Center for Health Transformation Georgia Project

Metrics

As we work through our 21st Century Healthy Communities to change the health of the community we are constantly searching for ways to measure progress.  One tool that is available is the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: National Diabetes Surveillance System.  County level estimates of numbers of adults diagnosed with diabetes and percentage of adults diagnosed with diabetes are now available at  http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/DDT_STRS2/CountyPrevalenceData.aspx?StateId=13.  The site is easy to use and allows the data to be downloaded in multiple formats. 

Metrics are critical in community based initiatives.  We would be interested in hearing from you about the measures you are following to assess the impact of your community initiatives.

NCQA Diabetes Recognized Physicians in Georgia

To prevent the devastating complications of diabetes, NCQA encourages the provision of comprehensive, quality health care to people with diabetes through the Diabetes Physician Recognition Program (DPRP). DPRP, developed by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) and the     American Diabetes Association (ADA), awards recognition to physicians who demonstrate that they provide high quality care to patients with diabetes.

A major goal of the CHT Georgia Project is to increase the number of physicians in Georgia who are recognized by NCQA for quality diabetes care.  Over the past three years we have increased that number from 5 to 190.  WellStar Health System led the way with over 60 of their physicians receiving DPRP recognition. 

We believe that patients receiving care from DPRP recognized physicians will be much more likely to receive the recommended care, have decreased complications, improved health and cost less to manage their care.  A Towers Perrin reportestimated a potential savings of $1,059 when blood pressure, HbA1C, and LDL control measures are met.