MINNETONKA, Minn. — Diabetes care provider Novo Nordisk is joining UnitedHealth Group’s Diabetes Prevention and Control Alliance, a national partnership that provides access to community- and evidence-based interventions to help prevent and control diabetes, prediabetes and obesity.
UnitedHealth Group said this week that Novo Nordisk will work with doctors to create awareness and understanding of programs that follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) proven, evidence-based guidelines.
The Diabetes Prevention Program, which helps people with prediabetes prevent the disease, and the Diabetes Control Program, which helps people with diabetes control the disease and reduce the risk of its devastating complications, support patients’ own diabetes awareness, prevention, education and control efforts to improve their health and quality of life, according to UnitedHealth.
"The Diabetes Prevention and Control Alliance is a groundbreaking approach aimed at reducing risks and improving clinical outcomes for the millions of Americans living with, or at risk of, diabetes," stated Alan Moses, vice president and global chief medical officer of Novo Nordisk. "By leveraging the collective skills and resources of Novo Nordisk, UnitedHealth Group, the CDC, doctors, pharmacists and our communities, we believe that collectively we can make a difference in the lives of people with prediabetes as well as those already coping with the disease. We will work together to increase awareness of meaningful lifestyle changes and opportunities afforded by greater access to the tools and information needed to avoid the disease or manage it more effectively."
Commented Deneen Vojta, senior vice president of the UnitedHealth Center for Health Reform and Modernization, "Novo Nordisk will play an important role in extending the reach and positive impact of these proven interventions to doctors who treat diabetes and want to help their patients live healthier lives."
UnitedHealth said the Diabetes Control Program is being offered in local communities through partnerships with retail pharmacies, beginning with Walgreens. It helps people with diabetes better control their condition by providing them access to local pharmacists specially trained to help manage their condition and improve adherence to their physicians’ treatment plans.
The health insurer also has partnered with the Y to offer the Diabetes Prevention Program, which uses a group-based lifestyle intervention for people at high risk of developing diabetes. It is designed to help people prevent the disease through healthy eating, increased activity and other lifestyle changes.
Both alliance programs have been tested through controlled trials or pilot projects with the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the CDC, the Y, Indiana University, clinical centers, employers and retail pharmacies, UnitedHealth reported. This experience showed, among other findings, that with lifestyle changes and modest weight reduction, a person with prediabetes can prevent or delay the onset of the disease by 58%, the company added.
Diabetes Prevention and Control Alliance programs launched initially in eight markets in six states: Cincinnati, Columbus and Dayton, Ohio; Indianapolis; Oklahoma City; Albuquerque, N.M.; Phoenix; and in Minneapolis-St. Paul. The programs will roll out nationally through 2012. UnitedHealth said the alliance represents the first time in the United States that a health plan is paying for evidence-based diabetes prevention and control programs.
