Southeast Texas Medical Associates, LLP James L. Holly, M.D. Southeast Texas Medical Associates, LLP


Your Life Your Health - Joslin Diabetes Center Affiliate at SETMA, LLP and NCQA Diabetes Recognition Program
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James L. Holly,M.D.
September 09, 2010
Your Life Your Health - The Examiner

Southeast Texas Medical Associates, LLP (SETMA) announces the:

This affiliation adds a new dimension to SETMA's care of patients with diabetes. The resources, educational programs and treatment strategies of Joslin bring a new standard of care of patients with diabetes to the Golden Triangle.  Watch for the ribbon cutting and grand opening of the Center.  Go to www.joslin.org to learn more about "The world's preeminent diabetes research and clinical care organization," which is affiliated with Harvard Medical School.

SETMA receives NCQA Recognition for Diabetes care.

Diabetes 

 

 

The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) has awarded SETMA I, SETMA II and Mark A Wilson SETMA West their prestigious Diabetes Recognition Program designation for the period August 19, 2010 - August 19, 2013.  NCQA states, "Those who achieve DRP Recognition show their peers, patients and others in the Diabetes community that they are part of an elite group that is publicly recognized for its skill in providing the highest-level diabetes care."

"NCQA in partnership with the American Diabetes Association (ADA) developed the Diabetes Recognition Program (DRP). This voluntary program is designed to recognize physicians and other clinicians, who use evidence-based measures and provide excellent care to their patients with diabetes."

The Journey to an Affiliation with Joslin

It has been a seven-year journey. It was 2003 that I asked for the opportunity to present SETMA's Diabetes Disease Management Tool to Joslin. I was allowed that opportunity. Joslin uses the same EHR vendor as SETMA. The response to that presentation was positive. Three years ago a contingent from Joslin visited SETMA. And now, the fruit of this pilgrimage: The first Affiliate in Texas and the first of its kind anywhere.

One of the requirements of a new Joslin Affiliate is that at the end of their first year, the site must apply for and must be awarded NCQA's Diabetes Recognition Program. SETMA has already done that. Therefore SETMA recently commented to Joslin:

"We are very interested in seeing how much we improve after one year with Joslin. I believe we will see SETMA go from good (NCQA recognition) to better, to excellent. I think the SETMA experience is going to be a great story line for recruiting Joslin Affiliates. The tag line: 'Are you treating diabetes well? So did SETMA; already doing a good job with diabetes, SETMA improved dramatically in association with Joslin Provider certification, proactive collaboration with Joslin education and treatment strategies, and interaction with the professional staff at Joslin!!'"

The History of Joslin

If you are not familiar with Joslin, you should visit www.joslin.org or review Your Life Your Health, The Examiner, February 28, 2008 below.

In 1898, Dr. Elliott P. Joslin began his private medical practice in Boston, Massachusetts.  Today his name is associated with excellence in the treatment of diabetes and in cutting-edge research which is advancing the frontiers for the treatment of diabetes.  The accompanying insert gives the history of the Diabetes Center of Excellence.  In 1987, the Joslin Affiliated Centers Program began with initial centers opening in Florida and Indianapolis. Currently there are 34 Joslin affiliates located throughout the country and the world (for a list of those affiliates see the insert).   

Joslin Diabetes Center's Mission and Vision

Since its founding in 1898, Diabetes Center of Excellence has constantly evolved to meet the ever-changing challenges of diabetes. Diabetes Center of Excellence is an institution on the front lines of the world epidemic of diabetes, leading the battle to conquer diabetes in all of its forms through cutting-edge research and innovative approaches to clinical care and education.

Every person at Joslin is dedicated to realizing our vision of a world without diabetes and its complications. We will achieve this vision through a relentless pursuit of our stated mission:  To improve the lives of people with diabetes and its complications through innovative care, education, and research that will lead to prevention and cure of the disease.

