AACE Leans on Congress to Improve Diabetes Care

The American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) is pushing Congress to implement measures that will improve diabetes care, including better access to and increased coverage of supplies that are integral to managing the disease.

The association’s concerns were outlined at a meeting in September 2014 in which the evolving needs of diabetes patients and barriers to care were addressed. Additionally, these discussion points were outlined in AACE’s recent letter to Congress.

In particular, AACE is calling for more access to safe and effective blood glucose monitoring supplies and the passage of two important bills, according to a press release.

The first bill, the Medicare CGM Access Act (H.R. 5644/S.2689), proposes Medicare coverage of continuous glucose monitoring devices (CGMs), which are covered by many private health plans but not by Medicare. In the release, AACE notes that CGMs not only improve clinical outcomes but also reduce costs by decreasing hospitalizations related to severe hypoglycemia.

Second, AACE is campaigning for the passage of its National Diabetes Clinical Care Commission Act (H.R. 1074/S.539), which supports forming a public and private commission that includes medical experts, patient advocates and representatives from federal agencies. This will hopefully streamline activities that affect diabetes care, AACE stated in the release.

Third, the association is also calling for more FDA oversight of diabetes testing supplies via pre- and postmarket surveillance and enforcement actions. These include the embargo of products made in other countries that do not meet quality standards.

Further, AACE is asking for “rigorous examination of competitive bidding practices that often lead to inferior diabetes testing supplies.”

AACE also released a Comprehensive Diabetes Management Algorithm Consensus Statement in 2013 that offers clinicians a practical guide about risks and complications of diabetes as well as approaches to treatment.