Disparities in Continuous Glucose Monitoring Among Patients Receiving Care in Federally Qualified Health Centers

While continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) has been found to improve diabetes care processes and outcomes, adoption remains low.

To examine the association between CGM prescriptions and individual characteristics among patients with type 1 or 2 diabetes (T1D and T2D, respectively).

Retrospective cross-sectional study using electronic health record data for patients with T1D or T1D from 275 clinic sites nationwide between January 2014 and February 2021. All participating clinics were federally qualified health centers (FQHCs), the largest US system of primary care for vulnerable populations. Data were analyzed from September 2022 to August 2024.

Sociodemographic factors, clinical characteristics, and CGM prescription orders.

A total of 1168 patients with T1D (mean [SD] age, 41.8 [16.0] years; 600 [51.4%] male; 372 [31.9%] Black; 262 [22.4%] Hispanic, and 750 [64.2%] White patients) and 35 216 patients with T2D (mean [SD] age, 58.4 [13.1] years; 19 772 [56.1%] female; 12 030 [34.2%] Black; 12 979 [36.9%] Hispanic, and 20 413 [58.0] White patients) were included. Overall, CGM prescriptions were infrequent (129 [11.0%] for patients with T1D and 362 [1.0%] for those with T2D) but increased throughout the study period. Among patients with T1D, those who reported Hispanic ethnicity (odds ratio [OR], 0.30; 95% CI, 0.16-0.57), Black race (OR, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.38-0.99), or were uninsured (OR, 0.42; 95% CI, 0.23-0.74) had lower multivariable odds of receiving a CGM prescription than White or insured adults, respectively. Similar findings were observed among patients with T2D reporting Hispanic ethnicity (OR, 0.43; 95% CI, 0.32-0.57), Black race (OR, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.59-0.98), or being uninsured (OR, 0.42; 95% CI, 0.31-0.58), relative to their counterparts. Among patients with T2D, hemoglobin A1c values higher than 9.0% (OR, 3.17; 95% CI, 2.37-4.21) and a greater burden of diabetes complications were associated with higher odds of CGM prescription.

In this cross-sectional study of electronic health record data, rates of CGM prescription orders were low among FQHC patients with T1D and T2D. Disparities in CGM orders were observed among patients reporting Hispanic ethnicity, Black race, and those who lacked health insurance. Future research is needed to understand the causes of infrequent CGM orders in FQHCs and drivers of observed disparities in this vulnerable patient population.