AOK health report: One in twelve residents is diabetic
15.07.2020 10:50
Every twelfth resident between the Rhine and Ruhr has type 2 diabetes. To be more precise: 8.2 percent of people. This emerges from the new health report from AOK Rheinland/Hamburg, whose diabetes numbers claim to be representative of the entire population. It is striking that social status is one of the main risk factors: 9.3 percent of Hartz IV recipients or their family members received a diabetes diagnosis, but only 5.6 percent of working people or their family members.
From the point of view of Matthias Mohrmann, board member of AOK Rheinland/Hamburg, there is an urgent need for political action to combat diabetes more strongly: “The National Diabetes Plan approved in the coalition agreement in 2018 must finally be implemented. A holistic strategy is required. Health promotion, prevention and early detection must be expanded in such a way that the range of care available is developed across the board, group-specific and qualitatively. Also against the background of modern digital possibilities. Unequal health opportunities must be counteracted.” In this context, the AOK has long been calling for a binding sugar reduction strategy and the mandatory introduction of food labels (Nutri-Score). In addition, unhealthy foods that are specifically aimed at children should be banned from advertising.
The health report shows that in the AOK Rheinland/Hamburg area, the most type 2 diabetics in relation to the total population are in Oberhausen (9.8 percent), in the Wesel district and in Mülheim an der Ruhr (9.7 percent each). life. The fewest are in Bonn (6.1 percent) and Cologne (6.3 percent).
The AOK Rheinland/Hamburg wants to support diabetes patients in changing their lifestyle with its low-threshold telecoaching program TeLiPro (telemedical lifestyle intervention program). A total of around 1,000 insured people have taken part in the program so far.
One of the main focuses of this year's health report is care. This time it becomes clear that many of those affected and their relatives suffer from the financial burden of needing care. More than one in three patients in inpatient care is dependent on social assistance and cannot cover the costs alone. Long-term care insurance covers a flat rate, and those in need of care must bear any additional costs themselves.
Between the Rhine and Ruhr, those affected pay an average of 772 euros per month for care. This does not include expenses for accommodation and meals. The prices vary significantly regionally. Inpatient care is most expensive in Krefeld, where the out-of-pocket cost averages 961 euros, followed by Leverkusen (916 euros), Düsseldorf (874 euros) and Cologne (856 euros). At the end of the table you can find the Euskirchen district (636 euros), the Oberbergische district (645 euros) and the Düren district (665 euros).
Günter Wältermann, CEO of AOK Rheinland/Hamburg, demands: “The current excessive demands on those affected and their relatives when it comes to additional payments in nursing homes must be reduced to a fair level as soon as possible.” Access to care services should be simplified through budgets, so should outpatient care to strengthen in the home environment. Because: “The majority of older people want to stay at home,” says Wältermann.
Almost 30 percent of all hospital cases in the AOK Rheinland/Hamburg service area concern outpatient-sensitive diagnoses and are therefore considered potentially avoidable. They could therefore be provided on an outpatient basis. This proportion is relatively high. Structured treatment programs and continuous support of patients by practicing physicians help to prevent unnecessary hospital treatment for chronically ill people. Typical examples of this are back problems, diabetes or chronic cardiovascular diseases.
The health report shows strong differences between the regions: According to the AOK survey, 32.3 percent of all hospital cases in Remscheid are considered outpatient-sensitive. Remscheid leads these statistics ahead of the Euskirchen district (31.5 percent) and Oberhausen (30.7 percent). At the other end of the table is Leverkusen, where 27.1 percent of hospital stays could have been avoided, followed by the Heinsberg district (27.3 percent) and Solingen and Bonn (27.8 percent each).
In addition, evaluations of selected surgical procedures make it clear that thanks to medical advances, many things can now be carried out on an outpatient basis for which the patient previously had to go to the hospital. The differences are particularly clear using the example of the inguinal hernia: In Remscheid, almost every patient is treated as an inpatient in hospital (98 percent), whereas in the Düren district it is only around every second patient (53 percent).