There was a time when $1 million in savings might have been considered “budget dust” – an amount barely bigger than a rounding error to big government. But today, for a huge employer like the State of California, every dollar counts. I’m pleased to share that VSP is helping the State work towards saving that amount annually – not to mention the number of lives VSP network doctors have helped improve in the process.
The State’s $1 million in estimated annual savings is attributed to VSP’s signature Eye Health Management® program that is available to California’s employees. Eye Health Management® focuses on the early detection of symptoms of diabetes and other health conditions that can be identified through a comprehensive annual eye exam. By adding patient awareness and medical data collection to VSP’s personalized care, patients get the help they need to manage serious systemic diseases and enhance their quality of life.
According to the American Diabetes Association more than 20 million Americans have diabetes but as many as one-third of them don’t know it. An additional 54 million Americans have pre-diabetes, making it likely that they will develop diabetes within the next decade. The majority of these pre-diabetics are completely unaware of their imminent threat.
Combine these two groups and a staggering one in every three American adults suffer from diabetes or pre-diabetes! Because so many cases of diabetes are not discovered until the disease has reached a critical stage, the current price tag to treat diabetes in the United States now totals more than $132 billion each year.
But the real savings cannot be measured merely in dollars. Each potential success is a real person, who can make changes now to live a healthier and more satisfying life without the need for late-stage diabetes care.
People may not think an eye exam can be a life-altering event, but according to this first-of-its-kind program between VSP and the State of California, it is. Since October 2005 VSP network doctors have worked to help identify diabetic patients and help them receive the care that they need. One can only imagine how many more lives we could be saving if everyone had an annual eye exam.
Rob
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