Study: Using medical benefit can result in positive outcomes  

DALLAS – Patients living with diabetes who use continuous glucose monitoring devices had 35% lower total cost of care and 23% higher device adherence when therapy was provided through a medical vs. pharmacy benefit, according to peer-reviewed research conducted by CCS and published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research Diabetes (JMIR Diabetes). 

Non-adherent patients who use CGMs also had a higher rate of therapy reinitiation when therapy was provided through a medical (22%) vs. pharmacy (10%) benefit. 

“CGMs are only effective if people use them,” said Dr. Arti Masturzo, chief medical officer at CCS. “This first-of-its-kind research demonstrates that a physician’s decision to direct a patient to use their medical benefit instead of their pharmacy benefit when accessing a medical device can seriously impact health outcomes and costs of care. Data-driven insights like this are highly valuable to clinicians and care teams who are the first line of defense when it comes to improving patient outcomes and reducing waste in our healthcare system.”   

CCS recently presented supporting research on the study, which used a retrospective claims analysis, at the ADCES and ISPOR conferences. 

This new research builds on the company’s previous research on the need for better education and support for patients to manage their conditions, something it believes diabetes suppliers are well-positioned to do. That research found only about 50% of people who use CGM report they received diabetes self-management education and support. 

To review the study as published in JMIR Diabetes, please visit: https://bit.ly/4c8PSOl. 

• Related: CCS recently launched a new AI-powered predictive model, PropheSee, that identifies patients at risk of falling off therapy and deploys impactful, hyper-personalized interventions that help to improve patient adherence by as much as 50% compared to control group.