PHOENIX, AZ--(Marketwired - Mar 23, 2016) - Earlier today, the Secretary of Health and Human Services announced that the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) will provide the National Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP), developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as a covered health benefit. With this ground-breaking decision, CMS will enable millions of Medicare members at risk for type 2 diabetes to significantly reduce their odds of developing the disease.
At Solera Health, we applaud CMS for taking a proactive approach to diabetes prevention in the Medicare population and for recognizing the national DPP as the preferred solution.
Expected to implement in 2018, this initiative will enable Medicare beneficiaries to choose from more than 750 CDC-recognized digital, national or community-based programs that help participants make modest lifestyle changes to improve their health and keep the chronic disease at bay.
According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), the percentage of Americans age 65 and older that are at risk for developing type 2 diabetes is 25.9 percent, or 11.8 million seniors. With this ruling, the ADA believes we have the potential to significantly slow the diabetes epidemic, improving the health of millions of Americans and reducing costs that are currently in excess of $3 billion.
Solera is in a strong position to help CMS implement this initiative and achieve its vision of chronic disease detection and prevention. As a health-community integrator, Solera has developed a scalable model for seamlessly and securely matching at-risk individuals to providers of choice from among hundreds of DPP options.
"We are encouraged by today's decision by CMS as we believe that offering the DPP as a covered Medicare benefit will have a profound impact on the health of our nation's senior community," said Brenda Schmidt, CEO of Solera Health. "We are excited to be part of the solution as we know that seniors have unique requirements and that certain DPPs have proved to be more successful in serving the needs of this population. At Solera, we have the opportunity to connect at-risk individuals with the resources that will most effectively reduce their risk for type 2 diabetes."
To improve engagement and outcomes, Solera leverages patented matching technology to identify the "best fit" program for those at risk. Utilizing patient demographic, psychographic, behavior and preference information, the Solera platform matches members to the DPP intervention shown to perform best based on their unique profile, needs and preferences.
At-risk patients looking for a customized approach to prediabetes and type 2 diabetes prevention should visit the Solera website www.DPP4me.com.
About Solera Health
Solera Health helps health plans and healthcare providers improve outcomes, lower costs and increase patient engagement by consolidating highly fragmented community and digital programs and services into one integrated network. Solera supports value-based care by connecting a nationwide network of community organizations and digital solutions for chronic disease prevention programs with technology that manages service referrals, reimbursement and payment; aggregates data and reporting; simplifies enrollment; and supports increased consumer engagement and choice. Learn more at soleranetwork.com.
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