Diabetes is one of the most expensive diseases for our healthcare system and a major cause of disability and death for patients. Twenty-nine million Americans have diabetes – or 9.3 percent of the population – and over one in four do not know they have it. Another 86 million Americans are at risk for developing the disease.1
For people with diabetes, the key to minimizing suffering and preventing loss of life is controlling their elevated blood sugar levels (hyperglycemia). For some patients, this means testing themselves for glucose. But for all patients, a long-term measure is needed by both patients and clinicians to determine glycemic control.
This long-term measure – or truth serum for a diabetes patient – is hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c or A1C). In its clinical practice recommendations, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) recommends testing A1C twice each year in patients that are well-controlled, and four times each year in patients that are not.2 The large number of patients with diabetes and the need for frequent testing makes A1C one of the most common laboratory tests.
While A1C tests can be performed by sending a patient or their blood sample to a laboratory, patient care is improved when results are immediately available to the clinician by using a point-of-care method in the office or clinic. The Alere Afinion™ AS100 Analyzer delivers lab quality, is CLIA-waived, and provides A1C test results in three minutes from a fingerstick blood sample.
Knowing now matters™
Having A1C results available immediately enables earlier therapeutic decisions, which can result in improved diabetic control,3 better patient outcomes,3-5 and enhanced clinic efficiency with fewer patient visits and economic benefits for the practice or clinic.6
Probing questions for clinicians
- “What are you currently doing to comply with ADA guidelines to monitor A1C in your patients with diabetes?”
- “Do you have any challenges meeting quality metrics for control of your diabetes patients?”
- “Do you send out your A1C tests, or do you test patients in your office?”
- If in-office, “What are you using?”
- “How would a faster point-of-care system impact your practice?”
The enhanced quality of care enabled by a three-minute, CLIA-waived, in-office test like Alere Afinion™ HbA1c is recognized by the ADA recommendation that “use of point-of-care testing for A1C provides the opportunity for more timely treatment changes.”2 Knowing now matters™ to patients, too, resulting in improved satisfaction.5 Together, improving quality of care and patient satisfaction can make a difference in clinician, practice and health plan performance, and in the lives of people living with diabetes.
References
- CDC. National Diabetes Statistics Report 2014. 2. ADA. Diabetes Care. 2015; 38 (Suppl.1):S1-93. 3. Bubner TK et al. Med J Aust. 2009; 190:624-6. 4. Gialamas A et al. Med J Aust. 2009; 191:487-91. 5. Laurence CO et al. Br J Gen Pract. 2010; 60:166-171. 6. Crocker JB et al. Am J Clin Pathol. 2014; 142:640-6.
Editor’s note: Sponsored by Alere