Joslin Presents Results of Disease Management Efforts

Programs Cut Costs by 20 Percent, Improve A1cs and Reduce Days Lost from Work and School

BOSTON — October, 1999 — Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston has been helping patients manage diabetes for over 100 years. Now the results of the Center's efforts are being presented at national conferences by their Office of Disease Management. What do they show? That Joslin programs can cut average per patient costs by 20 percent in the first two years and cut overall costs for diabetes patients to 50 percent of the national average while improving patients hemoglobin A1cs and reducing patients hospitalizations and lost time from work and school.

 

Programs cut costs, improve care

In presentations at a disease management conference in Boston this month, James Rosenzweig, M.D. and Richard S. Jackson, M.D. of Joslin Diabetes Center presented information showing that:

Joslin's Disease Management program developed for use with a Massachusetts-based managed care organization's population has:

• Cut average per patient costs by 20 percent in the first two years
• Cut overall yearly costs for diabetes patients in the program to 50 percent of the national average.
• Led to the development of Joslin's Risk Stratification System which enables Joslin to identify patients at various levels of risk for developing complications
• Led to the development of programs to decrease the likelihood of complications for patients at each level of risk.

Joslin's Diabetes Outpatient Intensive Treatment (DO IT) Program - a 3 1/2 day medical and educational program for diabetes patients, has:

• Improved hemoglobin A1c results by an average of nearly 1.5 points; those with the greatest risk of complications made a 2.75 point improvement in their A1c levels in the first 3-6 months.
• Reduced emergency room visits and hospitalizations by more than 50 percent in the year following DO IT attendance.
• Reduced time lost from work and school by 43 percent in the year following DO IT attendance.

An outcomes survey of Joslin's program in eight locations showed that the programs exceed American Diabetes Association standards in 12 categories for patient satisfaction and for clinical standards such as frequency of eye exams, foot screenings, lipid profiles, hemoglobin A1c testing and other testing necessary to detect and treat diabetes complications before they become a problem.

What is Joslin's Disease Management Program?

Joslin's Disease Management Program now offers processes and tools to clinicians and patients interested in developing a diabetes disease management process. These tools will help decrease variability in practice, reduce short- and long-term complications, increase quality of life and patient satisfaction and meet -- or exceed -- regulatory standards. According to Claire Paras, R.N. of the Office of Disease Management, the program elements include:

1. A collaborative work-team comprised of members from Joslin and from the contracting organization to guide implementation of the program.
2. An assessment of the institution or group's current baseline organizational practices.
3. Processes for identifying diabetes patients and, within that group, for identifying patients at risk.
4. Joslin's Risk Stratification System.
5. Joslin's Clinical Guidelines.
6. Training for doctors and other healthcare providers - CME/CEU programs, interactive presentations, discussion groups, online forums, and on-site train-the-trainer sessions for patient education programs.
7. Patient education, self-management training and printed materials.
8. Standardized documentation and data collection tools designed to capture specific patient information and to track key indicators.
9. Data management and technological support.
10. Case management stratification and intervention tools and processes.
11. Ongoing support from Joslin's Office of Disease Management.

To Learn More

To learn more about how Joslin can help organizations bring down the cost of diabetes care by improving the quality of that care click here or call (617) 732-2666 and ask about New Business Development information.