Statement attributed to:
Steven J. Stack, M.D.
President, American Medical Association
“The AMA is disappointed by the final recommendations released today from the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) on diabetes screening, which are significantly different than the draft recommendations initially released by the Task Force last fall.
“While the AMA was supportive of the Task Force’s draft recommendations put forth one year ago that called for screening all individuals at high risk for diabetes, the final recommendations fall far short of meeting the needs of the American people who are suffering an epidemic of undiagnosed prediabetes and diabetes.
“The final recommendations reduce the target population of those who should be screened for diabetes—placing significantly less emphasis on the young as well as minority populations who are at high risk for undiagnosed diabetes. The AMA believes that this will only create a greater barrier to reaching the 86 million American adults currently living with prediabetes who are at high risk of developing diabetes.
“The AMA is however very encouraged that the USPSTF is recognizing the value of intensive lifestyle interventions for people with prediabetes. One such intervention, the evidence-based National Diabetes Prevention Program (NDPP) has been shown to help patients with prediabetes avoid the onset of type 2 diabetes and its associated poor health outcomes.
“That is why the AMA is encouraging physicians to screen all at risk patients including those under age 40 in order to identify those with prediabetes and refer them to the NDPP. The AMA is working in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Y-USA to prevent type 2 diabetes and it associated health outcomes such as heart attacks and strokes. Prevent Diabetes STAT is a national resource for physicians and care teams to address patients who are at risk. The AMA will continue to focus its efforts aimed at preventing the incidence of type 2 diabetes and improving the health of the nation.”
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About the American Medical Association
The American Medical Association is the physicians’ powerful ally in patient care. As the only medical association that convenes 190+ state and specialty medical societies and other critical stakeholders, the AMA represents physicians with a unified voice to all key players in health care. The AMA leverages its strength by removing the obstacles that interfere with patient care, leading the charge to prevent chronic disease and confront public health crises and, driving the future of medicine to tackle the biggest challenges in health care.