 Joslin & Harvard Medical School

Joslin's affiliation with Harvard Medical School gives Joslin researchers opportunities to collaborate with other investigators with complementary interests and expertise through the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) Center on Immunological Tolerance in Type-1 Diabetes at Harvard Medical School and the Harvard Stem Cell Institute. The JDRF Harvard Center opened in August 2004 under the leadership of Directors Diane J. Mathis, Ph.D., and Christophe Benoist, M.D., Ph.D., who hold the William T. Young Chair in Diabetes Research at Joslin and head Joslin's Section on Immunology and Immunogentics.

JDRF Harvard Center researchers are studying how to re-establish immune tolerance through eight research projects and three supporting cores.  Lastly, most Joslin researchers and clinicians have academic appointments at Harvard Medical School and several are involved in Ph.D. training at the medical school.

SETMA's History of Treatment of Diabetes

SETMA begins its relationship with Joslin after a ten-year history of continuous improvement in the treatment of patients with diabetes. has previously identified three breakpoints in our treatment of diabetes, which resulted in our arrival at the point of all three SETMA clinics currently qualifying for NCQA's Diabetes Recognition Program. They are:

  • 2000 -- Diabetes Disease Management tool Development and deployment;
  • 2003 -- American Diabetes Association's certifying SETMA DSME and MNT program;
  • 2006 -- Recruitment of SETMA's first endocrinologist, Dr. Jehanara Ahmed.

These breakpoints have been the capstones to ten years of continuous uninterrupted improvement in the care of patients with diabetes at SETMA.

Today, we stand on the verge of our fourth breakpoint, which is the challenge of affiliation with the heritage of Dr. Elliot P. Joslin, the Joslin Clinic at Harvard University. This is a great day for diabetes care every where, as the influence and excellence of Joslin continues to spread. We know that we shall bear the name of Joslin with pride and we accept the responsibility of making certain that Joslin will be proud of her newest and youngest fledgling.

As we work together to expand the power of electronic patient management (EPM) of one of the conditions most amenable to EPM, diabetes, we shall rise to new heights of excellence. As we both employ the same electronic medical record (NextGen), we shall imagine new methods and tools to bring benefit to those whom we serve.

The Future

The good news for SETMA is that we begin our relationship with Joslin at the point where we are required to be at the end of our first year. This sets the bar high for both of us and I believe that both will rise to the challenge. The winner, of course, will be the patients with diabetes who are treated at SETMA and at the new Diabetes Center of Excellence Affiliate at Southeast Texas Medical Associates, LLP.

Last week, a team from Joslin visited SETMA. In September and October, groups from SETMA will be attending orientation and the annual meeting of Joslin in Boston. This exposure will yield dividends to SETMA and our patients as the standards of Joslin are translated into policies and procedures at SETMA.

All of SETMA's primary-care providers and some of our specialists will also be going through the Joslin education program designed for our affiliation. After study, testing and participation in teleconferences, the SETMA providers who qualify will be designated as Joslin Certified Diabetes Providers. At present, all of SETMA's providers have expressed their intent to participate in and to complete the training successfully. We will report on that as it proceeds.

SETMA will also continue our internal training programs for nurses and health care providers. Our September program which is four-hours long will concentrate on:

  • Diabetes Screening Criteria and SETMA's Diabetes Prevention Program
  • Treatment Inertia and getting all patients to goal for blood sugar, hemoglobin A1C, LDL Cholesterol and blood pressure.
  • SETMA's Auditing Tools and how to use them to achieve number two above.
  • Bridges to Excellence (BTE) for hypertension, diabetes, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, coronary artery disease.
  • Comparison of the quality metrics and goals for the care of patients with diabetes published by: HEDIS, NCQA, PQRI, AQA, NQA, Joslin and BTE.

We believe that our efforts to improve the care of patients with diabetes will have benefit for all of our patients whatever their healthcare needs. The quality metrics which we track, audit, analyzes, publicly report and design quality improvement for teaches us how to do this for other conditions as well.

We are confident that Diabetes Center of Excellence Affiliate at Southeast Texas Medical Associates will bring a new energy, focus and excellence to the care of patients with diabetes in Southeast Texas. We are proud of this new affiliation. We welcome you to join us for the ribbon cutting soon and for long-term care if you are a loved one has diabetes.

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