Now that the diabetes management e-consult program has been set up and seems to play an additive role in the management of outpatient diabetes, the next step is to assess the effect of the diabetes e-consult service on patient clinical outcomes. Currently, DMECS is completing retrospective outcome studies to investigate the baseline characteristics of patients who are referred for the e-consult. These DMECS results will be compared with face-to-face diabetes care and management in a specialty clinic. In addition researchers will attempt to assess whether the time-to-implementation of recommendations has an impact on changes in glycemic parameters.
Conclusion
In support of the VHA goal of veteran-centered care, the diabetes e-consult service for VISN 16 is an innovative and creative addition to the armamentarium of outpatient diabetes management that has accelerated access to endocrine diabetes care. The service has reached > 1,000 veterans with diabetes since its inception and is set to continue expanding its referral base across VISN 16. Through DMECS, specialty care has become more readily accessible to providers and patients across a greater geographic area. The diabetes management e-consult service has been particularly useful for patients with physical disabilities or financial constraints and has been able to bridge the communication gap between primary and specialty care, with the goal of improving diabetes outcomes for veterans across the VISN.
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to express their appreciation for the assistance provided by the program analysts who extracted the number of completed diabetes e-consults from the VISN 16 data warehouse: Pamela Croston, Melody Darbe, and Andrew Spiegelman, PhD.
Author disclosures
The authors report no actual or potential conflicts of interest with regard to this article.
Disclaimer
The opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of Federal Practitioner, Frontline Medical Communications Inc., the U.S. Government, or any of its agencies. This article may discuss unlabeled or investigational use of certain drugs. Please review complete prescribing information for specific drugs or drug combinations—including indications, contraindications, warnings, and adverse effects—before administering pharmacologic therapy to patients.
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