Support Access to Diabetes Self-Management Training

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Congress

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We signed the "Support Access to Diabetes Self-Management Training" petition!

# 4,041:

5:53 am PST, Nov 20, Harigopal Rastogi, India

# 4,040:

6:00 pm PST, Nov 16, Name not displayed, Alabama

# 4,039:

5:56 am PST, Nov 13, Sig-Britt Hodson, Kansas
Until July 1, 2009, I was the coordinator for T.E.A.M. Diabetes at McPherson Memorial Hospital. This outpatient DSME/T program was forced to close because insurance reimbursement did not cover the expenses. Diabetes is recognized as a life-style disease. Diabetes Self-Management requires lifestyle change support, and habits are hard to change. Therefore Diabetes Self-Management Educataion and Training Programs are essential to prevent or slow the advent and progression of Diabetes chronic complications in two ways. First is the personal suffering these complications cause the patient. Secondly is the immense cost of treatment needed to treat these complications over a lifetime. When you realize that each patient will probably have multiple long term complications, each needing interventions and treatment then multiply this by the exponential explosion of this disease across the total age contiuum; the need for and provision of chronic disease education and management with support for behavior change is critical.

# 4,038:

5:03 am PST, Nov 10, Name not displayed, Virginia

# 4,037:

5:22 am PST, Nov 6, DORIS LEHR, New York

# 4,036:

8:34 pm PST, Nov 5, Pat Holland RN BSN CGRN, Colorado
As a parent of a son with diabetes Type 1, I know the importance of self management education - it was critical for my son when he was first diagnosed and continues to be a very important piece of his care. His diabetes is well managed and he has had no complications. Qualilty education can significantly impact healthcare costs by preventing many complications related to diabetes. Only trained diabetes educators can provide this important education.

# 4,035:

1:48 pm PST, Nov 4, Elaine Eysser, Utah

# 4,034:

5:08 am PST, Nov 3, Name not displayed, Michigan

# 4,033:

2:16 pm PST, Nov 2, Anita Kreider, Colorado
Please help improve access and care for persons with diabetes. Please support the Medicare DSMT Act as part of the national health reform.

# 4,032:

1:50 pm PST, Nov 2, Chyke O, New Jersey

# 4,031:

12:58 pm PST, Nov 2, Sheila Egbert, Alabama
It is imperative that patients have easy access to diabetes self management education. Please ensure that it is included in any health reform bill that is passed.

# 4,030:

12:47 pm PST, Nov 2, Carole Sarcinello, Tennessee

# 4,029:

10:25 am PST, Nov 2, Connie Buss, Iowa
Our healthcare system will be bankrupted by diabetes & its complications unless access is improved to diabetes education. The research is there to prove this and now is the time to support diabetes education for all individuals. This is important both when the person is diagnosed and long term. This is a chronic disease that needs long term eeducation & management.

# 4,028:

6:32 am PST, Nov 2, Rebecca Antonacci, Illinois
Please consider this legislation. Treatment and prevention of diabetes is essentail to reducing healthcare costs in the United States.

# 4,027:

5:57 am PST, Nov 2, Cindy Bray, Florida

# 4,026:

8:28 am PST, Nov 1, Name not displayed, Colorado

# 4,025:

7:31 am PST, Nov 1, Kassandra Harwood, Massachusetts

# 4,024:

8:24 pm PDT, Oct 31, Rosa Alicea RN-BC, CDE, New York
My neighborhood is in desperate need of diabetes educators who can provide diabetes education. The number of diabetics in this part of NYC is disproportionately higher than the Nation, the State and the City. I speak my patients language and am a member of their cultural group. Pass this bill so that I may be compensated for a service I already provide.

# 4,023:

11:46 am PDT, Oct 31, Anayo IKEME, New Jersey
Gentlemen and Ladies of our Congress, It is necessary that congress signs the bill to support Access to diabetes self management training for optimal patients outcomes and for decrese in health care expenditures attribuited to diabetes and its complication. Above all, remember as longevity improves, the number of people living with diabetes and associated diseases/complications increase as well. Medicare payment for DSM/T would definitely reduce the cost of diabetes care. I am confident that the new health care proposal would tinclude CDEs as billable providers of diabetes care. Thank you. Anayo Ikeme, Ed.D, RN, CDE

# 4,022:

7:28 am PDT, Oct 31, Helen Geyer, South Carolina
I agree with Roberta Cook. Just look at the results of the DCCT. That says it all.

# 4,021:

3:47 am PDT, Oct 31, Name not displayed, Florida

# 4,020:

3:18 pm PDT, Oct 30, Denise MacKenzie, Illinois
There are many questions big and small that can be solved by having a Diabetes Educator available in every physician's practice. Many times there are questions that a health care provider trained in diabetes can answer to help the patient manage their diabetes correctly.

# 4,019:

2:58 pm PDT, Oct 30, Pam Hartzell, Illinois
I have been a Certified Diabetes Educator since 1986, recertifying every five years, to stay abreast of current diabetes information. I practice in a hospital outpatient based DSME,ADA Recognized and Medicare Certified program and continue to see people with diabetes being referred for "diabetic education" for the first time, after duration of years of diabetes and complications later. This is truly a tragedy, we as educators could have prevented if we only had access to the people who needed this information so desperately. Diabetes Education is a Standard of Medical Care but referrals will continue to be inadequate for populations with diabetes as long as "any instruction" is billable as diabetes education for providers- where is the incentive to refer to certified diabetes educators or programs? Unfortunately, it comes down to economics for their practices and is taking its toll on the quality of life for those with diabetes and the costs to the nation for healthcare expenditures for direct and indirect costs of preventable complications from uncontrolled diabetes.

