Evaluating the Economic Impact of Project ECHO Diabetes: Cost Savings From HbA1c Reduction in Type 1 and Type 2...

Elevated HbA1c levels (>9%) increase the risk of complications and drive higher health care costs, particularly in communities with limited access to specialty care. Project ECHO Diabetes offers a scalable tele-education model to empower primary care providers in delivering effective diabetes management. This study assessed the economic impact of Project ECHO Diabetes by estimating health care cost savings from reductions in HbA1c levels >9% and comparing these savings against program costs.

A stepped-wedge design was used to implement Project ECHO Diabetes across Federally Qualified Health Centers in California and Florida between 2021 and 2022. Data were collected before and after the 6-month intervention to assess HbA1c changes, with health care cost savings estimated using established literature and adjusted to 2023 USD.

The study included 32 796 adults with type 1 diabetes (n = 1127) or type 2 diabetes (n = 31 669). The intervention consisted of bimonthly tele-education sessions, real-time medical support, and access to diabetes management resources over 6 months. The primary outcome was health care cost savings derived from HbA1c reductions >9% and comparison with program costs. The proportion of patients with HbA1c >9% decreased from 31.7% to 26.7% for type 1 diabetes and 24.0% to 18.9% for type 2 diabetes. Estimated first-year per-patient savings were $3205.95, with total program savings exceeding $5 million, far outweighing implementation costs of $513,257.

Project ECHO Diabetes achieved substantial cost savings through improved glycemic control, supporting its broader implementation to enhance diabetes care and reduce health care costs.