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New York Business Group on Health Releases Report on the State of Type 2 Diabetes in the Tri-State Area

Posted on: Monday, 7 May 2007, 09:00 CDT

NEW YORK, May 7 /PRNewswire/ -- The New York Business Group on Health (NYBGH) announced today the release of a new report on the demographics, costs and quality of care of Tri-State residents diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. The inaugural Type 2 Diabetes Report for 2006: New York Metropolitan Region presents an overview of patient demographics, hospital and professional charges, utilization of clinical services and drug therapy for Type 2 diabetes patients in key local markets across the Tri-State area. The report also provides state and national benchmarks that can help providers and employers better identify opportunities to serve the needs of patients with diabetes.

"NYBGH developed the Type 2 Diabetes Report to serve as a useful resource for employers in the Tri-State area, many of whom are investing in work-site wellness and diabetes management programs as a way to help employees more effectively manage chronic conditions like diabetes," said Laurel Pickering, executive director of NYBGH. "The benchmarking information presented in the report underscores the need to address this burgeoning health problem among working age people in the Tri-State area."

Six of 10 patients with Type 2 diabetes in the Tri-State area in prime working age

According to this report, more than 60 percent of those patients in the states of Connecticut and New York diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes in 2005 were between the ages of 18 and 64 years -prime working ages for most Americans, compared with 55.9 percent for New Jersey and a national average of 55.8 percent. Of patients diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in 2005, the Nassau- Suffolk NJ MSA had the highest percentage of working age diabetes patients of the seven metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) examined in the report, with 65.9 percent between the ages of 18 and 64 years, compared with Bridgeport, CT, which had the lowest percentage, 53 percent, in this age group.

Cost of diabetes care in New Jersey, New York is higher

The cost of care for Type 2 diabetes patients is higher in New Jersey and New York than the national average. The Report shows that hospital inpatient charges for Type 2 Diabetes patients per year in New Jersey averaged $77,950 in 2005, compared with the national average of $39,401. By comparison, Connecticut's inpatient hospital charges per year, at $36,958, were lower than the national average. Hospital outpatient charges for treating Type 2 diabetes patients in New Jersey ($8,696) also exceeded the national average ($3,712), whereas such costs in New York ($3,278) and Connecticut ($3,273) were slightly lower than the national average.

Quality of care is major concern, but shows some successes

The quality of care provided to patients with diabetes is also a major concern for Tri-State area employers who want to ensure that their employees receive appropriate care. "This report demonstrates some of the good progress that has been made in improving access to effective diabetes care, but also highlights how much work remains to be done. As an employer, we know that in addition to the costs of care related to diabetes, that there is also the important aspect of workplace productivity that is really only achieved with optimal treatment. Moving forward, we know that we need to continue our focus on integrating targeted education and awareness programs, with benefit designs and care management strategies that give our employees and dependents the best care possible for diabetes, as well as for the reduction of related cardio-metabolic risk factors," said Melissa Metzger, Vice President, Global Benefits for Starwood Resorts and Hotels Worldwide, Inc.

In addition to demographic and cost information, the Type 2 Diabetes Report shows the percentage of diabetes patients receiving recommended services, including blood glucose, Hemoglobin A1C and cholesterol blood tests, as well as eye exams and urine tests for glucose. Fortunately, the shares of patients receiving such services in MSAs in the New York metropolitan area surpass the nation for most of these utilization services. For example, the share of patients in New Jersey with Type 2 diabetes who received a Hemoglobin A1C test (a key marker for managing diabetes) in 2005 was 75.0 percent, compared to the national average of 74.1 percent. Of the three states, Connecticut had the lowest percentage (72.9 percent) of Type 2 diabetes patients who were tested for this key marker. The shares of patients in all three states with Type 2 diabetes who received blood glucose, cholesterol, and urine glucose tests all surpassed that of the national average.

NYBGH believes that the Type 2 Diabetes Report for 2006 will help providers and employers address the increasing prevalence, costs and quality of care provided to working age patients in the Tri-State area with Type 2 diabetes.

"The City of New York is committed to improving the health of New Yorkers, especially for preventable and manageable diseases such as diabetes. This report provides a valuable perspective on the scope and scale of the growing challenge we're facing. The Health Department's newly established A1C Registry will help us work collaboratively with the clinical community to design, implement and evaluate an intervention for people with diabetes and their providers to improve health outcomes, " stated Diana Berger, MD, Medical Director of the New York City Diabetes Prevention and Control Program.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, more than 17 million Americans have diabetes, with an average of 1 million new cases being diagnosed each year in people over the age of 20. Nine out of ten of these patients have the Type 2 variety. The cost of diabetes in the US was approximately $132 billion in 2002, with $92 billion spent on medical services. The economic loss to the US economy due to higher rates of lost work time, disability and premature mortality associated with diabetes in the working population was approximately $40 billion in 2002.

About the Type 2 Diabetes Report for 2006: New York Metropolitan Region

The Type 2 Diabetes Report for 2006 helps NYBGH to fulfill its mission of providing leadership and knowledge to employers to promote a value-based, market-driven healthcare system. The report was produced with assistance from sanofi-aventis. The complete report is available in electronic format on NYBGH's website at http://www.nybhg.org/, and may be downloaded free of charge.

About New York Business Group on Health

Founded in 1982, the New York Business Group on Health (NYBGH) is a not- for-profit coalition of 175 businesses and is the only organization in the New York Metropolitan area exclusively devoted to employer health benefit issues. Members include employers and health-related organizations.

http://www.nybgh.org/. About sanofi-aventis

Sanofi-aventis is one of the world leaders in the pharmaceutical industry. Backed by a world-class R&D organization, sanofi-aventis is developing leading positions in seven major therapeutic areas: cardiovascular, thrombosis, oncology, metabolic diseases, central nervous system, internal medicine and

vaccines. Sanofi-aventis is listed in Paris (EURONEXT: SAN) and in New York .

http://www.sanofi-aventis.us/ Contact: Russell LaMontagne Phone: 212.255.5340 Email: Russell@corinthgroup.com

The New York Business Group on Health

CONTACT: Russell LaMontagne, +1-212-255-5340, Russell@corinthgroup.com,for The New York Business Group on Health

Web site: http://www.sanofi-aventis.us/http://www.sanofi-aventis.com/http://www.nybhg.org/

Company News On-Call: http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/232375.html

Source: PRNewswire

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