27 March 2018 - - Oakland, California-based epidemiologic and health services research provider Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research has published results of a study showing that, over a ten-year period, control of three key cardiovascular risk factors improved faster for diabetes patients in Northern California than in the rest of the US, the company said.
This study, published in the American Journal of Medicine, marks the first investigation to systematically assess the effects of Kaiser Permanente's Preventing Heart Attacks and Strokes Everyday (PHASE) program, launched in Northern California in 2004, on multiple risk factors.
The study reviewed annual blood pressure, blood sugar, and blood lipid levels in approximately 100,000 PHASE patients with diabetes in Northern California, and compared them with data on commercial enrollees from the National Committee for Quality Assurance's Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS).
The PHASE program was designed for members with an elevated risk of cardiovascular disease, including people who have had a heart attack, stroke or diabetes. According to the new study, PHASE has been particularly successful for diabetes patients, who make up two thirds of the program's participants.
The proportion of diabetes patients with better blood pressure control consistently remained higher at Kaiser Permanente than among US health systems reporting performance to HEDIS.
From 2004 through 2013, the percentage of people with diabetes who had poor blood sugar control fell both nationally and for Kaiser Permanente patients, but only the Kaiser Permanente group's decline was statistically significant.
The Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research conducts, publishes and disseminates epidemiologic and health services research to improve the health and medical care of Kaiser Permanente members and society at large.
Kaiser Permanente is a health care and not-for-profit health plan provider. Its mission is to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of its 11.8m members in eight states and the District of Columbia.