- The increasing prevalence of diabetes is threatening the sustainability of healthcare systems in Europe, with a minimum annual cost of €72 billion, according to OECD data.
- Value-Based Healthcare (VBHC) is seen as the medium- and long-term solution to create value for patients while maintaining economic sustainability in the healthcare system.
- EIT Health, in its mission to contribute to the transformation towards VBHC, provides an opportunity through its Flagships grant program to support projects that promote this objective.
Barcelona, November 6, 2024. SMARTDIABETES, a consortium led by the Spanish startup SocialDiabetes, has been selected by EIT Health, which is part of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), a body of the European Union, under its Flagships grant program.
Through this initiative, EIT Health aims to drive the adoption of new Value-Based Healthcare (VBHC) models, like the SMARTDIABETES project, which will receive €1.15 million in funding through the end of 2025. The grant will enable a comprehensive diabetes management program, combining SocialDiabetes’ digital therapy platform, a value-based public procurement model for payers, and adoption strategies to facilitate implementation in health systems that incorporate it.
“The increase in life expectancy poses an unprecedented challenge for healthcare systems, as it leads to an exponential increase in the prevalence of chronic diseases, such as diabetes,” says Izabel Alfany, Managing Director of EIT Health Spain. “Projects like SMARTDIABETES, which seek new organizational solutions to balance efficiency and quality in patient care, become indispensable in the face of this formidable challenge. For this reason, EIT Health has committed to supporting its development,” she adds.
Diabetes: The Silent Pandemic
In Europe, 61 million people live with diabetes (1), and 1 in 4 people over the age of 65 suffer from this disease (2), often accompanied by functional impairment, frailty, or disability.
“The forecast of increasing obesity rates in the coming decades, along with the aging population, will lead to a significant rise in diabetes prevalence. While obesity can be prevented, population aging requires changes in how we approach diabetes,” explains Leocadio Rodríguez Mañas, Head of Geriatrics at Getafe University Hospital, Madrid.
Diabetes, with its direct and indirect costs, threatens the sustainability of healthcare systems both in Europe and globally. Diabetes is the leading cause among the four major chronic diseases (myocardial infarction, stroke, and cancer) in Europe, responsible for catastrophic healthcare expenses (those exceeding 10% of annual household income) among the elderly (3). According to the OECD/EU report, this represents a minimum annual cost of €72 billion (4).
Promoting a Value-Based Purchasing Model
VBHC models are being consolidated as an innovative approach to improve patient experience and health outcomes with the limited resources available in healthcare systems, which are under threat from an aging population, multimorbidity, and chronic conditions.
There is a growing trend to consider VBHC initiatives as a strategic model for healthcare management, as they enable the adaptation and design of care and reimbursement processes to generate value for the patient while maintaining the system’s economic sustainability.
Thanks to projects like SMARTDIABETES, which combine medical devices, universal connectivity, artificial intelligence, and optimized, shared use of healthcare databases, patient experience and outcomes can be improved through self-management of the disease, while maintaining the quality of healthcare delivery and increasing efficiency for payers.
The project consortium, comprised of sector leaders, aims to demonstrate the economic impact of the SMARTDIABETES model to facilitate the establishment of cost-effective pricing and define value-based purchasing models for European governments.
“This project aligns with our value-based strategy and our ambition to empower people with diabetes through best-in-class technology and expert support, providing personalized medicine solutions. The results of SMARTDIABETES could potentially allow us to serve 6.8 million patients across Europe,” says Beatriz López, Director of the diabetes activity at Air Liquide Spain.
Under the leadership of SocialDiabetes, the SMARTDIABETES consortium includes AirLiquide, the Karolinska Institute, which brings its prestigious expertise in value-based public health strategies, the International Diabetes Federation EUROPE (IDF-E), the leading global organization in diabetes, LifeScience Consulting experts in health economics, and Association E-Seniors. Four health systems are involved in the project (the Madrid Health Service (SERMAS), the Catalan Health Institute (ICS), Stockholm Region, and the National Institute for Diabetes, Nutrition, and Metabolic Diseases in Romania), with the Polytechnic University of Madrid (UPM) providing support in management and coordination activities.
“The need is clear and urgent. We have the key ingredients at our disposal to implement a high-impact health strategy for society. The SMARTDIABETES consortium combines complementary knowledge in a powerful way to tackle the great challenge of diabetes management in Europe and globally,” says María Jesús Salido, CEO of SocialDiabetes.
