HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — The American Diabetes Association, the nation’s leading organization committed to fighting diabetes, recently announced the recognition of TakeCare Insurance Company through its Education Recognition Program.
The ADA’s ERP certificate assures that educational services meet the national standards for diabetes self-management education and support, or DSMES. The corresponding intervention provided is evidence-based and outcome driven, according to a press release from TakeCare.
“DSMES is an essential part of managing diabetes and is as effective as diabetes medication. Therefore, all people with diabetes benefit from it,” said Barbara Eichorst, the ADA’s vice president of health programs. “We applaud TakeCare for its commitment to providing value-based interventions such as DSMES, maximizing corresponding outcomes and patient experience.”
“Considerable evidence shows that a cost-effective way to improve diabetes-related outcomes is establishing a DSMES service. The program provides an evidence-based foundation to empower persons with diabetes to navigate self-management and care. DSMES has long been recognized as a tool for improving health and is a critical element of care for people with diabetes,” said Donabel Little, TakeCare quality improvement manager.
According to a fact sheet from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 38 million people, or 11.6% of the U.S. population, have diabetes.
Diabetes is the eighth leading cause of death in the U.S. In 2021, it contributed to 399,401 deaths. The ADA’s Economic Costs of Diabetes in the U.S. in 2022 report confirms diabetes continues to be one of the nation’s most expensive chronic health care conditions, with an estimated cost of diagnosed diabetes of $412.9 billion.
“People with diabetes spend about 99.993% of the time managing their condition on their own. Thus, for several years now, the ADA and other specialty society guidelines strongly recommend diabetes self-management education and support as a standard of care for every person with diabetes,” said Dr. Melliza “Millay” Young, TakeCare’s certified diabetes care and education specialist and a spokesperson for the Association of Diabetes Care and Education Specialists.
The DSMES is a “cost-effective service that focuses on individualized care and education to learn and master the day-to-day self-care required to thrive with diabetes,” she said.
The entrance to a TakeCare facility on Monday, Aug. 14, 2023, in Tamuning.
