Successfully Controlling Diabetes
2022-23 Edition
You have the right to free interpreter services to make sure you get quality treatment and care.
Why is it important to successfully control your diabetes?
When you have diabetes, the body’s blood sugar (glucose) builds up above the normal level which can cause problems like kidney damage and high blood pressure. High blood pressure makes the heart work harder and can lead to heart attack and stroke. To help prevent these problems, it is important that you and your doctor work together to help control your blood sugar and blood pressure and to make sure your kidneys are working properly. Highly rated medical groups have doctors that work with you to help you successfully control your diabetes.
How should doctors help successfully control diabetes?
Doctors should work with you to successfully control your diabetes by helping you achieve four important diabetes treatment goals:
1. Control of blood sugar (HbA1c level is less than 8%)
2. Control of blood pressure (blood pressure less than 140/90 mm Hg)
3. Testing for signs of kidney damage, such as an annual urine test
4. Screening for diabetic retinal disease
High-quality care means you and your doctor are working together to meet all four goals listed above. For example, the doctor can work with you to schedule two blood sugar tests each year and show you how to regularly check your blood sugar levels at home. The doctor can also help you make a plan to eat food with little or no salt, maintain a healthy weight, stay physically active, and stop smoking to help control your blood pressure. If your blood pressure is above normal, the doctor can also order medicine that will help lower it. Your doctor can also work with you to schedule an annual urine test to check for signs of kidney damage. Not all doctors are equally good at working with their patients to control blood sugars.
Talk with your doctor and health plan to find out about what other services are available. Many health plans offer additional support and resources for patients with diabetes who want to successfully manage their condition. These additional services may be educational materials (online and in print), classes or support groups, home blood sugar monitoring, home blood pressure monitoring, or phone counseling.
What do the stars mean?
The scores show how well each medical group did at making sure patients with diabetes reached all four diabetes treatment goals. These diabetes treatment goals are controlling blood sugar, controlling blood pressure, testing for signs of kidney damage and screening for diabetic retinal disease . The higher score means more patients got the right care at the right time.The scores are based on information from at least 30 medical group patient records in 2020.