Diabetes patients with Medicare Advantage plans were more likely to receive preventive treatments than those with fee-for-service Medicare plans and less likely to receive new, more expensive medications, according to a University of Pittsburgh Medical Center study.
Researchers used data from more than 5,000 clinicians who participate in the Diabetes Collaborative Registry to study about 350,000 patients with Type 2 diabetes ages 65 or older on Medicare Advantage or Medicare fee-for-service plans, according to a July 7 UPMC news release.
Medicare Advantage beneficiaries were more likely to have higher blood pressure and worse blood glucose control than patients with fee-for-service plans, according to the report.
"Preventive treatments are not enough to keep patients from utilizing the healthcare system down the road," lead author Utibe Essien, MD, said in the news release. "We need to make sure the right patients are getting the right treatment, likely a combination of preventive and therapeutic interventions."