Milwaukee, WI
Program Facts
The City of Milwaukee made the Diabetes Ten City Challenge available to members of its self-insured benefits program, which covers approximately 20 percent of its 30,000 insured employees, retirees and dependents
Initially, the program was offered to individuals within that benefits program who had already been diagnosed with diabetes
Of the insured individuals eligible to participate, 40 percent were retirees and their dependents
Participation in the program was totally confidential and administered through the pharmacy network coordinator
Pharmacist Network
Approximately 18 pharmacists, specially trained in diabetes care, are participating in the program
Pharmacist “coaches” meet one-on-one with participants to help them track and understand their diabetes
Pharmacy network participants include Aurora Pharmacy, Ye Olde Pharmacy (Glendale) and Walgreens, as well as a group of independent consultant pharmacists
Pharmacists see patients at participating pharmacies and at locations including City Hall and the Milwaukee Public Library
Pharmacists are certified in diabetes care through the American Pharmacists Association Diabetes Certification Program, presented by University of Wisconsin Extension Services in Pharmacy, or a similar program from the National Community Pharmacists Association
Julie Whipple, president of Use Your Medications Wisely, LLC, is pharmacy network coordinator and a consulting pharmacist
Management of patient co-pays and pharmacist reimbursement are coordinated by the City’s pharmacy benefits manager, Navitus, and medical claims administrator, CMS
About the City of Milwaukee
Population: 596,974 (2000 U.S. Census) Municipal Employees: 7,000 Municipal Retirees: 5,000
Relevant Statistics
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, for 2004:
Milwaukee-area households spent an average of $2,653 of their annual income (5.1percent) on health care, compared to $2,496 nationally (4.7 percent of income).
Average household income in the Milwaukee area is $51,958 compared to $53,109 nationally.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control:
5.8 percent of Wisconsin adults have been diagnosed with diabetes (2004), compared to 3.9 percent in 1994, and 16 percent of Wisconsin adults ages 65-74 have been diagnosed with diabetes.
Each year, 200,000 people die of complications from diabetes, and an additional 100,000 are affected by blindness, kidney failure, heart disease and problems of the lower extremities, including amputations.