FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM NOVEMBER 5, 2020 • HEALTH • THE QUEENS COURIER 33
health
How technology is helping people better
manage diabetes during COVID-19
Th e impact of COVID-19 has changed
many aspects of our everyday lives, particularly
for those living with a chronic
condition like diabetes. Even under normal
circumstances, managing diabetes
can be diffi cult, but with the added challenges
of the pandemic, access to medical
care, medications, and other diabetes
products has become increasingly diffi -
cult for many.
Living with diabetes is expensive. Th e
average yearly cost to manage the condition
is almost $10,000, and data show that
two in fi ve Americans living with diabetes
experience fi nancial hardship from medical
bills - even when properly insured.
Since the pandemic began, as many as
18 percent of Americans with diabetes
have faced unemployment, making the
ability to aff ord medication and medical
care an even greater challenge. As a result,
many people living with diabetes were not
adhering to their diabetes management
regimens, which may jeopardize their
overall health, especially considering this
community is at risk of developing more
serious complications from the virus.
In fact, a study from earlier this summer
found that one in four people with
diabetes have started skipping medication
doses and testing their glucose less oft en
to extend their supplies.
Th e pandemic is not only impacting
fi nances, it is also changing the way
healthcare is delivered. Th ere has been
a greater acceptance of telehealth and
remote monitoring for chronic conditions
like diabetes from both patients and
the healthcare industry - underscoring
the important role that diabetes technology
can play.
One example of a technology that is
helping physicians monitor their patients
remotely is integrated continuous glucose
monitors (iCGMs) like Abbott’s FreeStyle
Libre 2 system, which features a small
sensor worn on the back of the upper
arm for up to 14 days and accurately measures
glucose every minute, eliminating
the need for fi ngersticks.
With a one-second scan using a handheld
reader, adults and children ages four
and up can see their real-time glucose
reading, an eight-hour history of glucose
data and a trend arrow showing where
their levels are heading. Th ese actionable
insights allow people with diabetes and
their physicians to make more informed
decisions about treatments, exercise and
nutrition, even when in-person visits
aren’t possible.
“My continuous glucose monitor has
greatly improved my quality of life. I
no longer need to do multiple, painful
fi ngersticks a day and can see which
direction my glucose levels are trending,
which makes managing my diabetes
so much easier,” said Kendall Kidder-
Goshorn, who has been living with type 1
diabetes for 26 years. “When I’m using the
FreeStyle Libre 2, I spend less time worrying
about my glucose levels, so CGM
technology is directly responsible for me
being the healthiest I’ve been in years. I
think every person living with diabetes
should have access to revolutionary technologies
like CGMs, so they can be their
healthiest self, too.”
As CGMs have shown evidence to be
eff ective at helping people with diabetes
better manage their condition and
improve health outcomes, they are being
more widely embraced. For instance, the
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
(CMS) now provides reimbursement for
the FreeStyle Libre 2 system and recently
gave healthcare professionals more fl exibility
to prescribe CGMs during the pandemic.
While this marks signifi cant progress,
many people with diabetes still can’t
access CGMs due to insurance restrictions
or high-deductible costs and copays.
“From the start, Abbott set out to make
our FreeStyle Libre portfolio available
to as many people living with diabetes
as possible. Th at’s why we priced it 70%
lower than other CGMs, without sacrifi
cing performance and accuracy,” said
Mahmood Kazemi, M.D., chief medical
offi cer, Diabetes Care, Abbott. “We’re
working to ensure all people living with
diabetes have access to the life-changing
benefi ts of our technology, all at a fraction
of the cost of other available CGMs.”
Life with diabetes can be stressful
enough, but with access to breakthrough
technology like CGMs, daily care can be
simpler to manage, even during a pandemic.
Talk to your doctor for information
about how you could manage your
diabetes more eff ectively and aff ordably
or visit www.freestylelibre.us/ or www.
freestylelibre.us/myfreestyle.html to learn
more.
— Courtesy of BPT
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