Diabetes Quality Improvement Initiative
In Nebraska, 1 in 11 people have been diagnosed with diabetes, where it is the 7th leading cause of death as well. Nebraska also had the 6th largest increase in diabetes diagnosed in people over 20 between 2008 and 2017
Diabetes is incurable, but it is manageable. Poorly managed diabetes greatly increases the risk of heart disease and stroke, and is the leading case of kidney failure, lower-limb amputations, and blindness. Medical costs and lost work and wages in the U.S. for people with diagnosed diabetes totaled $327 billion in 2017.
These sobering statistics were the basis for the Lincoln Diabetes Quality Improvement Initiative, a joint/collaborative project with OneHealth Nebraska, The Physician Network and Bryan Physician Network. The initiative was launched in 2018 to help healthcare providers develop standardized processes to increase patient outreach and education, improve patient self-care management, and track patient progress.
Participating providers developed care management plans that help their clinics or practices implement communication, documentation, and follow-up processes that ultimately result in assisting patients to better self-manage their diabetes. Innovative approaches within some of the participating clinics and practices include providing diabetes education in 3 different languages.
