quotable quotes - June 2013
“I don’t know how to treat diabetes without a download. I just don’t know how.”
- Dr. Irl Hirsch (University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA) calling on endocrinologists to download data at the Annual Congress of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, Phoenix, AZ, May 1-5, 2013.
“Although a hammer is required, the carpenter builds the building. SMBG [self monitoring blood glucose], CSII [continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion], and CGM [continuous glucose monitoring] are all just tools. Insulin pumps deliver insulin and glucose monitors generate numbers. Glucose improvement is dependent on how those tools are used by patients.”
- Dr. David Price (Executive Director, Clinical Affairs, Dexcom, San Diego, CA) when he presented about the pros of using CGM at the Annual Congress of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists Phoenix, AZ, May 1-5, 2013.
My bias is that prediabetes is diabetes… we have an arbitrary cut point.”
- Dr. Ralph DeFronzo (The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX) stressed that diabetes is a spectrum and that in the VAGES study beta cell function is not normal even in those who are considered as having normal glucose tolerance. He presented his talk during the Annual Congress of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, Phoenix, AZ, May 1-5, 2013.
“Value is in the eyes of the beholder. In our world, it’s the payer. Remember, the payer is God.”
- Mr. G. Steven Burrill (CEO, Burrill & Company, San Francisco, CA) explaining that our healthcare system is highly payer-dependent. Their priorities often come first, and those priorities might be different than those of providers and patients. Mr. Burrill presented at the GTC Diabetes Summit in 2013, April 29-30, 2013.
