New RWE study explores treatment for patients among practitioners in multiple ambulatory care centers

San Francisco, CA, Oct. 18, 2016 – Practice Fusion, the nation’s largest cloud-based connected health platform,1 announced new findings from a real-world evidence (RWE) study presented at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Munich, Germany. The study, “A Cloud-Based Electronic Health Records Study of Treatment Intensification Patterns in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Uncontrolled on ≥ 2 Oral Antidiabetic Drugs,” examined clinical practice and management patterns associated with timely intensification of treatment regimens in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) across multiple ambulatory care settings.

The retrospective observational analysis used de-identified data from Practice Fusion’s de-identified clinical database of more than 38 million records, representing 6.7 percent of all practices across the United States.2 With a cohort of 25,365 de-identified records, researchers compared the care given by independent practice providers to patients in need of intensifying their antidiabetic therapy for managing T2D versus the care from practitioners in different care settings (as reported in other studies). The study showed that providers in independent practices offer similar care to these patients.

The results also demonstrate that when treating patients in need of intensifying their antidiabetic therapy to manage their T2D:

  • Most providers in independent practices added an additional oral antidiabetic (OAD). However, intensification to injectable forms of therapy, such as a basal insulin or a GLP-1 RA, was infrequent, occurring in less than 10 percent of patients
  • Consultation by an independent practice provider with an endocrinologist was a significant predictor for intensification with an injectable therapy ( P ≤ 0.001)
  • Treatment of non-intensification affected older patients and those with lower levels of uncontrolled HbA1c (P ≤ 0.001)

“This RWE study demonstrates how the intensification of therapy we observed was largely consistent with those reported in other studies examining clinical inertia for treating type 2 diabetes in large academic centers or other care settings,” said Lee Kallenbach, PhD, MPH and one of the Principal Investigators of the study at Practice Fusion. “As researchers, we have the unique opportunity to provide a look into what’s happening in real world care settings through data driven, measurable clinical insights, and demonstrate improved outcomes using retrospective analysis of data. We’re excited to finalize our analysis of the clinical outcomes and share additional results in the near future.”

The RWE study abstract can be viewed online by accessing the EASD 52nd annual meeting program here. For more information about Practice Fusion’s RWE solutions, please visit us online: /life-sciences/.

About Type 2 Diabetes (T2D)
T2D is a progressive disease requiring gradual intensification of therapy in order to achieve and maintain glycemic control. Initial treatment for T2D revolves around lifestyle modification, but most patients who develop the disease will require intensification of treatment, initially with oral anti-diabetes drugs and some with insulin and non-insulin injectable therapies.

Timely intensification of anti-diabetes treatment in patients with T2D is beneficial in terms of reducing diabetic complications, and is supported by international guidelines.3,4 Although several clinical trials have evaluated the efficacy of treatment intensification in patients with uncontrolled T2D,5,6 there is limited information on real world clinical practice patterns associated with timely treatment intensification in patients with T2D.

About Practice Fusion
Practice Fusion is the #1 cloud-based electronic health record (EHR) platform for doctors and patients in the U.S., with a mission of connecting doctors, patients and data to drive better health and save lives. By facilitating over five million patient visits a month with more than 600 connected partners, Practice Fusion helps coordinate care within the largest healthcare ecosystem in the U.S. As the most widely used cloud-based ambulatory EHR, Practice Fusion is helping to reshape the future of healthcare. For more information about Practice Fusion’s RWE solutions, please visit: /life-sciences/.

Media Contact:
Rob Purvis, Senior Director of Marketing
Practice Fusion

Research Contact:
Lee Kallenbach, PhD, MPH, and Principal Investigator
Practice Fusion
lkallenbach@practicefusion.com

1,2 SK&A, Report on Physician Office Usage of Electronic Healthcare Records Software (February 2016). https://www.skainfo.com/reports/physician-ehr-software-usage
3 American Diabetes Association. Diabetes Care. 2016;39:S1-112.
4 Inzucchi SE, et al. Diabetes Care. 2015;38:140-9.
5 Ismail-Beigi F. Lancet. 2010;376:419-30.
6 O’Connor PJ. Ther Adv Endocrinol Metab. 2011;2:17-26.