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Taking Your Medicine Is Healthy for the Healthcare System
The study analyzed three years' worth of healthcare claims for 135,000 patients with one of four chronic diseases: diabetes, congestive heart failure, hypertension, and high cholesterol.
Taking your medicine can lead to quite a windfall in reduced medical claims, according to a study recently published in Health Affairs. Over the course of a year, patients with diabetes who took their medications as directed saved their insurance companies a handsome $3,756 compared to people who didn't, even after claiming as much as $1000 for those very medications. The money was saved because the patients spent less time at the emergency room and in the hospital, a nice benefit in itself.
The study analyzed three years' worth of healthcare claims for 135,000 patients with one of four chronic diseases: diabetes, congestive heart failure, hypertension, and high cholesterol. The "adherent" patients with congestive heart failure saved even more money than those with diabetes, costing $7,823 less every year than the patients who didn't take their medicines as their doctors advised. People with hypertension and high cholesterol also saved a pretty penny, $3,908 and $1,258 respectively.
The researchers, sponsored by CVS Caremark and led by M. Christopher Roebuck, found that the claims savings were most dramatic in patients over 65 years of age. Consequently, they described the recent Medicare reforms, which eliminate "donut hole" expenses and provide for therapy management and wellness programs, as "prudent." They also recommended looking into adherence programs and incentives as a way to lower healthcare costs. "No matter what the intervention," said Roebuck, "the researchers agreed that actively encouraging medication adherence for chronic disease should be a top priority."
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Categories: Diabetes, Diabetes, Health Care, Health Insurance, Health Research, Medications Research
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Jan 11, 2011
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Diabetes Health
Diabetes Health is the essential resource for people living with diabetes- both newly diagnosed and experienced as well as the professionals who care for them. We provide balanced expert news and information on living healthfully with diabetes. Each issue includes cutting-edge editorial coverage of new products, research, treatment options, and meaningful lifestyle issues.
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Topics
- Diabetic / Diabetes Health
- Type 1 / 1.5 Diabetes
- Type 2 Diabetes
- Blood Glucose / Sugar
- High/Low Blood Sugar / Fast Acting Glucose
- Insulin- Pumps, Pens & Syringes
- Continuous Glucose Monitors, CGM, Infusion Sets
- Type 2 Medications
- Hyperglycemia
- Hypoglycemia
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