Quest Diagnostics Presents Late Breaker Study Demonstrating Diabetes Prescription Cost Reductions Achieved for Participants in an Employer-Sponsored Health Program at the 82nd American Diabetes Association Scientific Sessions

Analysis shows participants who stayed in the program at least 6 months reduced their diabetes drug costs by 18%

In 2 oral and 3 poster presentations, Quest researchers also provided insights into the association of HDL particles with cardiovascular risk in diabetes and benefits of digital health coaching with food delivery to improve diabetes management in food insecure adults

SECAUCUS, N.J. , June 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Quest Diagnostics (NYSE: DGX), the world's leading provider of diagnostic information services, today announced that it presented results of six studies at the 82nd American Diabetes Association Scientific Sessions, June 3-7, 2022 in New Orleans, LA. These studies by researchers from Quest Diagnostics (Booth #1005) include one late breaker and two oral presentations. They provide novel insights into the use of advanced diagnostic technologies, population health management strategies and digital health coaching to improve the diagnosis, treatment, and management of individuals with diabetes.

Employer Population Health Interventions
Individuals with type 2 diabetes who stayed in a virtual, employer-sponsored diabetes reversal program for at least six months lowered their monthly prescription spending by 18%, to $449 from $547 on average, compared to the 12 months prior to the program, according to late breaker presentation titled "Outcomes of an Employer-Sponsored Virtual Type 2 Diabetes Reversal Program in Working-Age Adults (59-LB)." In addition, the number of prescriptions decreased for 39.5% and increased for 2.5% of the 119 participants. Participants also experienced improvements in health risk scores, including fasting glucose, weight, body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference. After one year, the majority of participants (67%) were still in the program. 

"For many people, employers are a valuable point of access to health services for chronic diseases such as diabetes," said Jay G. Wohlgemuth, Chief Medical Officer, Quest Diagnostics. "This study demonstrates that a population management strategy that combines screening with targeted intervention can meaningfully improve health risk markers for individuals with type 2 diabetes as well as lower medical costs for employers and their employees."

People with diagnosed diabetes incur average medical expenditures of $16,752 per year, of which about $9,601 is attributed to diabetes, specifically. Employers often incur these costs, too, through higher costs for health insurance and prescription medications.ⁱ Quest Diagnostics offers employee population health services designed to improve care and lower medical costs for its 50,000 employees as well as for other Fortune 500 companies. Prior diabetes research by Quest Diagnostics, including studies from the 2018 ADA Scientific Sessions and 2020 Endocrine Society Annual Meeting, show that diabetes prevention programs can reduce key markers of risk, including weight, insulin resistance scores and hemoglobin A1c in a workforce population.

Social Determinants of Health
In a study from researchers at Pack Health, food insecure individuals with type 2 diabetes lowered their hemoglobin A1c levels and scores for diabetes distress and food insecurity within 3 months of entering a health-plan sponsored program that combined digital health coaching with bi-weekly food delivery. The study is titled "Outcomes of a Digital Health Coaching Program Integrating Food Delivery for a Population of Adults with T2DM at Risk of Food Insecurity (170-OR)." Earlier this year, Quest acquired Pack Health, a patient engagement company specializing in comprehensively addressing chronic conditions and comorbidities influenced by lifestyle behaviors, access to care, and social determinants of health (SDOH). Pack Health provides the only fully digital diabetes self-management solution recommended by the ADA's diabetes support directory.

This study was selected as an American Diabetes Association Health Disparities Committee Top 10 Recommended Abstract for its focus on health care disparities and inequities in diabetes outcomes.

Advanced Diagnostic Innovation
Levels of four high density lipoprotein (HDL) particles (ApoA-I, ApoC-I, ApoM, and PON3) were lower in blood specimens of patients with type 2 diabetes compared to those without the disease in a study by researchers from Quest Diagnostics and its Cardiometabolic Center of Excellence at Cleveland HeartLab. These data provide compelling evidence that changes in HDL help explain why some patients with diabetes who adequately manage blood sugar and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol experience elevated risk of cardiovascular events. The study involving 213 patients employed several advanced technologies, including lipoprotein subfractions analysis by ion mobility, a novel proteomic test, and tandem mass spectrometry. These data were presented in an oral presentation titled "Presence of Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) Affects HDL Particle Proteomic Composition Independently of Obesity or Fatty Liver (210-OR)."

"In the past, cholesterol testing may have missed people with diabetes who were at risk for cardiovascular events – even if they managed their blood sugar and LDL optimally" said co-author Michael McPhaul, MD, Senior Medical Director, Endocrine, Quest Diagnostics. "Our analysis suggests that the composition of HDL particles may identify cardiovascular risk in patients with diabetes, providing a new avenue for evaluating patients with diabetes." 

Full List of Quest Diagnostics Studies:

Abstracts can be accessed on the America Diabetes Association website.

A complete list of the Quest Diagnostics research presented at this year's Scientific Sessions:

Late Breaker Presentations:

• Outcomes of an Employer-Sponsored Virtual Type 2 Diabetes Reversal Program in Working-Age Adults (59-LB)

Oral Presentations:

• Outcomes of a Digital Health Coaching Program Integrating Food Delivery for a Population of Adults with T2DM at Risk of Food Insecurity (170-OR)
• Presence of Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) Affects HDL Particle Proteomic Composition Independently of Obesity or Fatty Liver (210-OR)

Poster Presentations:

• Predictors of Lack of Improvement in Glycemic Control in Persons with Type 2 Diabetes (945-P)
• Factors Associated with Poor Glycemic Control in Persons with Type 2 Diabetes and Employer-Based Health Care Coverage (965-P)
• Interlaboratory Standardization of C-Peptide Assays Using Certified Reference Materials Corrected for Peptide Modifications (1134-P)

About Quest Diagnostics
Quest Diagnostics empowers people to take action to improve health outcomes. Derived from the world's largest database of clinical lab results, Quest's diagnostic insights reveal new avenues to identify and treat disease, inspire healthy behaviors, and improve health care management. Quest Diagnostics annually serves one in three adult Americans and half the physicians and hospitals in the United States, and our nearly 50,000 employees understand that, in the right hands and with the right context, our diagnostic insights can inspire actions that transform lives. www.QuestDiagnostics.com

For further information: Shawn Bevec (Investors): 973-520-2900, Kim Gorode (Media): [email protected]

ⁱ https://www.diabetes.org/about-us/statistics/cost-diabetes

SOURCE Quest Diagnostics