Published by: Lamont Weide on 11/8/2011 10:06:34 AM
The Diabetes Center at Truman Medical Centers (TMC) recently celebrated its second year in its new location, where its state-of-the art services allow physicians to provide diabetes and endocrine patients with more comprehensive care. In the last year, the TMC Diabetes Center treated more than 9,000 patients and that is expected to increase further in the next year, as the facility receives nearly 40 diabetes & endocrinology consult requests on a weekly basis. In 2011, the Diabetes & Endocrinology Program was recognized by US News & World Reports as "Top Performing" in their inaugural "Metro Region" rankings, only one other group in the Kansas City Metropolitan area received similar recognition.
The Center’s advancement lies in its “patient-centered” approach to providing top quality, state-of-the-art care. Previously, patients had to go to various facilities in order to register as a diabetes patient, visit a physician, undergo basic blood tests and receive treatment. The Diabetes Center allows for patients to obtain all of these services at one location, even offering point-of-care testing such as lipid panel screenings and retinal photography.
The new workflow allows patients to receive more prompt, thorough care in a geographical area afflicted by some of the highest diabetes prevalence rates in the United States. Diabetes is the fifth leading cause of death in Missouri and while approximately 110,000 people in the metropolitan area have diabetes, only two-thirds of those affected know they have the chronic disease.
The good news is that we don’t have to accept the same outcomes from 20 and 30 years ago. There’s no reason that someone can’t take good care of their diabetes and live a healthy life.
The Diabetes & Endocrinology Center now has 5 Physicians, 1 Nurse Practitioner, and a PharmD. In addition, the Center houses the American Diabetes Association Recognized Diabetes Education Program, which includes 3 RN CDEs, 2 nutritionists, and the PharmD. A Licensed Social Worker also participates in the Diabetes Classes, screening for risks of depression, which is a common complicating disease in patients with diabetes. Podiatry & Nephrology services are also provided within the Center. Complex endocrine stimulation testing, thyroid biopsies, non-mydriatic retinal photography and point of care testing are also done within the Center. Insulin pump initiation & continuous glucose monitoring are also available within the Center.
Thus, cornerstones of TMC’s Diabetes Center are the patient resource center, diabetes education classroom, and large consultation rooms for group or individual instruction and is fully staffed with educators to instruct patients with diabetes on disease management topics such as testing glucose and A1C levels, administering insulin, as well as getting proper nutrition and exercise.
Through the TMC Diabetes Center patients have learned to adopt healthy practices such as managing their blood pressure and cholesterol and wearing proper footwear at all times, which helps decrease the risk of common diabetic co-morbidities including hypertension, elevated cholesterol levels and heart disease. The Center’s aggressive and comprehensive approach connects patients with specialty-trained physicians and nursing staff in such conditions. Furthermore, the team helps coordinate care with other specialty service providers including ophthalmologists, cardiologists, podiatrists, and others as needed. The Center is working to continue to offer outstanding patient-centered care to all.
----
Lamont Weide, MD, PhD, FACE,
Chief of Diabetes & Endocrinology at TMC