Why Is It Cheaper In The Long Run To Manage Diabetes Well?
Diabetes is a chronic condition that is characterised by high blood sugar levels due to the body’s decreased sensitivity to insulin. Type 2 diabetes is the most common type of diabetes and is usually what people refer to when they mention diabetes as a condition. There is no cure for type 2 diabetes at the moment, but it can be managed well with the right treatment plan. Though that means healthcare costs have to be incurred regularly, leaving it untreated could cause even higher healthcare costs in the long run.
You can, however, mitigate some of the cost of managing diabetes by doing it from home. Speedoc specialises in providing an efficient diabetes home management programme where a house call doctor can provide teleconsultation, home visits for tests and check-ups, and medication.
How is diabetes diagnosed?
Diabetes is diagnosed with blood tests which can either be a random and/or a fasting blood test. The amount of glucose in the blood sample will help doctors determine if the patient has diabetes or not. Your house call doctor will usually order one of two common types of blood tests:
- Random Glucose Test - no fasting is required and a blood sample can be taken at any time.
- Fasting Glucose Test - at least 8 hours of fasting is required before the taking of blood sample. This test is usually done in the morning so that the time spent asleep can be counted in the fasting hours.
The table below shows the criteria for determining prediabetes and diabetes:
HbA1c Test
On top of the random and fasting blood tests, your house call doctor may also advise you to take an HbA1c test to determine the extent of blood sugar fluctuation over the past two to three months. HbA1c results used to determine diabetes are arranged as follows:
Want to get a blood test done to measure your blood sugar levels? Speedoc offers a basic health screening package where house call doctors and nurses on demand can help you get an idea of your key health indicators, including blood sugar.
Prediabetes (borderline diabetes)
Prediabetes can be considered one step before diabetes, where your blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. It can be referred to as impaired glucose tolerance or impaired fasting glucose.
Reversing prediabetes
Prediabetes may not always progress to diabetes, and some have managed to reverse the condition through dietary and lifestyle adjustments. It is extremely important to catch prediabetes during its early stages and make the necessary modifications as soon as possible so that further treatment will not be needed. No treatment means no incurred medical costs; it’s as simple as that!
Mild to moderate diabetes
If you have been diagnosed with diabetes, there are still ways to keep medical costs low. Taking your medication as prescribed, maintaining a healthy lifestyle and diet, and keeping up with your regular doctor house call consultations are all ways to keep your condition under control. This prevents your condition from getting more severe and needing further treatment, like insulin, which would mean higher costs across the board.
Setting up a treatment routine that works for you helps to ensure that you’re managing your diabetic condition in the most optimised way possible. Speedoc’s Chronic Disease Home Management (CDHM™) programme for diabetes provides a customisable, personalised treatment plan that suits your lifestyle and routine.
Email us to enrol in CDHM™ (or simply find out more)!
Severe diabetes
Poorly managed diabetes comes with a variety of complications, from diabetic neuropathy to kidney failure. These increase overall healthcare costs, not to mention the discomfort and disruption to daily life when such complications arise. It is, hence, more important to keep diabetes well-managed to prevent such complications.
For more severe diabetes, your house call doctor may prescribe insulin therapy to keep your condition under better control. In the past, insulin therapy was used as somewhat of a last resort. However, insulin is now prescribed earlier in the treatment process, especially if lifestyle and diet modifications are not made, or if medications are not effective enough. Insulin is usually taken through injection.
It goes without saying that insulin would be more expensive than regular oral medications, but they should be administered as prescribed for optimal effect. The same guidelines for managing more severe diabetes continue to apply - sticking to your prescribed medication, keeping up with your reviews, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle and diet.
