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Definition

Percentage of health plan members with diabetes who had their Hemoglobin A1c tested within the last year.

Numerator

Number of sampled health plan members with diabetes who had their Hemoglobin A1c tested within the last year.

Denominator

Number of sampled health plan members with diabetes.

Data Interpretation Issues

Evidence from health plan administrative records and survey interviews indicates that the American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE) and the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) surveys might substantially underestimate the proportion of persons with diabetes who have a routine A1C test. Note that starting in 2017, Utah commercial HMOs and PPOs are now regarded as functionally the same and are used together in calculating the state averages.

Why Is This Important?

The Hemoglobin A1c (A1C) test measures the level of blood glucose for persons with diabetes. High levels of blood glucose puts people at risk for blindness, kidney disease, and lower extremity infections. With support from their provider, people can can reduce their risk of serious complications by controlling their levels of blood glucose.

Healthy People Objective D-11:

Increase the proportion of adults with diabetes who have a glycosylated hemoglobin measurement at least twice a year
U.S. target: 71.1 percent

How Are We Doing?

The American Diabetes Association recommends an A1C exam about every three months.

What Is Being Done?

The Diabetes Prevention and Control Program has been combined with the Heart Disease and Stroke Program, the Physical Activity, Nutrition and Obesity Program, and a School Health Program. The new program is known as the Healthy Living through Environment, Policy, and Improved Clinical Care (EPICC) Program. One of EPICC's main goals is to decrease the proportion of people with diabetes who have A1Cs greater than 9%. A number of studies show that people who attend diabetes self-management education classes have lower A1C levels. These classes are usually taught by a dietitian, pharmacist, or certified diabetes educator, and have been shown to help individuals develop a variety of skills, including blood sugar monitoring, they need to manage their diabetes. A list of classes is available at [https://livingwell.utah.gov/program.php?grp=diab].

Available Services

Diabetes Self-Management Education (DSME) [https://livingwell.utah.gov/program.php?grp=diab]

Related Indicators

Related Relevant Population Characteristics Indicators:

Graphical Data Views

Percentage of Persons With Diabetes Who Had Their Hemoglobin A1c Tested Within the Last Year, Utah, 2000-2020

This Indicator Report contains information about Medicaid Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs), commercial HMOs, and commercial Preferred Provider Organizations (PPOs). 2013 was the first year that PPOs were been included in this report and represents a significant expansion of the report's scope. With the inclusion of PPOs to the other plans, over 50% of Utahns who currently have health insurance are covered by one of the health plans in this report.

Medicaid vs. Commercial Plans	Year	Percentage of Persons With Diabetes
Record Count: 74
Medicaid	2000	77.3%
Medicaid	2001	78.8%
Medicaid	2002	73.3%
Medicaid	2003	78.6%
Medicaid	2004	82.7%
Medicaid	2005	79.8%
Medicaid	2006	78.9%
Medicaid	2007	81.4%
Medicaid	2008	82.0%
Medicaid	2009	83.8%
Medicaid	2010	86.6%
Medicaid	2011	87.1%
Medicaid	2012	86.4%
Medicaid	2013	86.4%
Medicaid	2014	86.7%
Medicaid	2015	87.5%
Medicaid	2016	85.1%
Medicaid	2017	88.5%
Medicaid	2018	86.8%
Medicaid	2019	89.3%
Medicaid	2020	85.3%
Commercial HMOs	2000	67.5%
Commercial HMOs	2001	74.2%
Commercial HMOs	2002	76.3%
Commercial HMOs	2003	83.3%
Commercial HMOs	2004	82.4%
Commercial HMOs	2005	86.5%
Commercial HMOs	2006	85.5%
Commercial HMOs	2007	87.7%
Commercial HMOs	2008	88.5%
Commercial HMOs	2009	89.2%
Commercial HMOs	2010	82.4%
Commercial HMOs	2011	90.4%
Commercial HMOs	2012	88.9%
Commercial HMOs	2013	91.2%
Commercial HMOs	2014	91.6%
Commercial HMOs	2015	94.1%
Commercial HMOs	2016	92.4%
Commercial HMOs	2017	90.1%
Commercial HMOs	2018	90.3%
Commercial HMOs	2019	90.3%
Commercial HMOs	2020	87.9%
Commercial PPOs	2013	84.3%
Commercial PPOs	2014	88.0%
Commercial PPOs	2015	89.1%
Commercial PPOs	2016	89.3%
Commercial PPOs	2017	90.1%
Commercial PPOs	2018	90.3%
Commercial PPOs	2019	90.3%
Commercial PPOs	2020	87.5%
U.S. Medicaid Average	2009	80.5%
U.S. Medicaid Average	2010	80.6%
U.S. Medicaid Average	2011	82.0%
U.S. Medicaid Average	2012	82.5%
U.S. Medicaid Average	2013	83.0%
U.S. Medicaid Average	2014	86.3%
U.S. Medicaid Average	2015	85.6%
U.S. Medicaid Average	2016	86.7%
U.S. Medicaid Average	2017	87.5%
U.S. Medicaid Average	2018	88.0%
U.S. Medicaid Average	2019	88.2%
U.S. Medicaid Average	2020	82.8%
U.S. Commercial Average	2009	89.1%
U.S. Commercial Average	2010	89.0%
U.S. Commercial Average	2011	89.9%
U.S. Commercial Average	2012	89.6%
U.S. Commercial Average	2013	89.8%
U.S. Commercial Average	2014	90.3%
U.S. Commercial Average	2015	89.5%
U.S. Commercial Average	2016	90.1%
U.S. Commercial Average	2017	90.6%
U.S. Commercial Average	2018	91.0%
U.S. Commercial Average	2019	91.0%
U.S. Commercial Average	2020	87.6%

Data Notes

This quality of care measure Indicator Report came from the Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS), which is developed and maintained by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). The HEDIS measurement set contains over 70 measures across eight major areas of care such as helping people stay healthy or caring for people with chronic illness. Health plans nationwide collect these measures to see how they performed in different areas of health care over the past year. Each year, Utah HMOs report HEDIS measures to the Utah Department of Health. All data are reviewed by NCQA-certified auditors to ensure that the reported HEDIS measures are representative and accurate. The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) is a non-profit organization committed to assessing, reporting on, and improving the quality of care provided by the nation's health plans.

Data Source

Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS), National Center for Quality Assurance (NCQA)

References and community resources

Healthy Living through Environment, Policy & Improved Clinical Care (EPICC Program), Information on Diabetes [https://livingwell.utah.gov/program.php?grp=diab] [[br]][[br]] Utah Department of Health, Office of Health Care Statistics [https://stats.health.utah.gov/about-the-data/health-plan-quality/]

Data queries

Publications search

Complete Health Indicator Report of HEDIS (Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set) Measures: Diabetes Care - Hemoglobin A1c (A1C)