River Falls, Ellsworth and Spring Valley Medical Clinics
Honored for Optimal Diabetes Care
Meet Stringent Bridges to Excellence Treatment Goals
River Falls, Ellsworth and Spring Valley Medical Clinics were recognized for meeting diabetes treatment goals established by Bridges to Excellence, an employer-led performance program that awards doctors for optimal care of diseases such as diabetes and heart disease. The Minnesota Bridges to Excellence effort involves employers including the State of Minnesota, Carlson Companies, General Electric, Honeywell, 3M, Medtronic and Wells Fargo. Most of the employers are members of the Buyers Health Care Action Group, an employer coalition that manages the Bridges to Excellence program in Minnesota.
Started in 2002 by national employers including GE, UPS and Verizon, Bridges to Excellence was created to encourage significant leaps in the quality of care by recognizing health care providers who demonstrate that they deliver safe, timely, effective, efficient and patient-centered care.
Medical groups who have at least 10% of their diabetic patients meeting the following five Optimal Diabetes Care measures receive the reward:
- Have a hemoglobin (blood sugar) count less than 7 (indicates diabetes is under control)
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- LDL Cholesterol level less than 100
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- Blood pressure is less than 130 over 80
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- Patients are not smoking
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- Patients over the age of 40 take a daily aspirin
The award is determined by an annual health care quality report developed by MN Community Measurement (www.mnhealthcare.org), which provides results on the quality of treatment at more than 700 clinics throughout Minnesota.
According to Centers for Disease Control, More than 17 million Americans have diabetes. Employees suffering from poorly controlled diabetes typically miss about 12 days of work per year as compared to just two days for diabetics whose illness is well controlled.
Bridges to Excellence in Minnesota is directed by a guiding coalition of employers, providers, health plans and organizations involved with quality reporting and improvement, that set the performance goals and physician award process. Bridges to Excellence is currently active in Cincinnati, Louisville, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, North Carolina, Colorado and Arkansas.
