPPs across the United States, and health care institutions themselves have begun delivering DPPs. These efforts will enhance access to these programs for many communities. The national focus on value-based payment reforms such as the CMS Alternative Payment Models,3 which incentivize reductions in total cost of care while improving quality, should also encourage health systems to engage in diabetes prevention efforts. Given this context, the time is right to understand how primary care providers (PCPs) can assist in reducing the risk of developing diabetes across a diverse spectrum of patients. …