Age-Dependent Hemoglobin A1c Therapeutic Targets Reduce Diabetic Medication Changes in the Elderly.

Objective: To assess whether implementation of age-dependent therapeutic targets for high hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) changed clinicians' ordering of diabetes medications for older adults.

Background: In 2016, Kaiser Permanente Southern California (KPSC) changed the therapeutic targets for alerting clinicians about high HbA1c results in the electronic health record, KP HealthConnect (KPHC). Previously, all HbA1c results ≥7.0 percent were flagged as high in adult patients with diabetes. Starting in 2016, HbA1c therapeutic targets were relaxed to <7.5 percent for patients age 65 to 75, and to <8.0 percent for patients over age 75 to reduce treatment intensity and adverse events.

Methods: This retrospective analysis used logistic regression models to calculate the change in odds of a medication change following an HbA1c result after age-dependent HbA1c flags were introduced.

Results: The odds of medication change decreased among patients whose HbA1c targets were relaxed: Odds Ratio (OR) 0.72 (95 percent CI 0.67-0.76) for patients age 65-75 and HbA1c 7.0 percent-7.5 percent; OR 0.72 (95 percent CI 0.65-0.80) for patients over age 75 and HbA1c 7.0 percent-7.5 percent; and OR 0.67 (95 percent CI 0.61-0.75) for patients over age 75 and HbA1c 7.5 percent-8.0 percent. In the age and HbA1c ranges for which the alerts did not change, the odds of medication change generally increased or stayed the same. There was little evidence of medication de-intensification in any group.

Conclusions: These findings suggest that the change in therapeutic targets was associated with a reduction in medication intensification among older adults with diabetes.