Deciding whether to fill diabetes medicine through the VA or Medicare Part D
Official title: Helping Veterans Navigate Dual Pharmacy Benefits
Funded at Durham VA Medical Center · NIH-11201737 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers will create and try out a simple decision tool to help Veterans with adult-onset diabetes choose whether to fill their diabetes medicines through the VA or Medicare Part D.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Durham VA Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Durham, United States) |
| Project start | July 1, 2022 |
| Project end | June 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| NIH project number | 5IK2HX003359-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11201737 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants are Veterans with adult-onset (type 2) diabetes who are enrolled in or using both VA pharmacy services and Medicare Part D to fill their diabetes medicines.
✕Less likely to help
People who are not enrolled in Medicare Part D, do not take diabetes medicines, or always use only one pharmacy system may not benefit from this work.
What this research studies
You will be asked about how you currently get and pay for your diabetes medicines, including choices between VA and Medicare Part D, through surveys that measure preferences. The team will use those answers to identify common problems, information gaps, and what matters most to Veterans when choosing where to fill prescriptions. They will build a Veteran-facing decision aid that explains tradeoffs like cost, coverage, and convenience. That decision aid will be tried with Veterans to see whether it improves decision-making and medication use.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the decision tool could help Veterans choose the pharmacy option that lowers costs, improves medication adherence, and supports better blood sugar control.
How similar studies have gone: Decision aids and preference-based surveys have helped patients make better choices in other areas, but applying a discrete choice experiment and a tailored decision aid to VA versus Part D pharmacy choice is a new approach.
Where this research is happening
-
Durham VA Medical Center
Durham, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Hung, Anna — Durham VA Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Hung, Anna
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.