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US Preventive Medicine Says Prevention Can Keep Diabetes Costs From Rising
For Immediate Release Contact: Kathy Fleming 904-562-6239 office 214-548-9083 cell kfleming@USPreventiveMedicinecom
DALLAS, October 28, 2008 A new research study just published in a major national journal reports the annual costs for treating Type 2 diabetes almost doubled over the last six years But experts at US Preventive Medicine, the leader in disease prevention services, say the actual costs are far higher and that more can be done through prevention to keep these costs low and more people healthy According to the study in the Archives of Internal Medicine, diabetes drug spending has nearly doubled in the US in just six years, said Dr Sami Bég, Associate Medical Director of US Preventive Medicine This obviously is very concerning, but we also have to keep in mind that the total costs associated with diabetes are actually much higher The study reported that drug costs increased from 67 billion in 2001 to 125 billion in 2007 Earlier this year an American Diabetes Association study indicated that the total estimated cost of diabetes in 2007 alone was more than 174 billion, said Dr Bég This included 116
billion in excess medical expenditures and 58 billion in reduced national productivity The American Diabetes Association report also showed that those diagnosed with diabetes average 11,744 in expenditures per year, of which 6,649 are attributed to the disease On average, people with diagnosed diabetes, have medical expenditures that are more than twice what they would be in the absence of diabetes Diabetes is a disease that can be kept in check in most cases by simply practicing prevention, said Dr Bég The new study just reminds us that costs associated with the disease will continue to sky rocket if we dont turn things around Diabetes alone should make us question the sick care system we have in place Dr Bég recommends making people aware of their risks of the disease through a comprehensive health risk assessment and a lab test, followed by educating at risk individuals on lifestyle modifications and other healthy behaviors The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that of the 23 million Americans with diabetes about 5 million dont know they have the disease New evidence also indicates that at least 57 million people in the US have pre-diabetes and are at risk of
developing diabetes, noted Dr Bég Oftentimes we hear a tiny but vocal group who discount preventive medicine as a solution to the health care crisis saying that early testing and screenings wont save money, said Dr Bég But if we take diabetes as an
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example, screen the population at risk and focus on them, we can significantly bring down the associated healthcare costs When more than 25 percent of our population is at risk of all the negative and expensive outcomes associated with a disease like diabetes, over-diagnosis and increased utilization of medical services through preventive screenings is shortsighted Instead we need to continue to use tools at our disposal to make people at risk of preventable diseases aware and help those with diseases prevent further complications and suffering, concluded Dr Bég About US Preventive Medicine: US Preventive Medicine, a privately owned health management company with clients in 23 states and two countries, is focused entirely on prevention USPM offers employers, government agencies and consumers proprietary products that improve health and productivity while reducing healthcare costs Company products include:
The Prevention PlanTM, a groundbreaking personalized health and wellness program delivered online and telephonically; The Prevention Plan CMTM, community-based chronic disease management programs customized for employers and government agencies to reduce healthcare costs; as well as The Prevention Plan PremiumTM, which offers high-tech, early detection services in partnership with a network of physician groups, hospitals and health systems wwwUSPreventiveMedicinecom
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