More than 2 in 5 Americans with diabetes also have an eye condition called retinopathy. The risk of developing retinopathy increases the longer you have diabetes. Retinopathy can develop in anyone who has diabetes, regardless of the type. The longer you have diabetes and the less controlled your glucose levels are, the more likely you are to develop damage to your eyes. Controlling blood glucose is a must for preservation of eyesight.

Neuropathy is a type of nerve damage that can be caused by diabetes. High blood sugar injures nerves throughout your body and interferes with their ability to send signals, and can also weaken the walls of small blood vessels, interrupting the supply of oxygen and nutrients to the nerves. Approximately 50% of patients with diabetes will develop some form of neuropathy that worsens with age and duration of diabetes. However, with proper blood glucose management, nerve damage can be prevented or delayed.

Approximately 34% of adult Americans have metabolic syndrome and our risk increases as we age. Metabolic syndrome is a group of risk factors that increases the chances of developing diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and other health problems. The more factors you have, the higher the risk; however, you only need to have 3 factors to be diagnosed with metabolic syndrome. It’s important to understand how to manage your health, including your blood glucose levels, and take steps to prevent this diagnosis.

Approximately 1 in 4 adults with diabetes has kidney disease. Almost all patients with type 1 diabetes develop functional change in the kidneys within two to five years of diagnosis. Around 30% of people with type 1 diabetes and 10-40% of people with type 2 diabetes will eventually develop end stage renal disease requiring treatment life-sustaining treatments.

Doctors are currently speculating about when the second wave of COVID-19 will arrive. As we now well know, people with chronic diseases are at a greater risk of complications from COVID-19. Proper management of chronic diseases and keeping them at bay are key to minimizing the devastating effects of COVID-19. Diabetes is one such chronic disease that needs to be managed properly.

In recent years, a link between type 2 diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease has emerged. Diabetes is a risk factor for cognitive impairment including vascular dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Approximately 50% of people with type 2 diabetes will develop some type of cognitive impairment. Merely having diabetes increases the risk of developing Alzheimer’s by roughly 65%. With specialized blood glucose control, GlyCare can help with preventative care.

Burnout is costing the U.S. approximately $4.6 billion yearly for costs related to physician turnover and reduced clinical hours. One senior VP recounts conducting root cause analyses after each serious adverse event and the responses from the healthcare teams always started out explaining how busy they were due to the high census. GlyCare can help provide healthcare teams relief and reduce their burdens through specialized diabetes care.

Hospitals are penalized by CMS for having too many hospital readmissions. In fiscal 2020, CMS will penalize approximately $563 million in payments to hospitals. Out of the hospitals evaluated, 83% will receive a penalty. This is an astounding amount, but it does not need to be this way. Glycemic abnormalities can lead to complications, which lends to readmission rates. With specialized glycemic management teams, GlyCare can help hospitals lower these rates.

People who live in rural areas are more likely than urban residents to have higher rates of unhealthy behaviors and less access to healthy foods and health care. Rural populations also have higher rates of diabetes which we all know leads to higher rates and greater severity of heart disease and stroke among other complications. GlyCare can help reduce the shortage of medical specialties in rural areas with specialized diabetes care via virtual health.

Hospital censuses have currently taken an overall hit on non-COVID-19 patients. While not officially predicted, it only makes sense that the censuses will experience a dramatic increase once the coronavirus pandemic begins to settle down. Proactive planning is key to reducing morbidity, mortality, and other undesirable effects. Glycemic management teams like GlyCare can help reduce anticipated burdens on hospital physicians.

The United States currently has the most confirmed cases of COVID-19 (CDC, 2020). People with underlying health conditions such as diabetes are at a higher risk of experiencing serious complications from COVID-19 (NCIRD, 2020). Diabetes management groups, such as GlyCare, can help avoid or lessen such complications by managing the blood sugars of patients with diabetes.