Evolution of the Diabetes Care Team: Panel Discussion

Jan Berger, MD, MJ, moderates a discussion on the evolution of the diabetes care team. She is joined by Starlin Haydon-Greatting, MS, BSPharm, FAPhA , Geoffrey Joyce, PhD, Edmund Pezalla, MD, MPH, and Rebecca Killion, MA.

The conversation begins with a discussion about provider payment and incentives. The panelists also discuss how stakeholders can and should effectively collaborate together, as well as how they can share healthcare data with patients.

“We don’t pay for healthcare because it’s cost effective, we pay for healthcare because it improves people’s health. That’s the idea. And so we’re doing this healthcare stuff because it improves people’s lives,” says Dr Pezalla. “At the same time, I think there is a great deal of concern about, there are other things that improve people’s lives, so we’re resource-constrained. So we have to be reasonable about it, but still we have to be careful that we don't let dollars drive everything that we do.”

“There’s a lot of factors that affect health. So, it's not just having insurance. It’s people being aware of the impact of processed foods, it’s watching your weight. It’s such a broad thing. And what we’re dealing with here is immutable human nature—short-term versus long-term. Are you going to save me money, or are you going to give me improved health? All these, we have to overcome the short-term focus in order to have the long-term goal, and that is so challenging,” adds Ms Killion.