CCS ‘on right track’ 

• GLP-1 medications misconception: Nearly 60% of diabetes patients surveyed by CCS mistakenly believe that GLP-1 medications alone are a silver bullet for managing their health. However, these drugs need to be integrated into a long-term holistic care plan. 
• Education and support gap: The survey results highlight a real need for better education and support for patients managing their diabetes. Diabetes suppliers are well-positioned to address this gap and provide valuable assistance. 
• Engagement beyond physician visits: While 41% of respondents see their physician only two or three times a year, 71% believe someone should engage with them between visits. Suppliers like CCS are stepping up to fill this role, offering programs like Living Connected to support patients. 

DALLAS – Nearly 60% of diabetes patients recently surveyed by CCS said they believe GLP-1 medications, on their own, are a silver bullet to managing their health, creating an “ah-ha moment” for the company, says Dr. Arti Masturzo, chief medical officer. 

“They did not appreciate that these drugs need to be integrated into a long-term holistic care plan,” she said. “We always suspected this, but 60% was really surprising.” 

CCS, using a third party, surveyed 1,500 patients who use advanced diabetes technology like continuous glucose monitors and insulin pumps. 

The results, overall, pointed to the very real need for better education and support for patients to manage their conditions, something diabetes suppliers are well-positioned to do, says Masturzo. 

“As we’re thinking about where we are headed to the future, we needed to learn about this customer base beyond our own customers,” she said. “We wanted to know how they viewed their diabetes care. Were they paying enough attention? Were they getting enough education?”  

Forty-one percent of respondents said they see their physician only two or three times a year, yet 71% said they believe someone should be engaging with them between physician visits. 

“Anyone that touches them in their diabetes journey really needed to be engaging them and trying to help them between their doctor visits,” Masturzo said. “Doctors can only do so much, so somebody’s got to step up.” 

Suppliers like CCS are filling that gap. The company offers a program called Living Connected, which includes an app and coaching calls from a variety of clinicians, and Masturzo sees other suppliers offering more chronic care management. 

“The survey tells us we’re on the right track,” she said. “And 94% said they would consider a supplier like us to be a critical member of their care team. Diabetes isn’t going away. This is a big problem that we need to solve and these patients will trust us to be a provider that helps them solve it.”