Treating diabetic patients at a patient-centered medical home can cut overall medical costs by 21 percent in the first year, according to a new Independence Blue Cross study published in the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice Independence.
For the study, researchers analyzed nearly 4,000 Independence Blue Cross members who were diabetics. Half of those analyzed were treated in practices that were not PCMHs, and the other half were treated in PCMHS.
Along with healthcare savings in the first year, the members treated by practices that were PCMHs also experienced the following in subsequent years:
- 34 percent fewer emergency department visits
- 18 percent fewer specialist visits
- 32 percent reduction in outpatient care costs
"We've found medical homes are particularly beneficial to diabetics because of added resources such as care managers and dieticians that provide regular outreach, test reminders and preventive care," said Richard Snyder, MD, CMO at Independence Blue Cross, in the news release. "Diabetes is a major cause of kidney failure, heart disease and blindness and finding ways to better manage the disease and prevent these other devastating health problems is a national health priority."
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