Why people with diabetes aren't getting recommended heart- and kidney-protecting medicines
Challenges to Guideline-Recommended Diabetes Care in the United States
This project will find out why many people with diabetes in the U.S. do not receive recommended medicines like SGLT2 inhibitors, GLP-1 receptor agonists, and newer mineralocorticoid antagonists, and how age, race, neighborhood, and insurance matter.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Johns Hopkins University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Baltimore, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11260188 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
We will examine medical and insurance records for millions of Americans with diabetes from OptumLabs (~8.1M), Medicare (~3.1M), and Medicaid (~6.2M) to see who receives guideline-recommended tests and medicines. We will also survey about 1,000 physicians and hold three physician focus groups (about 24 participants) to learn what prevents clinicians from ordering recommended monitoring and medications. The team will compare care and health outcomes across ages, races/ethnicities, neighborhoods, and insurance types and study how differences in care relate to differences in hospitalizations and complications. The goal is to identify real-world barriers that could be changed to improve access to effective diabetes treatments.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Adults in the U.S. with type 1 or type 2 diabetes—especially those covered by Medicare, Medicaid, or commercial plans included in the OptumLabs database—are most directly relevant to this project.
Not a fit: People without diabetes or those living outside the United States are unlikely to benefit directly from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could guide policy and clinical changes to increase access to guideline-recommended diabetes medicines and reduce preventable complications.
How similar studies have performed: Clinical research has already shown these medicines can reduce cardiovascular and kidney complications, but large-scale analyses linking national claims data with physician surveys to explain care gaps are relatively new.
Where this research is happening
Baltimore, United States
- Johns Hopkins University — Baltimore, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Shin, Jung-Im — Johns Hopkins University
- Study coordinator: Shin, Jung-Im
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 below.