OBJECTIVES:

Dario Diabetes Solution (DDS) is a digital health application (app) for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) management. It combines a blood glucose (BG) meter and a mobile app, allowing patients to track BG levels in real-time. This study compared healthcare resource utilization (HCRU) by DDS users versus matched non-user cohort.

METHODS:

This retrospective cohort study (January 2017–April 2021) included adults (≥18 years) with T2DM receiving anti-diabetic medication(s) with ≥1 inpatient or ≥2 outpatient visits ≥30 days apart during baseline period. Baseline was 12 months before index date (first DDS registration [users] or first medical encounter in the quarter with medical claims [non-users]); follow-up was 12 months. User and non-user cohorts were matched 1:3 using exact and propensity score matching. Analysis included patients with access to care 12 months pre- and post-index date. Primary endpoint was all-cause HCRU (inpatient hospitalizations + ER visits) rates during follow-up. Data were analyzed using a generalized linear model with negative binomial distribution.

RESULTS:

Of 9779 patients, DDS users (n=2445) and non-users (n=7334) were matched; mean±SD age was 58.2±10.6 and 58.3±12.5 years, respectively. At 12 months, mean (95% CI) all-cause HCRU rate (inpatient hospitalization + ER visits) was 0.475 (0.438–0.516) and 0.524 (0.500–0.549) events/year for users and non-users, respectively. Users had 9.3% lower HCRU rate compared with non-users (incidence rate ratio [IRR], 0.907 [0.826–0.996]; P=0.04). Mean all-cause inpatient hospitalization rate was 0.166 (0.147–0.186) and 0.216 (0.203–0.230) events/year for users and non-users, respectively. Users had 23.5% lower inpatient hospitalization incident rate versus non-users (IRR, 0.765 [0.671–0.873]; P<0.0001); ER visit rates were similar in both cohorts (IRR, 1.01 [0.907–1.125]; P=0.86).

CONCLUSIONS:

In this retrospective cohort study, utilizing DDS demonstrated a significantly greater reduction in all-cause HCRU and inpatient hospitalization rates during 12-month follow-up compared with non-users receiving usual care.