Local News - February 2003

LMC offers outpatient diabetes program

By JEREMY ASHTON, LTN Staff Writer

February 3, 2003 - Diabetes is one of the most prevalent and costliest medical problems in Lincoln County and North Carolina.

If not treated properly, diabetes — a disease that prevents the body from converting sugars and starches into energy — can lead to limb amputation, kidney disease, blindness and cardiovascular disease.

The risk of developing those problems can be decreased with the right education — something Lincoln Medical Center has just become better equipped to give.

The outpatient diabetes program at LMC recently received certification of recognition from the American Diabetes Association. Gwen McBee, a registered nurse who helps run LMC’s program, said certification allows patients with Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance to attend the program as a covered benefit.

“You’re looking at your low-income people, and they have to prioritize,” McBee said. “They don’t sometimes see the importance of education, but education can help them have a better quality of life and live longer without the complications of diabetes.”

Diabetes education programs have to be re-certified every three years.

To become certified, programs must meet 10 national standards outlined by the ADA. One of those qualifications is having a diabetes educator like McBee who has logged more than 1,000 hours of individual patient teaching over a two-year period.

The program at LMC is one of just 79 in North Carolina recognized by the ADA.

“To have one in Lincoln County actually is very good,” McBee said.

LMC offers individual and group programs to teach people how to control the effects of diabetes.

The group program starts with a four-hour class in which patients learn how to eat well and check their blood sugar levels. At a two-hour follow-up session, they get tips for improving their quality of life and set goals. A month later, they gather again to discuss whether or not those goals were met.

At each visit, patients have their blood sugar and weight checked.

Without the ADA certification, Medicare and Medicaid would not cover the $325 fee. That would ultimately hurt the program’s target population, lower income people who McBee said more prone to have diabetes and less likely to get the education they need.

Even with Medicare and Medicaid coverage, few people know they can take advantage of the program.

“We’re not seeing very many referrals, so we’re looking at brainstorming to see how we can reach that population of patients,” McBee said.

Many cases of diabetes are undiagnosed and, therefore, go without treatment.

According to the N.C. State Center for Health Statistics, 2,819 adults in Lincoln County were diagnosed with the disease in 2000. The actual number of cases in the county might be as much as 50 percent greater than that.

Diabetes, the fifth-leading cause of death in North Carolina, is also an expensive problem. In 2000, the hospitalization costs for diabetes in the county nearly reached $15 million.

© 2001 Lincoln Times-News  

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