Good News: Percentages of People with Type 2 Diabetes in Philadelphia
Receiving Services that Treat Their Disease Are Higher than National
Averages
Bad News: Percentage of Working-Age Type 2 Diabetes Population in
Philadelphia Is Significantly Higher Than National Rate; Average Charges
for Treatment Are Also High
PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- The Greater Philadelphia Diabetes
Coalition (GPDC) announced today the release of a report that addresses the
demographics, costs and quality of care for people with Type 2 diabetes.
The Greater Philadelphia Type 2 Diabetes Report for 2008 presents an
overview of patient demographics, hospital and professional charges,
utilization of clinical services and drug therapy for people with Type 2
diabetes in the greater Philadelphia metropolitan statisical area (MSA),
along with other regional markets in Western Pennsylvania and Atlantic
City, New Jersey. The report also provides national benchmarks that can
help employers and providers better identify opportunities to serve the
needs of people with Type 2 diabetes.
"GPDC helped develop the Greater Philadelphia Type 2 Diabetes Report to
serve as a useful resource for employers illustrating the serious negative
impact diabetes has on the Greater Philadelphia area," said Ronald Brooks,
MD, Chairman of the GPDC. "This report points out the need to prevent
diabetes through exercise and prudent nutrition as well as the importance
that people with diabetes receive optimal care, based on evidenced based
guidelines," added Brooks, " locating where diabetes is growing also helps
funnel resource allocations, to the areas with the highest need".
Incidence of Type 2 diabetes for prime working age people versus
seniors
According to this report, well over half (57.0 percent) the people with
Type 2 diabetes in 2007 in Philadelphia were between the ages of 18 and 64
years old, the prime working ages for most Americans. This was notably
higher than the national average of 52.3 percent, but less than the 59.4%
patient share that fell into this age category in Atlantic City.
Conversely, the percentage of people diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in
Philadelphia who were 65 years of age and over was 42.7%, significantly
lower than the national average of 46.8%.
Charges for diabetes care in Philadelphia are high
Charges for the care of people with Type 2 diabetes are higher in
Philadelphia than any of the other five markets profiled in the Report. The
2007 annual average for hospital inpatient charges for treating people with
Type 2 diabetes was $95,813, nearly twice as high as the national average
of $49,870. The average annual hospital outpatient charges for treating
people with Type 2 diabetes in Philadelphia, at $6,168, are likewise
significantly higher than than the national average of $4,673.
Quality of care shows positives
The quality of care indicators for patients with Type 2 diabetes, a
major concern, pointed to positive signs for employers who want to ensure
that their employees receive appropriate care. In addition to demographic
and cost information, the Greater Philadelphia Type 2 Diabetes Report shows
the percentage of people with diabetes receiving recommended services, such
as for blood and urine glucose, Hemoglobin A1C, eye exams, and serum
cholestoral tests. The percentages for these care indicators are higher in
Philadelphia compared with the corresponding national averages in all five
services profiled. For example, people with Type 2 diabetes in Philadelphia
who received a Hemoglobin A1C test (a key marker for managing diabetes) in
2007 was 75.2 percent compared with the national average of 73.8 percent.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, more than 27 million
Americans have diabetes, with an average of 1 million new cases being
diagnosed each year in people over the age of 20. Nine out of ten of these
patients have the Type 2 variety. The cost of diabetes in the US was
approximately $132 billion in 2002, with $92 billion spent on medical
services. The economic loss to the US economy due to higher rates of lost
work time, disability and premature mortality associated with diabetes in
the working population was approximately $40 billion in 2002.
About the Greater Philadelphia Type 2 Diabetes Report for 2008
The Greater Philadelphia Type 2 Diabetes Report for 2008 helps GPDC
fulfill its commitment to its employer members and community health
partners to promote and maintain a high quality, efficient and affordable
health care delivery system. The report was produced with assistance from
sanofi-aventis U.S. LLC. The complete report is available in electronic
format on GPDC's website at http://www.phillydiabetes.org and may be downloaded
free of charge.
About Greater Philadelphia Diabetes Coalition
Our mission is to encourage adherence to care guidelines for diabetes
through the collaboration of our healthcare organizations. This
collaboration will focus on:
Increasing awareness of diabetes by encouraging prevention, early
detection and appropriate ongoing care. Communicating standards of care for
diabetes to Health Care Providers and patients. Sharing educational
materials for patients with diabetes.
http://www.phillydiabetes.org
About sanofi-aventis
Sanofi-aventis U.S. LLC is an affiliate of sanofi-aventis, a leading
global pharmaceutical company that discovers, develops and distributes
therapeutic solutions to improve the lives of everyone. Sanofi-aventis is
listed in Paris (EURONEXT: SAN) and in New York (NYSE: SNY). Visit
http://www.sanofi-aventis.us or http://www.sanofi-aventis.com.
For more information, contact:
Ronald Brooks, MD, Chairman
Greater Philadelphia Diabetes Coalition
877-980-4687
SOURCE Greater Philadelphia Diabetes Coalition
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Related links:
http://www.phillydiabetes.org
http://www.sanofi-aventis.com
http://www.sanofi-aventis.us
CONTACT:
Ronald Brooks, MD, Chairman, of Greater
Philadelphia Diabetes Coalition, 1-877-980-4687
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