Written by Dr. Tejaswi Kompala, Senior Director, Clinical Strategy, Teladoc Health and Robert Hsu, Director, Clinical Strategy, Teladoc Health
As an endocrinologist who has cared for patients with diabetes and obesity for over a decade, it's incredibly encouraging to see the increasing attention and investment in the field of diabetes management.
Our field is energized by the progress we’ve seen over the past several years. And as I reflect on my conversations with health leaders, researchers and scientists at the American Diabetes Association (ADA) Scientific Sessions recently, I think change in our industry is only accelerating.
The rising demand for GLP-1s, advancements in research and technology and the increasing focus on health disparities are shaping the future of diabetes management in profound ways, and uncovering challenges for employers and health plans. As these developments continue to shape the future of diabetes management, here are three trends that employers should be playing close attention to:
1. New Indications For GLP-1s, And The Growing Case For Integrated Treatment
As GLP-1 research grows, approved indications for GLP-1s grow, as does the case for integrating treatment for multiple conditions. Current indications for GLP-1s are type 2 diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disease, but in the future, we suspect there could be more indications, including liver disease, heart failure, and obstructive sleep apnea among others.
I was encouraged by data presented at ADA recently that showed the potential of GLP-1s and related medications to make an impact on a person's health beyond appetite suppression and weight loss, such as improving heart and liver function.
Many of these conditions are intertwined and should be treated together for better outcomes. Take our mental health and chronic care programs at Teladoc Health, for instance. A recent study found that members that engage with both our chronic care program and our mental health program see >30% additional reduction in systolic blood pressure and >10% additional average weight loss, compared to those who only engage in the chronic condition management programs.
Employers and health plans should continue to follow this research and look for integrated virtual solutions leverage a multidisciplinary approach to drive personalized care and support healthy lifestyle behaviors.
2. Leveraging New Applications of AI
AI is already transforming diabetes management, from powering new devices for glucose monitoring and automated insulin delivery, to recognizing patterns in patient behavior to predict outcomes and potential risks.
It’s clear that optimal lifestyle and modification of certain behaviors are key to sustained health outcomes. Our team recently presented new research showing how predictive modeling can help identify members at risk for uncontrolled outcomes more than a year in advance and enable personalized interventions that support better member outcomes and ultimately help control costs for employers and health plans.
The research showed that AI-powered personalized health nudges – notification reminders sent to mobile or cellular-connected devices – resulted in a 3X increase in engagement, leading to an additional 0.4 reduction in A1c, with members going from 8.2% to 7.8%.
As a physician leader in digital health, the innovations in this area continue to excite me. These tools are already making an impact on care delivery, and we’ve only scratched the surface.
3. Addressing Disparities And improving Access For Vulnerable Populations
Understanding social drivers of health – and using that information to personalize care delivery – is now table stakes for healthcare providers.
Despite the rapid pace of advancement in treatments and research, a challenge still looms: how can we ensure we’re balancing innovation with improving equitable access to proven therapies and technologies?
Increasing access to digital health technologies can be an effective tool in improving access. Providing individuals with a cellularly-connected device can help remove barriers, especially for those who lack access to broadband or high-speed internet. These devices allow providers, health coaches and care team members to react quickly when a patient registers an out-of-range reading on their device, which could be a glucometer, blood pressure cuff or weight scale.
While improving access to high quality providers and tools via digital health can certainly help to address these disparities, proven drugs and devices that have strong evidence base can still be inaccessible, not covered, or unaffordable. Access and coverage are still a challenge not only in the United States, but globally.
Recent developments in our field – from the growing case for integrated care, to the impact of AI and increasing emphasis on health equity—underscore why employers must take a multifaceted approach to tackling diabetes and related chronic conditions. As we continue to monitor these trends and developments, employers and benefit leaders should prioritize collaboration, innovation, and a commitment to equity in their partnerships and service offerings, ensuring everyone benefits from the latest scientific and digital health breakthroughs.
** This content was originally published on Forbes.
