AJMC Article: Addressing Healthcare Disparities and Managed Care Considerations With Continuous Glucose Monitoring

Continuous glucose monitoring is associated with better outcomes for people living with diabetes. Unfortunately, this technology is not accessible to many patients, worsening outcomes for marginalized. In a newly published article in AJMC, the barriers to continuous glucose monitoring are laid out and ways to address these disparities are put forward. The role of insurance is highlighted.

According to the authors, “Approximately 37 million people in the United States (11.3% of the population) have diabetes, of which an estimated 8.5 million adults are undiagnosed. An additional 96 million adults in the United States have prediabetes. Diabetes-related complications such as stroke, chronic kidney disease, blindness, and amputation can cause substantial morbidity, contributing to annual diabetes direct medical costs of approximately $237 billion, $90 billion of which are related to reduced productivity (2017). Diabetes was also the eighth leading cause of death in the United States in 2020 after adjusting for age. While a common chronic condition, there are significant differences in the prevalence of diagnosed diabetes and outcomes in adults by race, ethnicity, SES, education, and age in the United States.”

To read more, click here.

(Source: AJMC, August 26^th, 2022)