Lovelace diabetes plan hikes testing rates

Two years ago, 225-bed Lovelace Medical Center in Albuquerque, NM, developed a strategic diabetes program to improve Type 2 patient outcomes. Part of Lovelace’s "Episodes of Care," the program combined patient and provider education with detailed provider reports. The program:

• enabled providers to access patient information electronically in each exam room;

• generated quarterly provider support reports on HbA_1c rates and results of entire patient panels, including lists of high-risk patients;

• formed a Senior Operating Team to coordinate quality functions throughout the heath care system;

• made primary care physicians accountable for attending education programs;

• increased the availability of education programs by reassigning diabetes educators to nine clinics across the city;

• established diabetes clinic days at several sites to facilitate one-stop patient care, education, and evaluation.

The result: HbA_1c testing rates went from 43% to 93%, and the percentage of patients in good to optimal control went from 68% to 75%.