Supporting Patients with Type 1 Diabetes Through Education, Technology and Transparency

In this three-part video series, Arti Masturzo, M.D., chief medical officer of CCS, previously discussed how CCS personalizes coaching for those with type 1 and type 2 diabetes, highlighting key differences in their needs and the challenges type 1 patients face in accessing support.

She also shared insights on the impact of CCS coaching on patients' health and daily lives, as well as how the organization collaborates with doctors and health insurance plans to expand access to coaching for those with type 1 diabetes.

This Q&A was edited for length and clarity.

MHE: With much of the new diabetes tech that's out, including the glucose monitors and insulin pumps, how is CCS making sure people with type one diabetes know how to use them in the best way possible?

Arti: It's so simple, but it's not so simple. I'll give you an example. So, I actually have a device here, a continuous glucose monitor device. I was planning to use this because one of my clinicians gave it to me, and I want to try it.

Something that I did bent the needle, and now I can't use it. So there is the step one of, 'how do you use device?' 'How do you navigate a lot of complex-like directions and simplify it?'

We work really well with our manufacturer partners to make sure that we're educating folks on just making sure that initial experience is good. But in the case of something like this, I got this shipped. I know my insurance is going to cover it.

Related: Addressing the Gap in Type 1 Diabetes Care with Personalized Coaching and Education

So I bent the needle, and I have type one diabetes; it's kind of a panic, right? What do I do? Who do I call? It's nice to be able to pick up the phone and say, 'Hey, CCS, listen, I need help. This happened, and then have an associate say, 'Don't worry about it. We'll ship you one.' Then you'll get it, and they'll walk you through it.

So, if one of the sensors comes off, I think it's far beyond just the 'how do you put it on, how do you interpret it, and how do you use it?' It has to go beyond that to include troubleshooting when things go wrong. Like an internist, by the way, who should know how to do this, but bent the needle.

Q: What is a key takeaway in managing type 1 diabetes compared to type 2, and how can healthcare providers and support systems best assist patients?

A: You know, the big takeaway is the management of type one, the lifestyle, everything that goes with it is different—not always harder, necessarily, because that doesn't mean type two diabetes isn't hard, but it certainly comes with a very different set of challenges, because the room for error is very small.

Related: The Benefits of 'Hands-on' Coaching for Type 1 Diabetes

A small error right in management can land you in the ER and the hospital, so making sure that the support, coaching and education for those patients is always on target and timely and well thought out.

Also, it's not just about directly managing and helping the patient with the coaching and education. We also then have to make sure that we're holding that provider close to us as well, so that we're unifying the care pathway, and we're being extensions, and not prescribing, we're not interpreting, we're not the doctors. We just want to help the doctors take better care of their patients.