Video: Diabetes Ten City Challenge Celebrates Three Years o...( Patients Pharmacists and Employer...),Health

Patients, Pharmacists and Employers Continue to Successfully Work Together to Improve Health and Lower Costs

WASHINGTON, Oct. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- As our broken health care system and escalating costs associated with chronic disease and health insurance continue to take center stage in this year's presidential campaigns, an innovative employer-based program is celebrating its third year of improving health and reducing costs for people with diabetes.

To view the Multimedia News Release, go to: http://www.prnewswire.com/mnr/dtcc/35730/

The Diabetes Ten City Challenge (DTCC), launched in 2005, is an employer-based diabetes self-management program conducted by the APhA Foundation with support from GlaxoSmithKline. Through the DTCC, participating employers establish a voluntary health benefit for employees, dependents and retirees with diabetes, and waive co-payments for diabetes medications and supplies if they work with a pharmacist "coach" to manage their condition. The DTCC is modeled after other highly successful APhA programs that have shown to improve overall health, reduce absenteeism, shorten hospital stays and reduce health care costs.

"When we launched the DTCC three years ago, we wanted to fundamentally change the way chronic disease is treated and paid for by emphasizing the importance of investing in wellness and using incentives to reward everyone involved," said APhA Foundation CEO William M. Ellis. "Today, hundreds of pharmacists are helping more than 1,000 people successfully manage their diabetes and improve their lives, thanks to the participation of 30 employers in 10 cities."

Interim data for 914 DTCC participants released earlier this year showed statistically significant improvements in patient satisfaction and key clinical measures including A1C (blood glucose), blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Final economic and clinical data will
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