- Continuous Glucose Monitoring can help people better manage their condition
- Program part of UnitedHealthcare’s focus on personalization through digital health technology, improved care coordination
- UnitedHealthcare’s latest digital health innovations were on display at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2018 in Las Vegas
UnitedHealthcare, the market leader in Medicare benefit plans, and DexCom, Inc., the leader in continuous glucose monitoring for diabetes management, today announced an individualized glucose management pilot program driven by wearable technology to help people with Type 2 diabetes manage their condition in real time.
Eligible UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage plan participants can use the Dexcom Mobile Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) System to track their blood glucose levels 24/7, enabling them to understand how their behaviors affect their glucose so they can take appropriate actions.
“Dexcom is thrilled to work with UnitedHealthcare to bring this program to people living with diabetes,” said Steve Pacelli, Dexcom’s executive vice president of strategy and corporate development.
Participants also receive personalized diabetes coaching and an activity tracker to help them understand and act upon the data gathered by the CGM device. Together, these tools empower people with Type 2 diabetes to manage glucose levels and can result in increased glucose control, reductions in medications and improved confidence in managing their diabetes.
The program is part of UnitedHealthcare’s focus on integrating human support with data from real-time sources, such as digital health technology, and historical sources, like claims data, to help improve and personalize how people navigate the health care system.
“With more than 27 million people nationwide living with Type 2 diabetes there is urgent need to address this epidemic in new ways,” said Brian Thompson, CEO of UnitedHealthcare Medicare & Retirement. “Continuous glucose monitoring can be a game changer for people enrolled in our Medicare Advantage plans, as the data can be translated into personalized information that can be acted upon in real time.”
Dexcom’s technology consists of a sensor – usually worn on the abdomen – that reads glucose levels just beneath the skin. A transmitter sends the data to a smartphone, which processes and displays updated data every five minutes, and can reveal relationships between eating, exercise and blood sugar that are difficult to observe with only test strips and a glucose meter.
“Dexcom is thrilled to work with UnitedHealthcare to bring this program to people living with diabetes,” said Steve Pacelli, Dexcom’s executive vice president of strategy and corporate development. “The insights that CGM and this program provide can drive significant value to both patients and care providers in helping to better manage diabetes.”
UnitedHealthcare serves more than 4.3 million people in Medicare Advantage plans, 4.9 million people through its portfolio of Part D prescription drug plans, and 4.4 million beneficiaries through its Medicare supplement plans.
Nationwide, UnitedHealthcare serves one in five Medicare beneficiaries.