Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP)-adapted interventions reduce cardiometabolic risk in adults 60+ with overweight/obesity and prediabetes. Healthcare systems have increasingly adopted such programs and are interested in whether program induced patient activation (normalized PAM® score change) and/or weight loss impacts outpatient medical utilization. After a 6-month telephonic DPP lifestyle program, claims data were examined for N = 81 participants with obesity/prediabetes [71% female, 88% non-Hispanic white, mean baseline age (SD) 68.0 (5.1) and BMI 39.5 (6.7)] covered by a large, regional payer. Linear regression models, adjusted for participant sex, estimated 0-6-month changes in weight and normalized PAM score with the number of primary care (PC) and specialty care (SC) visits over the next 12 months for members with >9 months of payer coverage. No relationship was shown between PAM change and number of PC or SC visits or weight loss and PC visits. A non-significant trend (p=0.079) was observed for greater weight loss [median kg (IQR) -6.25 (-3.55, -9.7)] being associated with fewer SC visits [median visits (IQR) 5 (2,10)]. These pilot data have limitations but suggest further investigation of DPP-adapted weight program outcomes and patterns of healthcare service use is warranted given the potential for lower utilization and costs.
E.M.Venditti: None. J.Kanter: None. K.R.Williams: None. E.Cwenar: None. Q.Liang: None.
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (R01DK114115)
