June 13, 2019
Elbert Huang, MD, founding Director of the Center for Chronic Disease Research and Policy, along with colleagues has published a new paper in Diabetes Care, entitled ‘Cost-Effectiveness of Shared Telemedicine Appointments in Young Adults With T1D: CoYoT1 Trial’.
Young adults (YAs) with type 1 diabetes (T1D) often struggle to achieve glycemic control and maintain routine clinic visits. This study aimed to evaluate the societal cost-effectiveness of the Colorado YAs with T1D (CoYoT1) Clinic, an innovative care model of shared medical appointments through home telehealth.
Within the trial, there were no significant differences found in 9-month quality-adjusted life; however, the control group had a larger decline from baseline in utility than the CoYoT1 group, indicating a quality of life (QoL) benefit of the intervention (difference in difference mean ± SD: 0.04 ± 0.09; P = 0.03). There was no significant difference in total costs. The CoYoT1 group had more study-related visits but fewer nonstudy office visits and hospitalizations. The CoYoT1 care model may help YAs with T1D maintain a higher QoL with no increase in costs.