9. VA Beats Managed Care for Diabetes Treatment
Diabetic patients treated by the Department of Veterans Affairs
received better care than diabetics under managed health care
plans, according to a study published Aug. 17 by Annals of
Internal Medicine. Researchers found that diabetics treated by
the VA had gained better control over their cholesterol and
gotten more frequent blood tests and eye and foot exams than
diabetics treated by the managed care groups. The study
compared 6,900 diabetics in eight managed care health plans
with some 1,300 diabetics in five VA medical centers in
California, Indiana, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and
Texas. Conclusions published by AIM: "Diabetes processes of
care and two of three intermediate outcomes were better for
patients in the VA system than for patients in commercial
managed care. However, both VA and commercial managed care
had room for improvement, especially for blood pressure control."