The Caregiver Advantage in Diabetes Management

ADS provides member and caregiver support through coordinated access to diabetes supplies and educational resources. This approach aims to maintain continuity of therapy and reinforce adherence to prescribed care plans.

For health plans, the burden of diabetes management extends far beyond the individual member. With nearly 40 million¹ Americans living with diabetes and 63 million² family caregivers providing frontline support, caregiver involvement is an increasingly relevant component of population health strategies.

Caregivers often provide substantial support, frequently without formal training. One study suggests that nearly 25% of caregivers provide over 40 hours of care per week, which may contribute to barriers such as fatigue, reduced adherence consistency and an increased reliance on acute care services.³

Our Caregiver Support Framework

1. Clinical literacy: Providing education intended to support caregivers in aligning daily care activities with clinician directed treatment plans.
2. Habit support: Encouraging preventative behaviors to reduce the risk of high-cost interventions.
3. Therapy adherence: Offering tools such as order reminders to help minimize supply gaps.
4. Behavioral integration: Acknowledging caregiver well being as part of sustained care delivery.
5. Omnichannel engagement: Communicating through multiple channels (text, email, phone) with patient approval to support timely information sharing.

Alignment with HEDIS and Star Ratings

Our coordinated model supports two key drivers of plan performance: clinical outcomes and member experience.

By equipping caregivers with tools and education for daily glucose management, we aim to support adherence to Glycemic Status Assessment⁴, a HEDIS measure defined by NCQA for chronic disease management.

We also aim to simplify supply access and provide integrated support services, in order to foster a smoother experience for patients and caregivers. This aligns with CMS’s priorities for member experience outlined in its 5-Star plan ratings⁵, emphasizing accessibility and responsive service.

References:

1. https://www.aarp.org/caregiving/medical/diabetes-caregiver/ ↩︎
2. https://www.aarp.org/press/releases/2025-07-24-new-report-reveals-crisis-point-for-americas-63-million-family-caregivers/ ↩︎
3. https://www.aarp.org/press/releases/2025-07-24-new-report-reveals-crisis-point-for-americas-63-million-family-caregivers/
   ↩︎
4. https://www.ncqa.org/report-cards/health-plans/state-of-health-care-quality-report/glycemic-status-assessment-for-patients-with-diabetes-gsd/ ↩︎
5. https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/2025-medicare-advantage-and-part-d-star-ratings ↩︎