Seth A. Berkowitz, MD, MPH is the corresponding author of an article titled, “Medicare Advantage and Type 2 Diabetes Outcomes,” that was published Aug. 10.
Seth A. Berkowitz, MD, MPH, Associate Professor and Vice Chief for Research in the Division of General Medicine and Clinical Epidemiology, is the corresponding author of an article titled, “Medicare Advantage and Type 2 Diabetes Outcomes,” that was published Aug. 10 in JAMA Internal Medicine.
The article seeks to answer the question, “Is Medicare Advantage associated with better diabetes outcomes than original Medicare?” In this cohort study in 34 648 adults with type 2 diabetes, after accounting for factors that may affect Medicare Advantage or original Medicare coverage, Medicare Advantage was not associated with lower hemoglobin A1c, systolic or diastolic blood pressure, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, or lower risk of food, housing, and transportation needs.
The article concludes, “Results of this study suggest that, despite greater per-person spending, Medicare Advantage is not associated with better diabetes outcomes than original Medicare.”
Study co-authors at UNC included Myklynn LaPoint; Marlena L. Kuhn, MPH; and Michael G. Hudgens, PhD, Professor and Chair of the Department of Biostatistics at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health.