Diabetes Education and Cost Savings with Telemedicine Delivery in Rural Communities

The high prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM) and shortage of Diabetes Care and Education Specialists (DCES) in rural communities requires providers and patients to travel long distances to access care. This burden impedes optimal DM management and increases cost. Telemedicine for Reach, Education, Access, Treatment, and Ongoing Support (TREAT-ON) is a Diabetes Education and Support (DSMES) model, where a DCES provides DSMES to patients identified as high risk (A1c >9% or unplanned care). TREAT-ON was initiated in February 2020, where DSMES was provided via telemedicine (TM) visits, previously delivered face-to-face (F2F) to high-risk patients. In this retrospective study, the DCES overall costs (fuel, tolls, and postage), travel time for care delivery, and number of patients seen over a 6-month period (March-August 2019) was compared to (March-August 2020) after TM practices were adopted. From March to August 2019, 59 of 91 patient referrals were completed, compared to 110 of 167 referrals from March to August 2020. The percentage of successful referrals were similar in both groups (64.8% vs. 65.9%). However, the percent of referrals declined by patients were higher in 2019 (18.7%) vs. 2020 (9.0%). Of 59 referrals completed in 2019, 54 were F2F and five TM whereas in 2020 twelve were F2F and 98 TM. Lower average cost per patient was noted in 2020 ($38.85 vs. $6.20). A similar reduction in average travel time per patient was seen, 99 min vs. 16 min in 2020. TREAT-ON model translated to a direct cost savings of $1,606 and reduction of DCES travel time of 67.6 hours equating to a gain of 8.4 workdays opening care opportunities for an additional 67 new referrals. DSMES is a pillar of DM care and alternative methods to expand DSMES services remain imperative. Our early TREAT-ON data shows that telemedicine offers a time and cost-effective approach to DSMES with potential to reach a larger population when compared to traditional F2F visits, and helps to address a current DSCES shortage. Disclosure E. Gammoh: None. P. A. Johnson: None. J. S. Krall: Research Support; Self; Becton, Dickinson and Company, Sanofi. J. Ng: Research Support; Self; Sanofi-Aventis. L. M. Siminerio: Advisory Panel; Self; Abbott Diabetes, Bayer U. S., Research Support; Self; Becton, Dickinson and Company. A. Bandi: None. Funding National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (1R34DK123370-01)