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Introduction: People enrolled in Medicaid managed care who struggle with diabetes control often have complex medical, behavioral, and social needs. Here the authors report the results of a program designed to partner with primary care teams to address those needs., Methods: A nonprofit organization partnered with a Medicaid managed care plan and a Federally Qualified Health Center in California to enroll people with A1cs > 9% in a 12-month program. The program team included a community health worker, certified diabetes care and education specialist/registered dietitian, behavioral health counselor, and registered nurse. They developed patient-led action plans, connected patients to community resources, and supported behavior changes to improve diabetes control. Baseline assessments of behavioral health conditions and social needs were collected. Monthly A1c values were tracked for participants and a comparison group., Results: Of the 51 people enrolled, 83% had at least 1 behavioral health condition. More than 90% reported at least 1 unmet social need. The average monthly A1c among program participants was 0.699 lower than the comparison group post-enrollment ( P = .0008), and the disparity in A1c between Hispanic and non-Hispanic White participants at enrollment declined., Discussion: Participants had high levels of unmet medical, behavioral, and social needs. Addressing these needs resulted in a rapid and sustained improvement in A1c control compared to non-enrollees and a reduction in disparity of control among Hispanic participants., Conclusion: By partnering with a primary care team, a program external to Federally Qualified Health Center primary care can improve clinical outcomes for people with complex needs living with diabetes., Competing Interests: Conflicts of InterestDr Penfold reports receiving research funding to his institution from SAGE Therapeutics, Biogen, Janssen Research and Development, and The Lundbeck Foundation. Avni C Shah, MD, is the founder and CEO of Vayu Health. No conflicts of interest exist for Michael L Parchman, MD, MPH, Kelsey Stefanik-Guizlo, MPH, or Erika Holden, BA.

Background: The Stanford Youth Diabetes Coaching Program (SYDCP) is an evidence-based program led by health care professionals to teach healthy youth who then coach family members with diabetes or other chronic conditions. This purpose of this study is to evaluate a Community Health Worker (CHW)-led implementation of the SYDCP for low-income Latinx students from underserved agricultural communities., Method: CHWs were trained and virtually led 10 training sessions virtually during the COVID-19 for Latinx students who were recruited from high schools in agricultural regions of Washington state. Feasibility measures include recruitment, retention, class attendance, and successful coaching of a family member or friend. Acceptability was measured by responses on the post-training survey. Effectiveness was evaluated by pre-post changes in measures used in prior studies of the SYDCP such as level of activation and diabetes knowledge., Results: Thirty-four students were recruited, 28 completed the training and 23 returned both pre- and post-surveys. Over 80% of students attended 7 or more classes. All met with a family or friend and 74% met with them weekly. Approximately 80% of the students rated the program's usefulness as "very good" or "excellent." Pre-post increases in diabetes knowledge, nutrition-related behaviors, resilience, and activation were significant and similar to those observed in prior published studies of the SYDCP., Conclusions: Findings support the feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness of a CHW-led implementation of the SYDCP in underserved Latinx communities using a virtual remote model.

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) suggests that linkages between primary care practices and community-based resources can improve health in lower income and minority patients, but examples of these are rare. We conducted a prospective, mixed-methods observational study to identify indicators of primary care-community linkage associated with the frequency of visits to community-based senior centers and improvements in diabetes-related outcomes among 149 new senior center members (72% Hispanic). We used semistructured interviews at baseline and 9-month follow-up, obtaining visit frequency from member software and clinical assessments including hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) from colocated primary care clinics. Members' discussion of their activities with their primary care providers (PCPs) was associated with increased visits to the senior centers, as well as diabetes-related improvements. Direct feedback from the senior centers to their PCPs was desired by the majority of members and may help to reinforce use of community resources for self-management support.

Background: A recent systematic review suggests that practice facilitation (PF) is a robust intervention for implementing evidence-based preventive care guidelines in primary care, but the ability of PF to improve chronic illness care remains unclear., Aims: To examine the specific activities and Chronic Care model (CCM) components that primary care practices implemented and sustained in response to a 12-month PF intervention., Methods: The ABC trial tested the effectiveness of PF to improve care for diabetes in 40 small community-based primary care practices that were randomized to "initial" or "delayed" intervention arms. A trained facilitator met with each practice over 12-months. Facilitators used interactive consensus building to help practices implement one or more of quality improvement activities based on the CCM. Facilitators prospectively recorded implementation activities reported by practice teams during monthly meetings and confirmed which of these were sustained at the end of the intervention., Results: 37 practices implemented and sustained a total of 43 unique activities [range 1-15, average 6.5 (SD=2.9)]. The number (%) of practices that implemented 1 or more key activities in each CCM component varied: Patient Self-Management Support: 37 (100%); Clinical Information Systems: 24 (64.9%), Delivery System Design: 14 (37.8%), Decision Support: 13 (35.1%), Community Linkages: 2 (5.4%); Healthcare System Support: 2 (2.7%). The majority of practices (59%) only implemented activities from 1 or 2 CCM components. The number of sustained activities was associated with the number of PF visits, but not with practice characteristics., Conclusions: In spite of the PF intervention, it was difficult for these small practices to implement comprehensive CCM changes. Although practices implemented and sustained a remarkable number and variety of key activities, the majority of these focused on patient self-management support, as opposed to other components of the CCM, such as clinical information systems, decision support, delivery system redesign, and community linkages.

