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Copays decrease use of diabetes-related services. (Primary Care Visits Unaffected).
SAN FRANCISCO -- Copayments may lead to suboptimal utilization of essential services by patients with diabetes, Andrew J. Karter, Ph.D., said at the annual scientific sessions of the American Diabetes Association.
Patient surveys were answered by 68% of 11,922 participants in the Translating Research Into Action for Diabetes (TRIAD) study of the impact of managed care systems on diabetes care. Among the 8,107 respondents, 78% reported having at least one primary care visit in the past year, 77% had dilated pupil exams, and 30% received health education. Among the 3,486 insulin-treated patients, 53% had been performing daily self-monitoring of blood glucose, said Dr. Karter, research scientist at Kaiser Permanente, Oakland, Calif.
Utilization of primary care visits did not differ significantly across levels of out-of-pocket expenditure. But utilization of eye exams was ...