Evaluating the Economic Impact of Project ECHO Diabetes: Cost Savings from HbA1c Reduction in Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes.

IF 3.7 3区医学 Q2 ENDOCRINOLOGY & METABOLISM

Endocrine Practice Pub Date : 2025-07-03 DOI:10.1016/j.eprac.2025.06.025

Noah Hammarlund, Ara Jo, Ashby F Walker, Michael J Haller, David M Maahs, Benjamin Churba, Keilecia G Malden, Molly Jacobs

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Objectives: Elevated HbA1c levels (>9%) increase the risk of complications and drive higher healthcare costs, particularly in communities with limited access to specialty care. Project ECHO Diabetes offers a scalable tele-education model to empower primary care providers in delivering effective diabetes management. This study assessed the economic impact of Project ECHO Diabetes by estimating healthcare cost savings from reductions in HbA1c levels >9% and comparing these savings against program costs.

Methods: A stepped-wedge design was used to implement Project ECHO Diabetes across Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) in California and Florida between 2021 and 2022. Data were collected before and after the 6-month intervention to assess HbA1c changes, with healthcare cost savings estimated using established literature and adjusted to 2023 USD.

Results: The study included 32,796 adults with Type 1 diabetes (T1D; n=1,127) or Type 2 diabetes (T2D; n=31,669). The intervention consisted of bi-monthly tele-education sessions, real-time medical support, and access to diabetes management resources over six months. The primary outcome was healthcare cost savings derived from HbA1c reductions >9% and comparison with program costs. The proportion of patients with HbA1c >9% decreased from 31.7% to 26.7% for T1D and 24.0% to 18.9% for T2D. Estimated first-year per-patient savings were $3,205.95, with total program savings exceeding $5 million, far outweighing implementation costs of $513,257.

Conclusions: Project ECHO Diabetes achieved substantial cost savings through improved glycemic control, supporting its broader implementation to enhance diabetes care and reduce healthcare costs.

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评估ECHO糖尿病项目的经济影响：降低1型和2型糖尿病患者的糖化血红蛋白可节省成本

目的：HbA1c水平升高（bbb9 %）会增加并发症的风险，并导致更高的医疗成本，特别是在专科护理机会有限的社区。ECHO糖尿病项目提供可扩展的远程教育模式，使初级保健提供者能够提供有效的糖尿病管理。本研究评估了ECHO糖尿病项目的经济影响，通过估计HbA1c水平降低bb109%所节省的医疗成本，并将这些节省的成本与项目成本进行比较。方法：采用楔形设计在2021年至2022年期间在加利福尼亚州和佛罗里达州的联邦合格医疗中心（fqhc）实施ECHO糖尿病项目。收集干预前后6个月的数据，评估HbA1c变化，并根据已有文献估计医疗成本节约，调整为2023美元。结果：该研究纳入了32,796例1型糖尿病(T1D；n= 1127)或2型糖尿病(T2D；n = 31669)。干预措施包括两个月一次的远程教育会议、实时医疗支持以及在六个月内获得糖尿病管理资源。主要结局是HbA1c降低10%所带来的医疗成本节约以及与项目成本的比较。T1D和T2D患者的HbA1c水平分别从31.7%降至26.7%和24.0%降至18.9%。预计第一年每位患者可节省3,205.95美元，项目总节省超过500万美元，远远超过513,257美元的实施成本。结论：通过改善血糖控制，ECHO糖尿病项目节省了大量成本，支持其更广泛的实施，以加强糖尿病护理和降低医疗成本。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Endocrine Practice ENDOCRINOLOGY & METABOLISM-

CiteScore

7.60

自引率

2.40%

发文量

546

审稿时长

41 days

期刊介绍： Endocrine Practice (ISSN: 1530-891X), a peer-reviewed journal published twelve times a year, is the official journal of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE). The primary mission of Endocrine Practice is to enhance the health care of patients with endocrine diseases through continuing education of practicing endocrinologists.