Supporting Health Care Collaboratives to Improve Diabetes Care
Submission Date: December 2013
State/Territory Submitted on the Behalf of: Kentucky
States/Territories Involved: Kentucky
Domain Addressed:Health Systems Strategies
Public Health Issue:- Healthcare collaboratives track quality measures over time to help practitioners assess and improve the care they give to people with chronic diseases such as diabetes and to increase the adoption of self-care measures by the people in their care.
- By taking steps to impact the most vulnerable populations, healthcare collaboratives can reduce health disparities and enhance health outcomes.
- Keeping health care practitioners up-to-date on accepted disease management guidelines and effective methods for working in collaborative settings can improve their clinical practice.
- The Kentucky Diabetes Prevention and Control Program, Heart Disease and Stroke Program, Immunization Program, along with the Kentucky Primary Care Association, Diabetes Network Health Plan Partners, National Diabetes Education Program, and the Association of American Medical Colleges Academic Chronic Care Collaboratives partnered to develop and conduct annual educational sessions for Kentucky healthcare collaborative members.
- The educational sessions review successes and challenges in translating evidenced-based guidelines into practice as well as provide new information that health care practitioners need. The most recent sessions reached participants from all but three of the sixteen Kentucky collaborative sites.
- Funding to cover the facility and materials expenses for the sessions comes from several state chronic disease programs and food costs are covered by exhibitor fees paid by for-profit companies.
- More of the high risk population is getting improved diabetes care and reducing their risk of death and serious complications. Trends tracked by the collaboratives show that rates of dilated eye exams, patient self monitoring of blood sugar, foot exams, influenza and pneumonia vaccinations and visits to a health care professional for diabetes care all improved since the establishment of the collaboratives and the training sessions.
- Most respondents to a follow-up survey state they intend to apply a concept, idea, or strategy in their own setting that they learned from the sessions.
- Successful collaborative sites now mentor other sites on important client service topics and successful approaches are shared for easier adoption by other sites. Opportunity is also provided for Medicare, Medicaid, Kentucky Department for the Blind, the Kidney Foundation, and others to provide their resources to the collaborative members.
Diabetes
State Contact Information:
KY
Janice Haile
Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services
270-686-7747 ext 3031
Janice.haile@ky.gov