March 3, 2008                                                                      

 LOCAL PHYSICIANs RECEIVE national

recognition FOR Providing Quality Diabetes Care

 Diabetes Physician Recognition Program measures performance
 in key areas of diabetes care

WASHINGTON—The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) and the American Diabetes Association (ADA) today announced that the doctors at Columbia Park Medical Group of Fridley, Minnesota have received Recognition from the Diabetes Physician Recognition Program for providing quality care to their patients with diabetes.

The Diabetes Physician Recognition Program was designed to improve the quality of care that patients with diabetes receive by recognizing physicians who deliver quality diabetes care, and by motivating other physicians to document and improve their delivery of diabetes care. To receive recognition, which is valid for three years, the doctors at Columbia Park Medical Group submitted data that demonstrates performance that meets the Program’s key diabetes care measures. These measures include eye exams, blood pressure tests, nutrition therapy and patient satisfaction, among others. When people with diabetes receive quality care as outlined by these measures, they are less likely to suffer complications such as heart attacks, stroke, blindness, kidney disease and amputations.

"For a person with diabetes, the right physician can make the difference between living with diabetes as opposed to suffering from diabetes," said Larry C. Deeb, MD, President, Medicine & Science, American Diabetes Association. "Physicians who earn recognition through the Diabetes Physician Recognition Program have an established track record of providing excellent diabetes care. The list of recognized doctors is the first place to look if you or a loved one has been diagnosed with diabetes."

To find out if your physician has been recognized by the Diabetes Physician Recognition Program or for further information, please visit www.ncqa.org/dprp or call (202) 955-1721. To order application materials, call (888) 275-7585 or order online at web.ncqa.org/dprppubs.aspx.

Diabetes is a serious disease that affects the body’s ability to produce or respond properly to insulin, a hormone that allows blood sugar to enter the cells of the body and be used for energy. An estimated 16 million Americans have diabetes; it is the sixth-leading cause of death by disease in the U.S. and it has no cure.

NCQA is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to improving health care quality. NCQA accredits and certifies a wide range of health care organizations and recognizes physicians in key clinical areas. NCQA’s Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) is the most widely used performance measurement tool in health care.  NCQA is committed to providing health care quality information through the Web, media and data licensing agreements in order to help consumers, employers and others make more informed health care choices.  

The American Diabetes Association is the nation’s leading voluntary health organization supporting diabetes research, information and advocacy.  Founded in 1940, the Association has offices in every region of the country, providing services to more than 800 communities.