Diabetes care doesn't fail because people lack information. It fails when information, support and treatment are not properly integrated into people’s everyday lives. As diabetes rates continue to rise, the challenge isn't generating more advice; it’s connecting the right expertise, data and support around each person to impact lifestyle changes resulting in positive outcomes.
Healthcare is moving toward connected care, where clinical expertise, data and support services work together around the individual’s needs.
At Teladoc Health, that model is built to bring together everything from early risk identification to coaching to medication management, so a diabetes intervention isn't happening in isolation from a member's broader health picture, but as part of it.
This has led to positive outcomes among members enrolled with Teladoc Health. In a Teladoc Health analysis, members with type 2 diabetes who engaged in the program achieved meaningful improvements in blood sugar control. Published research has shown A1c reductions of approximately 1.1% within six months among participants with poorly controlled diabetes, while a separate analysis found that 58% of members enrolled for at least six months achieved remission-consistent A1c levels (6.5% or below). Among members starting with A1c levels above 8%, Teladoc Health has also reported average reductions exceeding 2%.
Each one-point A1c drop is linked to lower risks of diabetes-related death, heart attack and peripheral vascular disease.
Elana, a retiree in Illinois with prediabetes, turned to Teladoc Health when she saw an opportunity to further develop the habits and knowledge that she had built on her own after noticing that her A1c kept climbing.
Once she set up an appointment with a dietitian, the pieces that she had learned on her own and habits that she had been implementing into her routine were reinforced rather than competing with what she was learning. Her dietitian’s guidance lined up with the eating approach she'd followed for years, filling gaps that neither had addressed alone, preventing a potential diabetes diagnosis. Her A1c dropped from 6.2% to 5.9% within a few months.
Kevin described his support system after enrolling in Teladoc Health as a “trifecta.” After being diagnosed with diabetes, he had a physician setting direction, a Teladoc Health expert coach translating that into daily habits and a pharmacist closing the loop when questions came up. Instead of navigating a new diagnosis alone, he was fully supported by a virtual and in-person ecosystem.
The support he received from his coach connected what his provider advised to his daily life and changed his mindset, which helped create lasting behavior change. A concept taught to him by his coach, "diet" became "lifestyle" and "cheat day" became "treat day."
He started walking after dinner for exercise and for feedback he could read the next morning. The adoption of a healthy lifestyle, such as physical activity, plays a critical role in slowing or prevent disease progression.
Edward, who has been living with and managing diabetes for four years, learned to understand how food affects his blood sugar, due to the data he collects daily from the glucose meter he received from Teladoc Health. "I've learned to recognize which foods or preparations cause my blood sugar to rise," he says. "When I'm doing well, I can almost predict what my blood sugar reading will be."
His A1c fell to 6.6% from being in an uncontrolled range and is trending towards a remission-level A1c.
That kind of pattern recognition is exactly what access to connected devices and data collection is designed to surface earlier so that members and care teams can understand trends.
Across these stories, their turning points were small. None of them required more information. What made their behavioral changes stick was having expertise, data and support working together, so that each small step was reinforced instead of left for the member to piece together alone.
As diabetes rates continue to rise, the opportunity isn’t asking people to do more. It’s making the everyday things they already do count for more. When care connects around the person, small habits can add up to lasting change
