ABSTRACT
Everyone with Diabetes Counts (EDC) is a national disparities reduction program funded by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to improve outcomes in the underserved minority, diverse, and rural populations. This analysis evaluates West Virginia's pilot program of diabetes self-management education (DSME), one component of EDC. We frequency-matched 422 DSME completers to 1688 others by demographics and enrollment from Medicare fee-for service claims. We estimated savings associated with reduced hospitalizations in multivariable negative binomial models. DSME completers had 29% fewer hospitalizations (adjusted P < .0069). We estimated savings of $35 900 per 100 DSME completers in West Virginia.
Subject(s)
Cost Savings/methods , Diabetes Mellitus/economics , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Humans , Self CareABSTRACT
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has implemented 3 prevention interventions programs to bring diabetes self-management education to vulnerable populations via Medicare's Quality Improvement Organizations. The programs and the lessons derived from a Federal initiative geared to closing the health disparities gap are described.