Case study:TX city creates diabetes monitoring program

San Antonio (TX) Metropolitan Health District (SAMHD) has established a city registry to monitor the city's diabetics and improve their care. The District's officials plan to use the data to map the incidence of hyperglycemia, monitor diabetes cases and improve medical care to to diabetics. Apparently, there's some room for improvement in diabetes care there; In 2004, the death rate was 49.8 for every 100,000 people, double the national rate of 24.4.  San Antonio's diabetes death rate is the second-highest of the 54 largest U.S. cities, behind only New Orleans, according to the National Association of County and City Health Officials.

SAMHD will create the monitoring program using technology known as the Vermedx Diabetes Information System from Vermont Clinical Decision Support. Vermedx was developed during the course of a five-year clinical trial funded by the NIH. Vermedx will capture lab test from multiple labs and produce population summaries and report cards for regions, communities, providers and practice levels.

The pilot program, which began this month, will last 18 months. It will involve at least 50,000 active diabetic patients and four major labs. At the conclusion of the program, SAMHD will offer a summary or program results to the Texas legislature.

To learn more about the program:
- read this Healthcare IT News piece