A 1-week period without routine glucometer readings where patients experienced no adverse events convinced clinicians that routine glucometry might not be necessary, according to a study comparing strategies before and after policy change at a single clinic.

The clinic typically logs more than 60,000 office visits annually, and one-third of its patients have diabetes with average A1C level of 9.1%. Investigators compared two 3-month periods before and after a policy change whereby clinicians were given a choice after 1 week without glucometer readings to either return to routine readings or continue without. Among the results:

• There was a marked decrease in the number of glucometer readings correlating with the policy change.
• The change resulted in an estimated savings of $2,000 per month and 25 hours of nursing time.