CMS: Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program Expanded Model

November 1st, 2018 - Find-A-Code

Categories: Medicare Preventive Medicine Service

CMS announces the Medicare Diabetes prevention program is now a new covered service. Per a recent MLN news release. Medicare Beneficiaries will be notified in 2019 in a Medicare handout.

Diabetes affects more than 25 percent of Americans aged 65 or older, and its prevalence is projected to increase approximately two-fold for all U.S. adults (ages 18-79) by 2050 if current trends continue. We estimate that Medicare spent $42 billion more in the single year of 2016 on beneficiaries with diabetes than it would have spent if those beneficiaries did not have diabetes; per-beneficiary, Medicare spent an estimated $1,500 more on Part D prescription drugs, $3,100 more for hospital and facility services, and $2,700 more in physician and other clinical services for those with diabetes than those without diabetes (estimates based on fee-for-service, non-dual eligible, over age 65 beneficiaries).

Fortunately, type 2 diabetes can usually be delayed or prevented with health behavior changes. The Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program (MDPP) expanded model is a structured behavior change intervention that aims to prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes among Medicare beneficiaries with an indication of prediabetes. This model is an expansion of the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) model test, which was tested through the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation’s Health Care Innovation Awards.

The final rule establishing the expansion was finalized in the Calendar Year (CY) 2017 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) final rule published in November 2016. On November 2, 2017, CMS issued the CY 2018 PFS final rule, which established policies related to the set of MDPP services, including beneficiary eligibility criteria, the MDPP payment structure, and supplier enrollment requirements and compliance standards aimed to enhance program integrity.

The MDPP Expanded Model

The Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program expanded model is a structured intervention with the goal of preventing type 2 diabetes in individuals with an indication of prediabetes. The clinical intervention consists of a minimum of 16 intensive “core” sessions of a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) approved curriculum furnished over six months in a group-based, classroom-style setting that provides practical training in long-term dietary change, increased physical activity, and behavior change strategies for weight control. After the completing the core sessions, less intensive follow-up meetings furnished monthly help ensure that the participants maintain healthy behaviors. The primary goal of the expanded model is at least 5 percent weight loss by participants. The National DPP is based on the results of the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) study funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The study found that lifestyle changes resulting in modest weight loss sharply reduced the development of type 2 diabetes in people at high risk for the disease.

The final rule appears in the November 2, 2017 Federal Register and can be downloaded from the Federal Register.

Refer to Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program (MDPP) Expanded Model for additional information.

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