Care Gaps in Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter-2 Inhibitor and Renin Angiotensin System Inhibitor Prescriptions for Patients with Diabetic Kidney Disease

BACKGROUND: Renin and angiotensin system inhibitors (RAASi) and sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) are recommended for patients with diabetic kidney disease (DKD) to reduce the progression to end-stage kidney disease; however, they are under-prescribed. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the frequency of care gaps in RAASi and SGLT2i prescription by patient demographic, health system, and clinical factors in patients with DKD. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. PARTICIPANTS: Adult primary care patients with DKD at an integrated health system in Bronx, NY, with 23 primary care sites in 2021. MAIN MEASURES: The odds of having a care gap for (1) SGLT2i or (2) RAASi prescription. Multivariate logistic regression models were performed for each outcome measure to evaluate associations with patient demographic, health system, and clinical factors. KEY RESULTS: Of 7199 patients with DKD, 80.3% had a care gap in SGLT2i prescription and 42.0% had a care gap in RAASi prescription. For SGLT2i, patients with A1C at goal (aOR 2.32, 95% CI 1.96–2.73), Black non-Hispanic race/ethnicity (aOR 1.46, 95% CI 1.15–1.87), and Hispanic race/ethnicity (aOR 1.46, 95% CI 1.11–1.92) were more likely to experience a care gap. For RAASi, patients with blood pressure at goal (aOR 1.34, 95% CI 1.21–1.49) were more likely to experience a care gap. CONCLUSIONS: The care gaps for SGLT2i and RAASi for patients with DKD with well-controlled diabetes and blood pressure suggest failure to recognize DKD as an independent indication for these medications. Racial/ethnic disparities for SGLT2i, but not for RAASi, suggest systemic racism exacerbates care gaps for novel medications. These factors can be targets for interventions to improve patient care.