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TTM Research Also Shows That Diabetic Patients Need to Take Steps to Better Manage Their Disease

ATLANTA, Nov. 7 /PRNewswire/ — The CDC recently published the National Diabetes Fact Sheet 2005 and announced that diabetes in the United States has increased by 14 percent in just two years. On the heels of this announcement, it is an opportune time to consider diabetic patient compliance and ways people with diabetes can manage their disease. With the incidence of diabetes cases on the rise, now affecting 7 percent of the population, National Diabetes Awareness Month this November serves as a prime time to educate people with diabetes on the importance of meeting their controls.

According to research from Total Therapeutic Management, Inc. (TTM), approximately one-third of diabetics do not get an annual A1C check as recommended by the ADA. Furthermore, 65 percent of diabetics are not meeting their A1C goals of less than 7 percent. “The first step to quality improvement is the identification of patients at risk and letting the primary care giver physician know that they are at risk,” said Barry Patel, Pharm.D., President and Co-Founder, Total Therapeutic Management, Inc.

These statistics come from TTM’s database of 40,000 diabetic patients, and they have conducted more medical chart reviews in the area of diabetes than any other company. TTM utilizes results from their chart reviews to help physicians and healthcare organizations improve quality, and they have established a track record for statistically-proven results in improving patient care for specific chronic diseases, including diabetes.

TTM has found that many physicians are unaware of the percentage of patients who are not meeting their A1C goals. Despite these staggering numbers, however, the company emphasizes that diabetes is not a hopeless diagnosis. TTM offers some simple steps that individuals with diabetes can take to better manage their disease:

• – Monitor your blood sugar levels by testing regularly
• – Take any and all medications prescribed to you by your doctor even if you are feeling well
• – Have your A1C number checked at least twice a year
• – Monitor your diet
• – Exercise regularly
• – Ask your doctor to check your kidney function each year
• – Consider using specially designed computer programs to help you manage your disease

Among the numerous services TTM provides in the healthcare arena, the company works with healthcare organizations to implement patient engagement programs. If diabetes patients have not seen their doctor for a check-up in the previous year, TTM can initiate their A1C PEAK (Patient Engagement and Analysis Kit) Program that sends dry-blood spot A1C lab kits to patient homes.