Medtronic inks diabetes deal with Aetna

Medtronic (NYSE:MDT) said today that it inked a deal with health insurer Aetna (NYSE:AET) to measure outcomes for patients with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes on multiple daily insulin injections.

The program is designed for patients who elect to move to an insulin pump, using a Medtronic pump with its SmartGuard tech and its MiniMed 670G system.

“This agreement reinforces our shift towards value-based healthcare. We know technology alone isn’t enough and ultimately, improved outcomes are what matter,” diabetes president Hooman Hakami said in prepared remarks. “Our goal is to continue to lead by driving innovation that demonstrably improves patient outcomes, elevates patient experience and lowers the total cost of care. We have the only insulin delivery systems in the world that take action based on sensor values. The growing body of clinical evidence demonstrating the benefits of our proprietary SmartGuard technology is compelling and we are pleased to work with Aetna to drive awareness and align incentives around the technologies that make the biggest difference for patients and for the health system.”

The risk-sharing deal pegs some of Medtronic’s reimbursement to “successfully meeting agreed-upon clinical improvement thresholds” for patients in the program, Fridley, Minn.-based Medtronic said.

“We are pleased to be working with a leader in the healthcare space who is aligned with our goal of transforming diabetes care for the benefit of patients so they can live with greater freedom and better health,” added Americas group VP for diabetes Suzanne Winter. “This agreement is an important first step as we look to broadening our partnership to facilitate patient access to the most advanced diabetes management solutions across the care continuum that not only ensure outcomes, but lower the overall cost of care for this chronic and burdensome disease.”

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