Geisinger and Boehringer Ingelheim collaborate to create a predictive model to help improve health outcomes for people with type 2 diabetes at greatest risk of serious long-term complications, including cardiovascular death

Danville, Pa., Ridgefield, Conn. and Indianapolis, In an effort to improve health outcomes of people with type 2 diabetes, Geisinger and Boehringer Ingelheim, on behalf of its diabetes alliance with Eli Lilly and Company, today announced a major collaboration to develop a risk-prediction model for three critical health outcomes commonly associated with type 2 diabetes that have long-term impact and cost-of-care implications: cardiovascular death, kidney failure and hospitalization for heart failure.

The new model will allow healthcare professionals to predict which adults with type 2 diabetes are most at risk for developing these serious – and costly – health consequences. The model will be created using Geisinger de-identified electronic health record data (i.e., demographics, vital signs, medical history, current medications and laboratory tests). Ultimately, a successful model should allow for the development of more precise treatment pathways for people with type 2 diabetes; pathways that align with quality guidelines aiming to improve patient outcomes, quality and total cost of care.   

Approximately 30 million Americans have diabetes, and nearly 24 percent of Americans with diabetes are undiagnosed. People with diabetes are two to four times more likely to develop cardiovascular disease than people without diabetes. Approximately 68 percent of deaths in people with type 2 diabetes in the U.S. are caused by cardiovascular disease.

“Our partnership with Boehringer Ingelheim will use real-world data and predictive modeling to deploy precision healthcare strategies to bring the most value to the people we care for,” said Brent Williams, Geisinger assistant professor of epidemiology. “We hope the knowledge gained from this predictive model can help healthcare providers better target their treatment recommendations for people with type 2 diabetes and, as a result, lower their risk for these serious diabetes-related consequences.”

Despite recent advances in treatment, cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death associated with diabetes, and diabetes is the number one cause of kidney failure in the U.S. The financial burden of healthcare for cardiovascular conditions in people with diabetes is also immense, costing the U.S. upwards of $23 billion per year. Efforts such as this partnership may offer long-term savings and solutions that improve outcomes and lower total cost of care.

“Since people with diabetes are two to four times more likely to develop cardiovascular disease than people without diabetes, novel approaches to mitigate cardiovascular risk and improve patient care continue to be a priority,” said Christine Marsh, vice president, Market Access, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. “We believe this initiative to develop a predictive risk model is very timely, as recent research has provided more practical knowledge about how to reduce cardiovascular risk in people with type 2 diabetes. Boehringer Ingelheim and Lilly are proud to be a part of this collaboration, which will address a pressing need of people with type 2 diabetes and the healthcare community that cares for them.”