Insulin pen saves thousands of dollars

Diabetics who need to switch from oral medications to insulin could reduce their annual health care costs up to $17,000 by using an insulin pen instead of a syringe to deliver their daily dose of medication. A study by Ohio State University, Columbus, found that employing an insulin pen may result in fewer trips to the emergency room as well as the doctor's office.

"For one, there is less chance of getting the wrong dose of insulin," notes Rajesh Balkrishnan, professor of pharmacy. "Diabetics who use syringes must carefully measure their insulin, so there is a risk of getting too much or too little." The pen contains a pre-measured dose of insulin in a disposable cartridge. Users simply push a button, and the proper dose of medication is injected through the needle. A syringe user must extract the exact dose of insulin from a vial.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, estimates that 21,000,000 people in the U.S. are diabetic. Experts say the disease accounts for $132,000,000,000 in health care expenditures each year. The researchers tallied all health care costs related to diabetes, including visits to an emergency room, hospitalizations, outpatient visits, prescription expenses, and costs to treat conditions related to the disease. The annual costs are nearly $17,000 lower for pen users than for syringe users ($14,857 vs. $31,764). These figures represent the average amount reimbursed by Medicaid for diabetes-related care.

According to the study's results, the cost reductions mainly are reflected by much lower total hospital outlays ($1,195 vs. $4,965 for pen and syringe users, respectively); total outpatient expenses ($7,795 vs. $13,103); and total diabetes-related expenses ($7,324 vs. $13,762). Diabetes-related outlays include treatment for conditions related to the disease, such as vision problems (diabetic retinopathy), foot ulcers, and circulatory complications that possibly could lead to limb amputation. Annual prescription costs also are lower for insulin pen users in this group--$6,122 vs. $7,465.

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COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning