The American Diabetes Association (ADA) predicts that if current trends continue, one in three Americans born in 2000 — and one in two minorities — will develop diabetes in their lifetime. Diabetes is the fifth deadliest disease in the United States and it has no cure.

To create greater awareness of the diabetes risk for so many Americans, November has been established as American Diabetes Month. Every November, the ADA encourages the public to learn more about diabetes and the risks associated with the disease.

Every month of the year, diabetes awareness is a major point of emphasis at UPMC Health Plan. Our diabetes health management program has been developed by the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center's leading clinical and research experts. Our diabetes program strives to ensure that members with diabetes have regular physician visits, consistently use prescribed medication, and make the necessary lifestyle changes to keep their diabetes in control.

For any member diagnosed with diabetes, our diabetes health management program offers health education programs at no cost that are tailored to fit individual needs. Care managers are assigned to members to help make sure they are doing the right things to control their condition.

According to the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), UPMC Health Plan's members with diabetes are getting the preventive care they need. According to the NCQA Quality Compass® reports for 2006, UPMC Health Plan is above the national average for members having their hemoglobin A1C and dilated retinal eye exams (DRE).

2006 HEDIS Performance Measures

The source for the data marked (*) is Quality Compass® 2005 and is used with the permission of the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). Any analysis, interpretation, or conclusion based on these data is solely that of the authors, and NCQA specifically disclaims responsibility for any such analysis, interpretation, or conclusion. Quality Compass is a registered trademark of NCQA. The source for the Medicare data is the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

Helpful Tools for
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2006 Health Insight Diabetes Newsletter

If you or a family member have diabetes and are a UPMC Health Plan member, please call 1-866-778-6073 to find out more about our Diabetes Health Management program. Additional information can also be found in the Health Management section of our website.

UPMC Health Plan, along with The University of Pittsburgh Diabetes Institute, is pleased to sponsor a segment on WQED titled “Diabetes: Epidemic of Our Time.”