National Conference on Diabetes Issues Challenge to Tackle the Diabetes Epidemic and Reduce Its Economic Impact

Public and private healthcare stakeholders will gather today for the National Conference on Diabetes to discuss how to tackle the diabetes epidemic, improve patient health outcomes and reduce its economic impact. Despite many efforts to prevent, diagnose and treat diabetes, an estimated 23.6 million Americans had diabetes in 2007,(I) resulting in total (direct and indirect) costs of $174 billion in 2007.(II)

Stakeholders will join the Conference to highlight the burden of the disease, discuss key programs that focus on changing patient behaviors for better health outcomes, save healthcare dollars, address effective treatment and management practices and encourage active healthcare participation for patients. Participants will gain insight on promising strategies for integrating the care continuum and linking disease prevention, treatment and management to ensure that healthcare benefits and clinical practice meet the needs of specific populations affected by diabetes.

"We need to elevate diabetes as a national healthcare priority," said Dr. Steve Edelman, founder and director of Taking Control of Your Diabetes® (TCOYD®) and professor of medicine at the University of California San Diego and VA Medical Center San Diego. "The futures of people who have diabetes, and the one in three Americans who, if trends continue, will develop diabetes in their lifetimes(III) depend upon our country taking action to help reduce the disease's prevalence."

As a step towards tackling this disease, Conference participants will discuss how best to coordinate with multiple stakeholders to support innovative programs that will help improve health outcomes and bend the cost-curve. They will also identify strategies for healthcare professionals to drive prevention, earlier treatment and improve disease management; and to raise awareness of how patients and their caregivers can help manage the disease, defining practical steps to help gain blood sugar control and improve quality of life.

The Conference is the culmination of a multi-city listening tour, Diabetes Nation: America at Risk, launched last year by TCOYD and the National Minority Quality Forum (NMQF). The tour visited different demographic communities affected by diabetes in Kansas City, Houston, Dover and Denver, bringing together local stakeholders to hear testimonials from each community about the challenges of managing diabetes and to share best practices to help map out a way to help improve diabetes care across the country. The Diabetes Nation white paper, which analyzes the community input gathered from the tour and lists recommendations for better healthcare outcomes, will be discussed at the Conference. It is available at www.tcoyd.org and www.nmqf.org.

Following the Conference, a national call to action will be distributed to media, members of Congress, White House administration officials, state and local officials, major diabetes centers, conference participants and healthcare institutions.