News: More than half of type 2 diabetes patients associated with adverse financial outcomes, report shows

Type 2 diabetes—in particular, diabetes among female patients, Black patients, Hispanic patients, Medicaid enrollees, and those younger than 65 without an earned income—is associated with adverse financial outcomes, according to a new report published in JAMA Network Open.

The report examined the electronic health record (EHR) and credit records of 166,285 adult patients at a primary care medical center in Ohio. According to the report, “[p]atient health records were included if they reported a glycated hemoglobin value, diagnostic code for type 2 diabetes, or a prescription for antidiabetic medications.”

Of the 166,285 patients examined:

• The mean age was 52.3
• 55% of those examined were female
• 19.1% were Black and 73.2% were white
• 41.7% were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes
• 50.8% lacked an earned income
• 32.6% had Medicare coverage

In terms of adverse financial outcomes:

• 56.1% of the sample had adverse financial outcomes
• 51.7% had below-prime credit scores
• 32.2% were in debt with non-medical collections
• 29.2% were in debt with medical collections
• 18.5% had overdue debt
• 12.1% had debt charge offs

“This economic evaluation of patient health records linked to credit records and wage earnings shows a positive association of type 2 diabetes with adverse financial outcomes. These findings suggest that patients with type 2 diabetes may experience substantially more adverse financial outcomes compared with patients without diabetes, highlighting the need to consider patient financial health when treating type 2 diabetes, particularly for patient groups at higher risk,” the authors concluded.

Editor’s note: To read the JAMA Network Open study, click here.