StemCell Therapy

November 01, 2019 -With news that the Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program isnt drawing a crowd, lawmakers are urging federal officials to add telehealth to the program.

A group of 19 senators has written a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Seem Verma, asking them to make virtual care part of a Medicare-backed service that aims to improve health and wellness for roughly 84 Americans at risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

And theyre arguing that connected health could turn the program around.

A Medicare beneficiarys access to the life-improving program should not, and cannot, be determined solely by the zip code in which he or she lives, the senators wrote. Furthermore, lack of access for eligible beneficiaries has the potential to not only depress enrollment, but also to reduce potential cost savings.

CMS has done outstanding work developing online resources to show where MDPP suppliers are located, but these resources make clear that there are geographic regions where eligible beneficiaries lack reasonable access to a qualified supplier, the letter continues. Including virtual providers could empower these beneficiaries with feasible options for preventive, value-based care.

READ MORE: Brigham and Womens to Use Telehealth Platform in Dementia Study

The original Diabetes Prevention Program was developed by the National Institutes of Healths National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease (NIDDK), and focused on in-person classes and one-on-one coaching. Based on that model, which is administered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CMS created the National Diabetes Prevention Program for Medicare beneficiaries and launched that program in 2018.

But the Medicare model does not reimburse care providers for using telehealth or mHealth tools. And thats keeping a lot of healthcare providers and public health programs from adopting the program.

Some 70 healthcare providers are now listed on the CDCs DPP website, though only a handful have been recognized as offering proof that their online programs reach recognized benchmarks for activity and weight loss. A growing number of programs are using virtual care as a means of expanding the programs reach and making the most of limited resources, and theyre asking CMS to cover those services.

Federal officials have long argued that virtual programs havent proven enough value to be included as a covered resource. Acknowledging that pressure, CMS did announce plans to include a telehealth model as a demonstration project, but hasnt offered an update yet on that model.

In the event that your agency believes it needs additional authority to include virtual providers in the MDPP expansion, we request additional information on the statutory changes that would be necessary, the senators wrote. In the meantime, we also ask you to update us on the status of your consideration for a virtual MDPP demonstration. While our preference is the inclusion of virtual providers in the existing model expansion, if an additional demonstration project is required, we request information on the plan for the launch of this demonstration project.

READ MORE: CMS Under Pressure to Cover mHealth Tools for Diabetes Management

The senators have the support of the American Medical Association, which issued a statement backing the letter. This past January, the AMA launched its own lobbying effort in support of adding connected health resources to the program, arguing that digital health access to coaching and health and wellness resources could help roughly 84 million Americans avoid diabetes.

Although the DPP lifestyle change program has strong evidence to support its effectiveness in preventing type 2 diabetes, many of the 84 million patients with prediabetes arent able to participate in an in-person program, the AMA said in an article posted in January on the organizations website. Some patients may not have the time or resources to attend weekly or monthly classes, or they may prefer an on-demand interaction at their convenience. Digital health, and specifically virtual diabetes prevention LCPs (lifestyle change programs), offer a way to overcome those barriers and connect more patients with programs to improve their health.

Theres also support from the American Diabetes Association, which this past June unveiled a study that found that a DPP enhanced with digital health tools can engage participants for an extended period of time and encourage healthy behaviors, including sustained weight loss and lower blood pressure.

In its latest letter, the AMA urged federal officials to recognize the value of connected health in efforts to promote value-based care.

We recognize that scaling an ambitious new model takes time, the organization wrote. Early returns suggest that a few changes would expand the programs reach. Allowing Medicare patients to virtually access this program, as many patients with private insurance are doing, would benefit the most underserved and vulnerable patients, as well as those in remote areas, who cannot access the program without this option. Here is an opportunity for Medicare to encourage a practical use of digital health tools.

Read the original here:
Could Telehealth Save the Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program? - mHealthIntelligence.com

This entry was posted on November 2, 2019 at 12:44 am and is filed under Diabetes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed. |