Conference Organization and Objectives
As discussed here, there are many remaining challenges in
the valid and effective measurement of diabetes quality, as well as in the
improvement of metabolic, blood pressure, and lipid control for patients with
diabetes. Therefore, the Michigan Diabetes Research & Training Center's (MDRTC) Measurement Core, the Veterans Health Administration's (VHA) Quality Enhancement Research Initiative for
Diabetes (QUERI-DM), and the Center for Health Policy Research, University of California, Irvine, organized a national multidisciplinary conference on diabetes
quality measurement. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), the
National Institute for Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), and
the VA's Office of Quality and Performance provided support for the conference.
The conference brought together 40 scientific and clinical
experts in the fields of diabetes and quality measurement, to review the state
of the art in diabetes epidemiology and quality measurement, discuss necessary
next steps for measurement development, and plan essential research for
improving technical and interpersonal quality measurement. The ultimate goal of
the conference was to improve diabetes outcomes.
The conference built upon the mission and working
relationships already established through the National Diabetes Quality
Improvement Alliance,® expanded the discussion by addressing recent research and clinical findings and
essential issues of measurement science, and focused on developing and testing
new measures designed to further improve diabetes outcomes. While the main
focus of the conference was on assessment of technical quality, many of the
scientific issues discussed span technical and interpersonal quality
assessment. The organizers of this conference sought to set the stage for
inclusion of more measures that assess self-management support and
interpersonal quality of diabetes care.
Specifically, the conference objectives were to:
- Bring together scientific and clinical experts in the fields of
diabetes and quality measurement.
- Review the state of the art in diabetes epidemiology and quality
measurement science.
- Recommend and plan essential research for improving technical and
interpersonal quality measurement.
- Provide recommendations regarding new measures of technical and
interpersonal quality (or refinement of current measures).
- Disseminate conference conclusions.
The 2-day conference was held May 24-25, 2006 in Ann Arbor, MI. The conference consisted of a series of presentations by national experts in
measurement science, epidemiology, and diabetes clinical care. There was ample
opportunity discussion. Speakers were selected on the basis of their national
reputation and expertise in the topic areas. Our goal was to include experts
with a variety of perspectives in order to make the conference constructive and
inclusive.
Speakers and participants included key representatives from specialty
societies (including the American Medical Association, the American Diabetes
Association, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American College of
Physicians, and others) and measurement groups (including the National
Committee for Quality Assurance, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid
Services, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention, and the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare
Organizations).
Our planning committee* helped to structure the agenda and nominated speakers and discussants for the
proposed topics. The conference organizers talked by phone with each of the
speakers prior to the conference to discuss conference objectives and goals, as
well as the specific goals for each session. The conference organizers also
spoke by phone with each assigned moderator. In addition, all participants
received a CD-ROM approximately 2 weeks before the conference with conference
objectives, questions for each session, and selected readings and publications.
Go to Appendix A for the bibliography provided to participants. Appendix B
presents a list of conference participants, and Appendix C presents the final
conference agenda.
*Planning committee members were Eve A. Kerr, M.D., M.P.H.; Sheldon Greenfield, M.D.; Greg Pawlson, M.D., M.P.H.; Barbara Fleming, M.D., Ph.D.; Michael Engelgau, M.D., M.S.; and Rodney Hayward, M.D.
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