Diabetes Medication Adherence in Colorado
Diabetes is a health condition affecting how your body turs food into energy, impacting 30+ million Americans and over 1 million more new cases every year. As the 7th leading cause of death in the US, diabetes can become costly, and life threatening, if not managed correctly.
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment(CDPHE) is dedicated to protecting and improving the health and environment of the people of Colorado. CDPHE oversees not only environmental issues, like air pollution and drinking water, but also public health concerns like chronic disease prevention and management, including diabetes.
In 2016, as part of their participation in a cooperative agreement from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDPHE sought to better understand the percentage of adults with diabetes who filled a prescription for a diabetes medication, and took their medications as prescribed. These particular measures are an important determinant of outcomes in patients with diabetes, as effective management of the condition can reduce rehospitalizations, health care costs and mortalities.
Due to the complexity and timing, CDPHE requested both a Colorado All Payer Claims Database (CO APCD) custom report and limited data set. CIVHC’s custom reports are designed to answer specific questions, and in this case, assessed diabetes medication adherence rates by year, health insurance payer type, and county. The limited data set captured additional data elements outside of the custom report, which assisted in developing strategies and intervention methods for their targeted population(s).
Upon completion, CDPHE used the data set to improve intervention methods by better identifying populations in need for care and management for diabetes.