This Week’s Question #469 - Diabetes In Control.com Newsletter

A private three-physician practice consists of a large suburban and urban practice. A medical assistant and nurse are part of the practice team. The practice increasingly provides care to older patients with high rates of chronic diseases, especially diabetes. The practice is determined to provide care of the highest quality but also faces increasing financial constraints and concerns about adequate reimbursement for services. Diabetes and other chronic disease registries are in place, and regular visits of approximately 20 minutes at 3- to 6-month intervals are routinely scheduled for diabetes patients. However, members of the practice are concerned about the high numbers of patients with diabetes who continue to have poorly controlled hemoglobin A1c, lipid, and blood pressure values.

In the context of the current practice constraints, which of the following strategies is most likely to increase support for these patients?

A.  Review more diabetes content areas with patients who have diabetes within existing office visits.

B.  Increase the length of time that physicians spend with each patient who has diabetes.

C.  Increase the frequency of clinical visits for patients with diabetes.

D.  Introduce physician- and nurse-led group visits with groups of approximately 20 patients with diabetes.

E.   Hire another medical assistant or nurse to focus primarily on diabetes and other chronic disease education and support.