Perspectives on Diabetes Care

This is the official blog of the Association of Diabetes Care & Education Specialists where we share recent research and professional opinions on diabetes care and education.

ADCES Blog

Explore Helpful Views on Diabetes Care & Education

If you're looking for professional opinions on diabetes care and education, you're in the right place. Perspectives on Diabetes Care is the official ADCES^® diabetes care and education blog that shares helpful views on diabetes care and education.

This is where you'll find practical tips on working with people affected by prediabetes, diabetes and related cardiometabolic conditions and the latest research and viewpoints on issues facing diabetes care and education specialists and the people they serve.

Current & Past ADCES Blog Articles

Get on the Fast Track to Becoming a Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program (MDPP) Supplier

Feb 9, 2024, 10:09 AM

By Angela Forfia, MA
ADCES Director, Prevention and Public Health Initiatives

You’re a pragmatist. You read lots of customer feedback about that new smartphone before you upgrade. You wait weeks or months for that fancy pair of earbuds until the price goes down. And as a diabetes care and education specialist, you certainly don’t buy that newfangled kitchen gadget, piece of fitness gear or meal tracking app until it has been widely assessed by the experts.

Even seeing the words “fast track” gives you some heartburn. And if you’ve been following the Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program, you may have actual indigestion. Wasn’t there a complex array of G-Codes, value-based payment models, a lengthy recognition process for suppliers and a two-year curriculum? Wasn’t it all just too complicated?

As a fellow pragmatist, who is absolutely delighted about the changes in MDPP, I hope this blog will leave you saying:

Good things do come to those who wait!
I need to get on that fast-track STAT!

2024 is the year for your accredited/recognized DSMES program to activate Medicare DPP. Why?

The 2024 Physician Fee Schedule simplifies Medicare DPP’s billing codes, increasing reimbursement for suppliers and making it easier than ever to provide support to Medicare beneficiaries with prediabetes. With this new fee-for-service model, with only three value-based milestones, you can receive adequate reimbursement whether a program participant completes the program or loses weight.
Both CDC and CMS are continuing tele-health flexibilities started during the Public Health Emergency that allow you to hold programs through video conference or phone call, collect weight data via self-reporting and meet participants where they are—literally!
ADCES has even more resources to help you, from our Annual Reimbursement Update for 2024, to our “Level Up” resource for DSMES programs, to our revised Building Your DPP workshop with more information about how to make diabetes prevention successful and sustainable for your organization.
And if you need to train lifestyle coaches, we have online and in-person trainings, private trainings for your organization as well as limited scholarships for ADCES members.

And even more exciting? A fast-track is available for accredited or recognized DMSES programs to get this program started STAT and get support! That means that you can apply to be a Medicare DPP supplier immediately instead of having to wait a year or more before achieving CDC preliminary recognition. If you complete the CDC application today, get started on the Medicare application process by the end of February, you may* be billing Medicare DPP claims by spring!

Need help? We are all here for you! Reach out to ADCES or CDC for support on how to get on the fast track to advancing diabetes prevention in your community. We’ll give you pragmatic, real-world advice on how to make this program work for your organization and your community.

*Remember, I'm a pragmatist, and I can’t predict exactly when your local MAC will approve your application and when you will start your program, but spring is totally reasonable!