Diabetes

Over 150,000 Americans die each year from diabetes and its complications. Complications of the disease include blindness, kidney failure, nerve damage and cardiovascular disease. For most persons with diabetes, many of these complications can be prevented or delayed with appropriate monitoring and treatment. However, studies in both fee-for-service and managed care settings indicate that care is sub-optimal.

Stratis Health has a history of partnering with a variety of Minnesota organizations to improve diabetes care and outcomes, promote best care practices related to diabetes, and eliminate health disparities in diabetes care.

Following is a sample of initiatives that we are currently engaged in:

• Aligning Forces for Quality (AF4Q) Consumer Engagement Workgroup, chaired by Stratis Health President and CEO Jennifer P. Lundblad, PhD, MBA, with a current focus on The D5, www.thed5.org, diabetes tools for consumers and providers. Aligning Forces for Quality: The Regional Market Project is a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation designed to help communities dramatically improve the quality of the health care they provide for chronic diseases in ambulatory settings
• Diabetes Plan CENTRAL, the Collaborative Exchange Network To Raise Awareness & Learning, an Internet tool designed to serve as an interactive communication hub for the diabetes community in accomplishing the goals of the Minnesota Diabetes Plan 2010, supported by the Minnesota Department of Health and other Minnesota diabetes experts
• Minnesota Diabetes Collaborative, which currently focuses on low literacy diabetes patient education tools and links with our work to reduce health care disparities
• Minnesota Health Reform Initiative and MN Quality Summit efforts to reform issues related to diabetes
  

Reducing clinical disparities

We led a quality improvement project focused on reducing the disparities in diabetes care for African Americans in Hennepin and Ramsey Counties. Multiple interventions were developed and implemented.

• Conducted academic detailing with targeted physicians and clinics serving significant African American populations, by having a respected African American physician provide unbiased medical information
• Mailed educational materials to physicians at clinics serving African American patients
• Facilitated community learning sessions for African American health care consumers focused on diet, exercise, emotional wellness, and community outreach
• Promoted awareness through media, fairs and festivals, and conference participation and presentations

Results: Decrease in the disparity in lipid testing for diabetes between African American and Caucasian Medicare consumers from 25.0% to 21.2% in Hennepin County and from 30.0% to 22.8% in Ramsey County. (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services contract 2003-2005)

Resources

The D5 This Web site that allows visitors to compare clinics in and around Minnesota using "The D5" to improve the care they provide, and better engage patients in high quality diabetes care. The D5 are a new set of communications tools to help clinicians, educators, health plans, and employers educate patients about diabetes treatment standards. The D5 Goals:

1. Maintain blood pressure less than 130/80
2. Lower bad cholesterol (LDL) to less than 100 mg/dl
3. Control A1c to less than 7%
4. Don't smoke
5. Take a daily aspirin (for patients 40 years and older)

Minnesota Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Initiative A Minnesota Department of Health resource for health care professionals, with news, data, information, and other resources about heart disease and stroke.

American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) An educational resource for health care professionals, with newsletters and other publications on topics related to eye diseases.

American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) Information and publications on clinical issues related to diabetes, endocrine disease, and glycemic control.

American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE) An educational resource for consumers and health care professionals, with tips for living well with diabetes.

American Diabetes Association (ADA) Information for consumers, health care professionals, and scientists on diabetes related topics, including nutrition, fitness, lifestyle, prevention, community programs, events, news, and research summaries.

American Optometric Association (AOA) An educational resource for consumers, educators, health care professionals, with tips on identifying and addressing eye and vision problems.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Diabetes and Public Health Resource Information for consumers and health care professionals on treatment and control of diabetes, kidney disease, and cardiovascular diseases.

Diabetic Retinopathy Foundation A collection of resources with information on symptoms, diagnosis, causes, treatment, research, and definition of retinopathy.

National Diabetes Education Initiative Video vignettes, patient management tools, interactive case studies, and a variety of other resources on diabetes for consumers and health care professionals.

National Eye Institute (NEI) News, events, educational programs, research funding, and a variety of other diabetes resources for consumers and health care professionals.

National Guideline Clearinghouse (NGC) A public resource that offers syntheses of evidence-based clinical practice guidelines for selected topic areas, including diabetes management. Sponsored by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, US Department of health and Human Services.

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) Conducts and supports basic and clinical research on many of the most serious diseases affecting public health. Provides information on campaigns and programs, clinical trials, educational tools, an image library.

Sight and Hearing Association/Preventing Blindness Promotes the prevention of needless vision loss and hearing through effective screening, education, and research, with information on vision and hearing topics, as well as products and services.

Contact Stratis Health for assistance with your quality improvement and patient safety needs.

If your organization has projects it would like to work on, contact us to discuss how we can work together to support diabetes initiatives.

Mary Beth Dahl. program manager
952-853-8546