An employer-sponsored initiative called the "Diabetes Ten City Challenge" has been underway for three years and now has ROI data to show how the program has helped employees manage their diabetes and helped employers bring down costs associated with the disease.

Researchers from the American Pharmacists Association found that participants in DTCC not only saw their hemoglobin A1C (a laboratory test showing the patient's average blood sugar control) decrease, but also their LDL cholesterol and blood pressure.

What's more, diabetic employees, who were at least three months in the program, rated their overall diabetes care as "very good" to "excellent" jumped from 39% to 87%. Participants also increased their eye and foot examinations.

Yet overall, participants with an average of 10 months in the program improved across all key diabetes indicators and increased achievement of nationally recognized goals for managing diabetes, APA reports.

Launched in 2005, DTCC consists of 31 employers who contract with pharmacists for diabetes management services. Employees, dependents and retirees voluntarily enroll in the program, which eliminates co-pays for diabetes medications and supplies if participants team up with a pharmacist "coach."

The program waives co-pays, which can total up to $300 to $600 per year, only if participants keep regular appointments with the pharmacist coach, who educates them on managing their diabetes by eating right, exercising regularly, visiting their doctors and taking medications as prescribed.

"By removing financial barriers, we empower people to take control of their disease, including taking their sugar levels several times a day – and this correlates with improved health," says Jan Park, wellness coordinator for Charleston, South Carolina. The city, as an employer, joined the program in 2006 and has 85 participants.

"Employees feel like they are being taken care of – the one-on-one individual counseling with the pharmacist coach is where they stay accountable, set goals and stay on track," Park adds.

"The results to date prove that this collaborative-practice model is effective for managing diabetes and replicable in diverse locations and employers," says William M. Ellis, CEO of the APA's Foundation, which sponsors the DTCC with support from GlaxoSmithKline.