Quality of diabetes care for adults with developmental disabilities
published online 11 December 2009.
Abstract
Background
Given that individuals with developmental disabilities have a history of difficulty accessing appropriate health care, possess numerous risk factors for diabetes, and frequently have unique needs within the health care setting, it is important to conduct surveillance research to determine the quality of their diabetes care.
Objective/Hypothesis
We assessed the quality of diabetes care for adults with developmental disabilities enrolled in Kansas Medicaid. Developmental disability was defined in accordance with Kansas Medicaid program eligibility and included individuals with intellectual disability, cerebral palsy, autism, and/or seizure disorder.
Methods
We identified a retrospective cohort of persons with developmental disabilities who were also diabetic and continuously enrolled in Kansas Medicaid. We tracked their quality of care measures (HbA1c/glucose testing, cholesterol testing, eye examinations, microalbuminaria screening, and primary care visits) across the subsequent 12 months. Quality care measures were evaluated in relation to basic demographic variables and comorbid hypertension using unconditional logistic regression.
Results
Among 5,960 adults with developmental disability, 666 had diabetes (11.2%). Annual testing rates were HbA1c/glucose testing, 51.7%; cholesterol, 44.3%; eye examinations, 29.3%; and microalbuminaria, 18.5%. Nearly all (93.5%) had contact with a primary care provider during the period. Comorbid hypertension was associated with higher rates of HbA1c, cholesterol testing, and primary care visits. Dual eligibility was associated with lower HbA1c/glucose testing and cholesterol testing rates but comparable rates for other measures. Caucasians were more likely to have had an eye examination but less likely to have had their microalbumin checked.
Conclusions
Adults with developmental disabilities and diabetes who were enrolled in the Kansas Medicaid Program were screened at lower frequency than published national figures for key quality indicators of diabetes care. These results call for action to find approaches to improve their quality of care. Further work is needed to understand the barriers to appropriate care and incentives that will remedy these gaps. In addition, research is needed to determine the accuracy of diabetes identification, treatment, and monitoring of adults with developmental disabilities.
Financial disclosure: Aside from the federal funding from CMS provided through a subcontract between our institution and KHPA, none of the authors have any potential conflicts of interest, financial or otherwise, to report. This project was funded by a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) Medicaid Transformation Grant provided to KHPA with a subcontract to KUMC: Health Promotion for Persons with Disabilities. The results do not necessarily reflect the opinions or policy of KHPA or any state or federal governmental agency.
ABSTRACT