Persistence to Basal Insulin: Association With Health Outcomes in a Population With Type 2 Diabetes

Area of Science:

• Endocrinology
• Health Services Research
• Pharmacoeconomics

Background:

• Basal insulin is crucial for managing diabetes.
• Understanding patient adherence to basal insulin therapy is important for clinical and economic outcomes.
• The utility of basal insulin persistence as a quality measure requires investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the association between basal insulin persistence and clinical outcomes.
• To explore the economic impact of basal insulin persistence.
• To assess the feasibility of using basal insulin persistence for quality measurement.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 14,126 patients from the IBM-Truven MarketScan databases (2011-2015).
• Categorization of patients based on basal insulin persistence.
• Comparison of clinical (A1C, hospitalizations, ED visits) and economic outcomes between persistent and non-persistent groups.

Main Results:

• 70.1% of patients demonstrated persistence with basal insulin therapy.
• Basal insulin persistence was linked to significantly lower A1C levels.
• Persistent patients experienced fewer hospitalizations and emergency department visits, alongside reduced healthcare expenditures.

Conclusions:

• Basal insulin persistence is associated with improved clinical and economic health outcomes.
• Quality measures based on basal insulin prescription claims are feasible.
• Basal insulin persistence should be considered for quality improvement initiatives in diabetes care.