Diabetes Prevention Program under the Affordable Care Act is working, HHS Secretary Burwell says

Diabetes Prevention Program under the Affordable Care Act is working, HHS Secretary Burwell says

Tested at YMCA, this marks the first time a CMS Innovation Center preventative service has become eligible for expansion in Medicare.

Chalk up a big win for diabetes prevention. Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell announced Wednesday that a preventive model of care for people with diabetes is indeed working. And now the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is considering how it would expand this model broadly throughout the Medicare program.

This is the first time a preventive service model from the CMS Innovation Center has become eligible for expansion into the Medicare program.

YMCA of USA used $11.8 million in funding, under the Affordable Care Act, to test the Diabetes Prevention Program model. YMCA enrolled eligible Medicare beneficiaries at high risk for diabetes in a lifestyle coach program focused on improving diet and increasing physical activity. The target was a 5 percent weight loss.

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