Qsource and its partners recruit, enroll and teach beneficiaries using evidence-based Diabetes Self-Management Education (DSME) curricula. The curriculum teaches participants to effectively self-manage their diabetes through nutrition, exercise, self-monitoring, diabetes medications and community resources and support, among other important topics. There is no cost to participate.

Qsource staff also recruit health care providers to improve their adherence to standards of care for people with diabetes, improve their data collection and data analysis skills and educate provider staff.

Diabetes is a serious public health concern in the United States. According to the National Diabetes Fact Sheet from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it affects 25.8 million people, or approximately 8.3 percent of the population. Among U.S. residents aged 65 and older, 10.9 million – or 26.9 percent – were diagnosed with diabetes in 2010.

Health disparities exist among racial/ethnic and other minority populations. Compared to non-Hispanic white adults, the risk of being diagnosed with diabetes is 18 percent higher among Asian Americans, 66 percent higher among Hispanics, and 77 percent higher among non-Hispanic blacks. Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

In response to these statistics, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) launched Everyone with Diabetes Counts (EDC), a diabetes prevention program offering evidence-based diabetes self-management training to reduce disparities. The program is designed to improve health outcomes and quality of life among underserved Medicare populations. It is administered by 14 Quality Innovation Network (QIN)-Quality Improvement Organizations (QIOs), which are mandated to improve the effectiveness, efficiency, economy and quality of services delivered to Medicare beneficiaries. Qsource is the QIN-QIO for Alabama, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi and Tennessee.

The goals of the program include:

• Improve health equity by improving health literacy and quality of care among people with diabetes and pre-diabetes, including Medicare beneficiaries and individuals dually eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid.
• Target Medicare beneficiaries from medically underserved racial/ethnic minority and/or rural populations.
• Engage beneficiaries and providers to decrease the disparity in diabetes testing by improving eye exams, foot exams, blood pressure control, weight control and testing for HbA1c and lipids.
• Facilitate sustainable diabetes education resources by engaging public/private/agency/organization partnerships at the community, state and national level.

Visit here to get involved with EDC in your community.