Lessons Learned From a Patient-Centered, Team-Based Intervention for Patients With Type 2 Diabetes at High Cardiovascular Risk: Year 1 Results From the CINEMA Program

BACKGROUND: The care for patients with type 2 diabetes necessitates a multidisciplinary team approach to reduce cardiovascular risk, but implementation of effective integrated strategies has been limited. METHODS AND RESULTS: We conceptualized and initiated a patient-centered, team-based intervention called Center for Integrated and Novel Approaches in Vascular-Metabolic Disease (CINEMA) at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center. Patients with type 2 diabetes at high risk for cardiovascular events, including those with established atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, elevated coronary artery calcium score >100, chronic heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, and/or chronic kidney disease stages 2 to 4 were included. Herein, we present the year 1 results for the program. From May 2020 through August 2021, there were 417 referrals. Among 206 eligible patients, 113 (55%) completed a baseline and ≥1 follow-up visit through December 2021, with mean (SD) time of 105 (34) days between baseline and first follow-up visits. Mean age was 59 years, with 49% women and 37% Black patients. Patients had significant reductions from baseline in glycosylated hemo-globin (−10.8%), total cholesterol (−7.9%), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (−13.5%), systolic blood pressure (−4.0%), and body mass index (−2.7%) (P≤0.001 for all). In addition, among the 129 (63%) eligible patients not on sodium-glucose cotrans-porter 2 inhibitor or glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist at baseline, 81% were prescribed evidence-based therapy with sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitor (n=66 [51%]) and/or glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (n=67 [52%]) to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease in the initial 3-month follow-up period. CONCLUSIONS: A team-based, patient-centered approach to high-risk disease management appears to be a promising paradigm for care delivery associated with greater use of evidence-based therapies and improved control of multiple cardiovascular risk factors.