# 4,018:

1:18 pm PDT, Oct 30, Terry Roselmond-Moore, Georgia
People with diabetes are dying daily from a lack of knowledge about their diabetes and the short and long-term complications. Access to self-management training will will increase self-care skills, enhance quality of life, and prevent or postpone the life altering complications many patients with diabetes suffer.

# 4,017:

1:50 pm PDT, Oct 29, Lu Ann Seibert, Illinois
I work directly with an underserve population. Diabetes, HTN, obesity and hypercholesteria impact the majority of our patient population. Unfortunately I see DM hit hard with devastating side effects of being uncontrolled. Understanding the importance and taking control of their wellness is vital. It reaches even beyond Medicare and should be available to the Medicaid population as well. I have the ability to connect with this popullation and impact their quality of life, mimimize the high cost of manages untoward complications. Many times its the consistent. 1:1 approach I see have the highest impact. Unfortunately this population of the highest need does not have the availablity to education visits and without consistent follow through and established accountability, it a situation set up to fail. I have realized that it just even a lack of compliance, it deeper, the patient simply does not understand the consequenes put out there in the quick office visits with the physicians. Most relates when a supportive link is extended to them throught this process of DSMT

# 4,016:

11:07 am PDT, Oct 28, Carole Hagen, Oregon

# 4,015:

8:50 am PDT, Oct 28, Roberta Cook, RN, BSN, CDE, Florida
The DCCT proved that good control could prevent or delay the onset of long term comlications of diabetes. Often sited as the reason there was such good control was due to the education and continual follow up of the educators involved in the project. Also, a key to controlling diabetes related health care costs is to prevent short term complications such as tie hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia which often lead to costly ER visits and hospitalizations. These are preventable events with appropriate education and frequent follow up after the education.

# 4,014:

6:01 am PDT, Oct 28, Juliet Charney, Vermont

# 4,013:

8:04 am PDT, Oct 27, Michele Malone, Iowa
Many persons with diabetes receive no self-management diabetes education due to lack of insurance coverage. They struggle on their own and are not able to keep their numbers in target, thus creating greater health care costs due to hospitalizations due to complications. Michele Malone, RN, MSN

# 4,012:

11:21 pm PDT, Oct 26, Denise Lytle, New Jersey

# 4,011:

4:35 pm PDT, Oct 26, Janet Yates, Texas
"People don't know what they don't know; until they know it, then they are glad they know it." After twenty years in this industry, it is still surprising how misinformed people are about managing their disease. A little knowledge goes a long way in preventing complications and lowering medical costs. Please offer people an opportunity to discover "what they don't know they don't know." J. Yates, RD/LD, CDE

# 4,010:

6:05 am PDT, Oct 26, John Pasztor, North Carolina
Certified Diabetes Educators (CDE) as Medicare Providers actually save significant dollars by reducing the risk for complications in patients they educate. Without the designation as Medicare providers of DSMT, the cost of diabetes complications treatments have increased from $135 Billion to $218 Billion in just 5 years according to the AACE. Empowering patients by education means they are able to control their diabetes better and reduce care costs. CDE are providers specifically trained to accomplish best the Diabetes Self-management Training (DSMT). It makes economic as well as moral sense to designate by law CDE as Medicare Providers of DSMT.

# 4,009:

5:27 am PDT, Oct 26, Donna Hamilton, Tennessee
diabetic complications (& the great expenses incurred) are totally preventable but comprehensive client-centered education by a professional is ESSENTIAL. The short shrift my clients report getting from their MDs is not near enough to make a difference. I've been an NP for 27 years in family practice & the role of a diabetes educator is one of the most effective, exciting things I've seen come down the pike in quality health care.

# 4,008:

5:49 pm PDT, Oct 25, Elizabeth Hollstegge, Ohio

# 4,007:

12:36 pm PDT, Oct 25, Maureen Carrolll, New Jersey
Early education is the key to empowering people to manage Diabetes and thereby avoiding complications

# 4,006:

8:45 am PDT, Oct 24, Amber Thrasher, Washington

# 4,005:

6:55 am PDT, Oct 24, Pamela Murad, Ohio
knowledge is power

# 4,004:

5:08 am PDT, Oct 24, Elaine DeAtley, Ohio
So many people I educate who have had diabetes for a long time, know so little about how to manage it. Early education is the key to preventing complications.

# 4,003:

8:50 pm PDT, Oct 23, Sharla Stone, California

# 4,002:

12:38 pm PDT, Oct 23, Jennifer Therrien, Georgia

# 4,001:

8:54 am PDT, Oct 23, Cynthia Tucker, Maryland
It is imperative that patients have access to diabetes self-management education at a time when this disease is a national epidemic that only continues to grow. Nurses need to have the ability to be Medicare recognized providers so we can go help people in areas that would otherwise never even know disease education services exist. Please do what is not only right, but compassionate and smart as well. Sincerely, Cynthia Tucker, BSN, RN, CDE

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