MDVIP Membership Medicine Model Significantly Cuts Diabetes Care Costs

Study from MDVIP Shows Personalized Primary Care Reduces ER Visits, Hospitalizations and Outpatient Expenditures for Diabetic Population

Boca Raton, Fla. – June 2, 2020 – New research from MDVIP shows that the personalized preventive care of the MDVIP model can significantly decrease healthcare costs in the diabetic population over time. The investigators examined the payer effects of MDVIP on Medicare expenditures and utilization among diabetic beneficiaries. The peer-revised study entitled “Payer Effects of Personalized Preventive Care for Patients with Diabetes” was published in The American Journal of Managed Care.

The researchers compared Medicare claims for diabetic patients enrolled in MDVIP with non-MDVIP diabetic patients in the same market from 2005 through 2014. A final analytic sample of 157,210 beneficiary-year observations from 30,727 beneficiaries was utilized, and patients were studied for three years prior and five years post-enrollment in the MDVIP primary care program.

According to the American Diabetes Association, diabetes has become the most expensive chronic disease in the U.S., costing approximately $327 billion per year. People with diagnosed diabetes incur average medical expenditures of $16,752 per year, of which about $9,601 is attributed to diabetes.

The study found that the MDVIP model substantially decreases costs in the diabetic population by year five of enrollment in the preventive care program. After the first post-enrollment year, the mean costs continue to rise for the comparison population, while flattening for MDVIP beneficiaries. The study found decreased unplanned hospital admissions, emergency room visits and outpatient expenditures. At year five, MDVIP patients have statistically significant lower Medicare expenditures. These patients also showed increases in primary care office visits, as their physicians spend more time coaching and monitoring their progress.

“More than 30 million Americans have diabetes, and these patients spend double the amount of money compared to those not living with the disease,” said author Dr. Andrea Klemes, MDVIP’s Chief Medical Officer. “Our research clearly reveals that diabetic patients who enroll in a personalized primary care practice like MDVIP can significantly cut health costs and reduce unplanned hospital visits. The model supports a strong doctor-patient partnership and continuous physician coaching that is crucial to managing chronic disease. As the pre-diabetic and diabetic populations continue to grow, it is critical that the medical community help alleviate the financial burden for both the consumer and healthcare system at large.”