Diabetic Eye Disease Awareness Month: Addressing Challenges and Opportunities in Vision Care

As we recognize Diabetic Eye Disease Awareness Month, it’s vital not only to raise awareness about the eye diseases that impact diabetic patients, such as diabetic retinopathy, but also to engage in discussions about how we can improve care outcomes through better payer-provider collaboration. According to recent findings from the 2025 SKYGEN Pulse Report: Provider Perspectives, there are key areas where payer and provider partnerships can evolve to drive better outcomes for diabetic patients. Specifically, our research highlights the importance of integrated care and expanded preventive screenings.

The Importance of Integrated Care in Improving Patient Outcomes
One of the most compelling insights from the 2025 Pulse Report is that 88% of providers see integrated medical, dental, and vision care as critical to improving patient outcomes. For diabetic patients, whose condition impacts multiple aspects of health—including vision—it’s essential that providers from various specialties can access and share health information. Yet, despite this recognized potential, our report reveals a significant gap: many providers lack access to the necessary health information technologies to fully integrate care across specialties.
Without this crucial data sharing, providers are often unable to take a holistic view of a patient's health, limiting their ability to deliver the most effective care. Despite these challenges, 40% of vision care providers believe the payer-provider partnership can still be strengthened through the adoption of patient-centered care models that incorporate input from medical, dental, and vision professionals.

Expanding Preventive Screenings for Diabetic Eye Disease
Another critical finding in the report is the need for payers to increase coverage for specific preventive screenings. As many as 26% of vision providers urge greater coverage for diabetic retinopathy screenings—a crucial measure in preventing blindness and maintaining eye health in diabetic patients. Early detection is key, yet many patients lack access to these life-changing screenings due to gaps in coverage.

SKYGEN’s Vision Benefits Automation Solutions are designed to help payers bridge this gap. With tools that enable greater flexibility in benefit plans, payers can easily integrate preventive screenings and wellness programs tailored to specific conditions like diabetes. Here’s how SKYGEN can help:

• Conditional Benefit Plans: Payers can create benefit plans that automatically adjust based on criteria such as diagnosis (e.g., diabetes), place of service, or state-specific requirements.
• Tailored Wellness Programs: SKYGEN allows payers to integrate personalized wellness programs for individuals with chronic conditions like diabetes, ensuring that preventive eye screenings and interventions are readily available.
• Managing New or Experimental Benefits: Payers can also add and manage new or experimental benefits within specific populations, such as diabetic patients, to ensure that innovative and advanced care options are accessible to those in need.

Moving Forward: A Collaborative Approach
The insights from the 2025 SKYGEN Pulse Report make it clear that collaboration between payers and providers is critical in the fight against diabetic eye disease. By leveraging integrated care models and expanding coverage for preventive screenings, the payer-provider partnership can significantly improve patient outcomes.

At SKYGEN, we remain committed to helping payers navigate this evolving landscape with flexible, automated solutions designed to deliver better care for diabetic patients and improve the overall health system.

Download the full 2025 SKYGEN Pulse Report to explore more provider insights and discover additional strategies for enhancing collaboration to drive better outcomes.