Rates and Correlates of Uptake of Continuous Glucose Monitors Among Adults with Type 2 Diabetes in Primary Care and Endocrinology Settings

Background: Clinical trials indicate continuous glucose monitor (CGM) use may benefit adults with type 2 diabetes, but CGM rates and correlates in real-world care settings are unknown.

Objective: We sought to ascertain prevalence and correlates of CGM use and to examine rates of new CGM prescriptions across clinic types and medication regimens.

Design: Retrospective cohort using electronic health records in a large academic medical center in the Southeastern US.

Participants: Adults with type 2 diabetes and a primary care or endocrinology visit during 2021.

Main measures: Age, gender, race, ethnicity, insurance, clinic type, insulin regimen, hemoglobin A1c values, CGM prescriptions, and prescribing clinic type.

Key results: Among 30,585 adults with type 2 diabetes, 13% had used a CGM. CGM users were younger and more had private health insurance (p < .05) as compared to non-users; 72% of CGM users had an intensive insulin regimen, but 12% were not taking insulin. CGM users had higher hemoglobin A1c values (both most recent and most proximal to the first CGM prescription) than non-users. CGM users were more likely to receive endocrinology care than non-users, but 23% had only primary care visits in 2021. For each month in 2021, a mean of 90.5 (SD 12.5) people started using CGM. From 2020 to 2021, monthly rates of CGM prescriptions to new users grew 36% overall, but 125% in primary care. Most starting CGM in endocrinology had an intensive insulin regimen (82% vs. 49% starting in primary care), whereas 28% starting CGM in primary care were not using insulin (vs. 5% in endocrinology).

Conclusion: CGM uptake for type 2 diabetes is increasing rapidly, with most growth in primary care. These trends present opportunities for healthcare system adaptations to support CGM use and related workflows in primary care to support growth in uptake.