Statin Therapy for Patients with Diabetes (SPD)

This measure assesses the percentage of members 40–75 years of age with diabetes who do not have clinical atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) who met the following criteria. Two rates are reported:

1. Received Statin Therapy. Members who were dispensed at least one statin medication of any intensity.
2. Statin Adherence 80%. Members who remained on a statin medication of any intensity for at least 80% of the treatment period.

Why it Matters

Diabetes is a complex group of diseases marked by high blood sugar due to the body’s inability to make or use insulin. Diabetes can lead to serious complications.¹ Thirty-eight million (11.6%) Americans had diabetes in 2021, and 1.2 million adults were newly diagnosed with diabetes.²Patients with diabetes have elevated cardiovascular risk due in part to elevations in unhealthy cholesterol levels. Having unhealthy cholesterol levels places patients at a significant risk for developing ASCVD.³

Primary prevention for cardiovascular disease is an important aspect of diabetes management. The risk of an adult with diabetes developing cardiovascular disease is two times higher than that of an adult without diabetes.⁴ In addition to being at a higher risk for developing cardiovascular disease, patients with diabetes tend to have worse survival after the onset of cardiovascular disease.⁵ The CDC estimates that adults with diabetes are 1.7 times more likely to die from cardiovascular disease than adults without diabetes.¹

Numerous studies have demonstrated the efficacy of statins in reducing cardiovascular risk. The use of statins for primary prevention of cardiovascular disease in patients with diabetes, based on their age and other risk factors, is recommended by guidelines from the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association (ACC/AHA). Cholesterol lowering medications, such as statins, are among the most commonly prescribed drugs in America, accumulating $17B in sales in 2012. In the United States, 22% of adults (45 and older) take statins.¹ Evidence shows statin use decreases cardiovascular mortality in patients with established cardiovascular disease, and total mortality rates. Primary and secondary prevention trial data strongly support starting lipid-lowering therapy with a statin in most patients with type 2 diabetes.⁶

Historical Results – National Averages