June 12, 2008 "Greater Cincinnati Health Council annual meeting" Keynote Speaker James Conway, SVP at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement  More Info>>>


Diabetes Provider Recognition Program
Case Study

The Practice
Alliance Primary Care is the largest primary care group in Cincinnati, Ohio, with 24 locations, 80 physicians, and 15,000 diabetic patients.

The Program
BTE Diabetes Care Link

The First Step
When the Alliance Primary Care team began the application process, they found big variations in the delivery of diabetes care. It not only varied from practice to practice, but also within individual practices. According to Amy Dorrington, "We definitely knew we had a great opportunity for significant improvement."

The Process
The implementation team met with physicians in small groups to provide data on their patients and compare them to NCQA standards. At first, the physicians were skeptical. But once they saw that key services like foot exams were not being delivered consistently, they quickly embraced the initiative.

The Marketing
The team developed tools to help with documentation, such as chart stickers to alert doctors that a patient is a diabetic, and flow sheets that make it easy to compare things like blood pressure, weight, and A1C measures. They also created cup holders and pens to promote target goals, and educated medical assistants on BTE so they could prompt the doctors to help with the flow sheets.

The Patients
The team also developed educational sheets for patients to help them monitor their conditions and become more involved in their care.

The Results
Within five weeks of starting the Diabetes Care Link Program, the number of qualifying physicians increased from one to 32. Internal tracking shows significant improvements in the consistent delivery of important tests and procedures. To date, the practice has earned around $20,000 in rewards.

The Next Steps
Dorrington will continue working with physicians until all practice sites are recognized. Alliance Primary Care is also working towards implementing an electronic medical record system, which will assist in documentation and measurement of the quality of care given to their patients.
DPRP Assist
What resources are available?
Local assistance from DPRP liaison (trained by NCQA)
Professional development for staff

Why?
Gain recognition for your performance
Potential financial rewards from Bridges to Excellence in the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky area

Request
DPRP Assist