Background: discussing self-care activities like exercise is challenging with the many competing demands during primary care encounters. Our objective was to study the relationship between the Chronic Care Model (CCM) score in the clinic and time spent by the physicians discussing exercise during encounters with diabetic patients., Methods: consecutive patients with diabetes across 20 primary care clinics in South Texas were included. Time spent discussing exercise was determined using the Davis Observation Code on audio recordings of the visits. Clinicians completed the Assessment of Chronic Illness Care survey, a validated measure of the extent to which care delivered is consistent with the CCM. Data were analyzed using hierarchical linear models., Results: a total of 162 transcribed recordings were analyzed. Age, the number of problems addressed, stage of change (SOC), and overall length of the visit were associated with time spent discussing exercise. There was a significant relationship between clinic CCM score and time spent by physicians advising about exercise, independent of SOC for exercise (P < .01). Also, a discussion about exercise was more likely to occur with patients who were in the contemplation SOC for exercise., Conclusions: discussions of exercise may be 18 to 33 seconds longer in clinics with full implementation of the CCM compared with those with basic implementation. Facilitating more complete CCM implementation in clinics with a basic level of CCM that serve a population of patients who are sedentary may realize the most benefit.

Background: The Chronic Care Model (CCM) was developed to improve chronic disease care, but it may also inform delivery of other types of preventive care. Using hierarchical analyses of service delivery to patients, we explored associations of CCM implementation with diabetes care and counseling for diet or weight loss and physical activity in community-based primary care offices., Methods: Secondary analysis focused on baseline data from 25 practices (with an average of 4 physicians per practice) participating in an intervention trial targeting improved colorectal cancer screening rates. This intervention made no reference to the CCM. CCM implementation was measured through staff and clinical management surveys and was associated with patient care indicators (chart audits and patient questionnaires)., Results: Overall, practices had low levels of CCM implementation. However, higher levels of CCM implementation were associated with better diabetes assessment and treatment of patients (P = .009 and .015, respectively), particularly among practices open to "innovation." Physical activity counseling for obese and, particularly, overweight patients was strongly associated with CCM implementation (P = .0017), particularly among practices open to "innovation"; however, this association did not hold for overweight and obese patients with diabetes., Conclusions: Very modest levels of CCM implementation in unsupported primary care practices are associated with improved care for patients with diabetes and higher rates of behavioral counseling. Incremental incorporation of CCM components is an option, especially for community practices with stretched resources and with cultures of "innovativeness."

Background: Patients with schizophrenia have difficulty managing their medical healthcare needs, possibly resulting in delayed treatment and poor outcomes. We analyzed whether patients reduced primary care use over time, differentially by diagnosis with schizophrenia, diabetes, or both schizophrenia and diabetes. We also assessed whether such patterns of primary care use were a significant predictor of mortality over a 4-year period., Methods: The Veterans Healthcare Administration (VA) is the largest integrated healthcare system in the United States. Administrative extracts of the VA's all-electronic medical records were studied. Patients over age 50 and diagnosed with schizophrenia in 2002 were age-matched 1:4 to diabetes patients. All patients were followed through 2005. Cluster analysis explored trajectories of primary care use. Proportional hazards regression modelled the impact of these primary care utilization trajectories on survival, controlling for demographic and clinical covariates., Results: Patients comprised three diagnostic groups: diabetes only (n = 188,332), schizophrenia only (n = 40,109), and schizophrenia with diabetes (Scz-DM, n = 13,025). Cluster analysis revealed four distinct trajectories of primary care use: consistent over time, increasing over time, high and decreasing, low and decreasing. Patients with schizophrenia only were likely to have low-decreasing use (73% schizophrenia-only vs 54% Scz-DM vs 52% diabetes). Increasing use was least common among schizophrenia patients (4% vs 8% Scz-DM vs 7% diabetes) and was associated with improved survival. Low-decreasing primary care, compared to consistent use, was associated with shorter survival controlling for demographics and case-mix. The observational study was limited by reliance on administrative data., Conclusion: Regular primary care and high levels of primary care were associated with better survival for patients with chronic illness, whether psychiatric or medical. For schizophrenia patients, with or without comorbid diabetes, primary care offers a survival benefit, suggesting that innovations in treatment retention targeting at-risk groups can offer significant promise of improving outcomes.

The article focuses on a causal model that linked Participatory Decision Making (PDM) to improved clinical outcomes that included patient activation and medication adherence. It states that observational study was conducted in five family physician offices and diabetic patients. It reports that study of patients with type 2 diabetes resulted in improvements in hemoglobin levels and LDL cholesterol values by improving patient activation.

The article focuses on the study that examines the significance of clinical inertia to changes in hypoglycemic medications and to bring back appointment intervals for patients with type 2 diabetes and an elevated glycosylated hemoglobin level. The researchers have examined 211 adult patients with type 2 diabetes and record changes in hypoglycemic medications. The study determined that clinical inertia is limited and does not fully characterize the complexity of primary care encounters.

* OBJECTIVE We investigated the relationship between continuity of care and the quality of care received by patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. * STUDY DESIGN We used a cross-sectional patient survey and medical record review. * POPULATION Consecutive patients with an established diagnosis of type 2 diabetes mellitus presented to 1 of 6 clinics within the Residency Research Network of South Texas, a network of 6 family practice residencies affiliated with the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. * OUTCOMES MEASURED Continuity was measured as the proportion of visits within the past year to the patient's usual primary care provider. A quality of care score was computed based on the American Diabetes Association's Provider Recognition Program criteria from data collected through medical record review and patient surveys. Each patient was awarded points based on the presence or absence of each criterion. *RESULTS The continuity score was associated significantly with the quality of care score in the anticipated direction (r = .15, P = .04). Patients who had seen their usual providers within the past year were significantly more likely to have had an eye examination, a foot examination, 2 blood pressure measurements, and a lipid analysis. * CONCLUSIONS Continuity of care is associated with the quality of care received by patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Continuity of care may influence provider and patient behaviors in ways that improve quality. Further research on how continuity contributes to improved quality is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]