October 25, 2004

Genesis Diabetes Education Program Merits National Recognition

Davenport, IA - The Genesis Medical Center (GMC) diabetes self-management education program has been awarded the prestigious American Diabetes Association (ADA) Recognition Certificate for quality. The GMC Diabetes Care Center program originally was recognized in 1992. According to the ADA, the Genesis program offers high-quality diabetes self-management education that is an essential component of effective diabetes treatment.

The Association's Education Recognition Certificate assures that educational programs meet the National Standards for diabetes self-management education programs. These standards were developed and tested under the auspices of the National Diabetes Advisory Board in 1983 and were revised by the diabetes community in 1994 and 2000.

Programs applying for Recognition voluntarily submit to a rigorous review process by experts in the field of diabetes who evaluate each program on its ability to provide patients with a comprehensive, individualized education program. Programs that achieve Recognition status have a staff of knowledgeable health professionals who can provide participants with comprehensive information about diabetes management. Education Recognition status is verified by an official certificate from ADA and is awarded for three years. Without the ADA recognition, Genesis would not receive Medicare or third-party reimbursement for patients receiving care through the diabetes program.

"The process gives us a national standard by which to measure the quality of services we provide," said Marsha Menke, Manager, Diabetes Care Center. "The Recognition shows that what we want to do for our patients helping them manage this disease and reducing health-related complications, we are indeed accomplishing."

The Genesis Diabetes Care Center marked its 16th anniversary in April and since its start in 1988 has had more than 92,000 patient visits. In 1992, it was one of the first 300 hospital programs in the U.S. to achieve recognition from the ADA and has maintained its certification every year since. It offers one of the largest insulin pump programs in the Midwest.

Diabetes is a disease in which the body does not produce or properly use insulin.  According to the ADA, there are 18.2 million people, or 6.3 percent of the population in the United States, who have diabetes. While an estimated 13 million have been diagnosed, unfortunately, 5.2 million people are not aware that they have the disease. Each day, approximately 3,561 people are diagnosed with diabetes. Many will first learn that they have the disease when they are treated for one of its life-threatening complications – heart disease and stroke, kidney disease, blindness, and nerves disease and amputation. About 1.3 million people will be diagnosed with diabetes this year. Diabetes is the fifth-deadliest disease in the United States and it has no cure. Based on death certificate data, diabetes contributed to more than 213,062 deaths in 2000. There are three major types of diabetes:

• Type 1 diabetes - Results from the body's failure to produce insulin, the hormone that "unlocks" the cells of the body, allowing glucose to enter and fuel them. It is estimated that 5-10% of Americans who are diagnosed with diabetes have type 1 diabetes.
• Type 2 diabetes - Results from insulin resistance (a condition in which the body fails to properly use insulin), combined with relative insulin deficiency. Approximately 90-95% (16 million) have type 2 diabetes.
• Gestational diabetes - Gestational diabetes affects about 4% of all pregnant women - about 135,000 cases in the United States each year.

For more information about diabetes, contact the Genesis Diabetes Care Center at 563-421-1061 or 800-765-1061 or call Genesis On Call at 421-2000 or 800-383-2575. Diabetes information is also available on the Genesis Health System Web site, www.genesishealth.com.