Employer tools for diabetes prevention and care

Imagine something doesn’t feel right with your car, and the issue worsens because you don’t fix it. Then, the check engine light flashes, and you finally go to the mechanic because now you can’t ignore that something serious is wrong. You learn that if you had addressed the issue earlier, the fix would have likely cost less time and money. Diabetes works much the same and affects not only the people who have it but the companies they work for, too.

Tammi Grumski, CRNP, Project Director, Diabetes Institute, UPMC, has spent her career helping people manage diabetes and witnessed its widespread effect on the many people who have it and the downstream effects that travel into workplaces. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 38 million Americans have diabetes—with 90 to 95 percent having type 2 diabetes, which can be prevented or delayed with lifestyle changes.¹

Discussion with Tammi Grumski, Diabetes Institute, UPMC

Can you talk about the financial impact employers face when they have employees with diabetes?

Because managing this condition can include diabetes testing supplies and diabetes control medications, it can contribute to increased health care costs. Indirectly, it can manifest in productivity losses, absenteeism, presenteeism, and disease-related disability. Nationally, these indirect costs have already topped over $100 billion.² They show no sign of a slowdown, either. The number of people under age 20 newly diagnosed with diabetes is growing and is expected to continue doing so for the foreseeable future.³

What changes can employers make today to create workplaces that encourage diabetes prevention and management?

There are ways many employers can say loud and clear, “Let's get healthy.” If you are charged with employee health, consider these ideas to help you create a healthier workplace:

Stop the stigma. Feeling supported can make employees feel confident in moving forward with the measures needed to help them get their diabetes under control. Put offerings and encouragement in prominent places like break-room bulletin boards and company newsletters to help raise awareness around resources.

Offer healthy options. Putting healthier food in the vending machines and making similar options available in the cafeteria can help employees choose healthy food and drinks. One of the most significant contributors to high blood sugar is sugary beverages. Replacing soda and sweetened iced tea with plain or carbonated and flavored water can make water more enticing without adding many calories.

Promote regular physical activity. Encourage employees to take 15-minute exercise breaks throughout the day. Make sure they know it is OK to take these breaks so they don’t worry about being away from their computer or workstation during this time.

Be as flexible as possible. Flexible schedules allow employees the time they need to attend health care appointments for diabetes management and overall health. These include vision and dental appointments, since people with uncontrolled blood sugars are more prone to getting oral infections.⁴

How do the quality of benefits employers offer play a role in diabetes prevention and management?

Benefits play a tremendous role in this effort because they give employees access to educational tools and other resources specific to diabetes prevention and management. Employees also want outside-the-box benefits that help support their health journey. Incentivizing wellness is one of them. Innovative insurance plans offer wellness programs that help employers build incentives in that encourage employees to get a biometric screening to help determine if they are at risk of developing or already have diabetes.

What resources does UPMC Health Plan offer to help members prevent or manage diabetes?
As part of an integrated delivery and finance system, UPMC Health Plan members have access to expert providers—primary care doctors, diabetes specialists, diabetes educators, and care coordinators—as well as cutting-edge diabetes research that comes out of the University of Pittsburgh. They can also participate in various care management programs to meet their individual health needs.

• Lifestyle health coaching: A certified health coach guides members through an evidence-based program that helps them achieve goals such as quitting tobacco, managing weight, increasing physical activity, improving nutrition, and managing stress.
• UPMC Diabetes Prevention Program: This is a one-year program that has received Full Plus recognition, the highest-level designation, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.⁵ It is designed to help prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes in people with prediabetes. Participants engage in 16 weekly and 6 monthly group health coaching sessions. 
• Condition management programs: A nurse practitioner helps members manage their conditions by teaching self-management skills and coordinating care with providers.
• Diabetes self-management education: A Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist leads in-person group or individual sessions which provide members with a resource for their concerns, peer support, and practical information on subjects such as nutrition and testing blood sugar.
• UPMC Centers for Diabetes Education and Support: A network of care facilities throughout western Pennsylvania provides educational support programs and care to members living with diabetes.
• High-risk diabetes program: The UPMC Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, in collaboration with UPMC Health Plan, developed an innovative program that uses electronic health record data to proactively identify patients at risk for poor diabetes outcomes and suggest specialist recommendations to PCPs immediately before a patient’s scheduled visit.

Much like regular maintenance helps keep a car running smoothly, small lifestyle changes can help prevent chronic conditions like diabetes. Our holistic approach to prevention can provide your employees with access to the care needed to lead healthy, productive lives.

Sources

¹Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About type 2 diabetes. May 15, 2024. Accessed Aug. 28, 2024. cdc.gov/diabetes/about/about-type-2-diabetes.html

²Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Employers and insurers. May 15, 2024. Accessed Aug. 28. 2024. cdc.gov/diabetes/hcp/employers/index.html

³Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Future surge in diabetes could dramatically impact people under 20 in U.S. Dec. 29, 2022. Accessed Aug. 28, 2024. cdc.gov/media/releases/2022/p1229-future-diabetes-surge.html

⁴Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Oral health and diabetes. damage. May 15, 2024. Accessed Aug. 28, 2024. cdc.gov/diabetes/diabetes-complications/diabetes-and-oral-health.html