title: Managing the continuum of treatment: modeling the economic impact of treating diabetes.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe economic models that may be useful for assessing the long-term and short-term cost-effectiveness of treatment options in the management of type 2 diabetes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Because clinical studies typically focus on short-term efficacy and safety, evaluating the long-term cost-effectiveness of various treatment options in the management of type 2 diabetes remains daunting. Long-term cost-modeling approaches offer an option for estimating the true costs of type 2 diabetes, which necessarily include the cost impact of complications, and suggest that tight glycemic control is a cost-effective step in reducing the risks for costly cardiovascular and renal complications. Short-term cost models can facilitate the evaluation of the cost-effectiveness of different drug regimens used to manage type 2 diabetes, an important step in formulary decision making.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In the absence of long-term, prospective studies to assess cost-effectiveness, cost modeling may be a useful tool in assessing the full economic impact of diabetes-related complications and the cost benefits that can be realized by managed care organizations that implement treatment approaches to avert these complications.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacotherapy, 30 South 2000 East, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA. dbrixner@hsc.utah.edu
authors.forename: Diana I
authors.initials: DI
authors.lastname: Brixner
mesh_terms: D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D003657:Decision Making; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000191:economics; D005569:Formularies as Topic; D006801:Humans; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000191:economics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008329:Managed Care Programs / Q000458:organization & administration*; D018803:Models, Economic; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents