Evaluating Diabetes Outcomes and Costs Within an Ambulatory Setting: A Strategic Approach Utilizing a Clinical Decision Support System

Clinical Diabetes July 2014

Diabetes affects 22.3 million people in the United States.1 It is a major cause of heart disease and stroke and is the seventh leading cause of death.2 Patients with diabetes are at two to four times greater risk of myocardial infarction (MI) than those without diabetes, and diabetes is the primary reason for renal failure, blindness, and nontraumatic limb amputations.3 Preventive care practices can reduce the development of severe vision loss by 50–60%, reduce foot amputations by 45–85%, and lower blood pressure to reduce proteinuria, a risk factor for developing kidney disease, by ~ 35%.2 Despite evidence that complications related to diabetes are preventable,4,5 only 52% of individuals with diabetes meet guidelines targeting an A1C of < 7.0%, and only 18% meet combined glycemic, lipid, and blood pressure goals. Read More