CDPHE recently released a new fact sheet that every employer should review!
CDPHE recently released a new fact sheet that every employer should review and seriously consider when drafting plans to improve health and reduce health care costs. It can be downloaded here.
Highlights of the findings from the “Diabetes’ Impact in Colorado” Fact Sheet for November 2015.
- More and more Coloradans are developing diabetes. We were one of the states that saw the most significant increase in the adult prevalence of diabetes between 2013 and 2014. From 2014 alone the prevalence of obesity in Colorado, a key predictor of diabetes, increased 33%.
- Of all Coloradans with diabetes, 25% are undiagnosed.
- Diabetes can be incredibly expensive. The total cost of care for patients with diabetes alone is $13,000 - about 2.3 times higher than those without diabetes. (CBGH and other data bases reflect that diabetics with one or more co-morbid conditions can easily be four or more times expensive.)
- An astounding nine out of ten of adults with diabetes had at least one other chronic health condition; 70% of diabetics have hypertension.
- Adults with diabetes were twice as likely to have been diagnosed with depression.
- Many diabetics are not seeking care. One in four adults reported not seeing a doctor because of cost in the past year.
What this expressly means for every employer is this: If you focus only on one disease in 2016, make it diabetes. Two programs should be considered essential: the Diabetes Prevention Program and some type of self-management diabetic class - in addition, of course, to screening.
The Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) helps individuals with prediabetes and at risk for type 2 diabetes get the lifestyle training and support that they need to prevent the development of type 2 diabetes. In Colorado, over 2,000 individuals have participated in the DPP, and this number continues to increase. For more information about the DPP in Colorado, visit the CDPHE website.
For information about how CBGH, under a grant from CDPHE, can help you with a DPP program, contact Lisa Slavinski.
