By Deborah Rotenstein, M.D., Pediatric Alliance — Endocrinology Division
Having a child with diabetes is costly in terms of food, medical care, education, and medications. In addition to emotional demands, other types of costs include lost time from school and work.
New information just published in the journal Diabetes Care from Xiaohui Zhou PhD. at the CDC indicates that the cost of taking care of patients with diabetes has doubled in the last decade. The costs are primarily from emergency department visits, hospitalizations, and prescription medications. Outpatient visits accounted for only 15% of this increase. The largest increase appears to be prescription medications, which accounts for 55% of the change.
Keeping diabetic patients healthy may be one way to curb costs. Regular visits to the pediatrician and diabetes specialist to adjust medication to the right amount may be another cost-savings for the family.
Previous PediaBlog posts from Dr. Rotenstein here.