The goals of the Delta BLUES (Better Living Utilizing Electronic Systems) Beacon Community are to achieve targeted improvements in diabetes care through a range of interventions designed to improve quality, cost, and population health for persons diagnosed with diabetes in the Mississippi Delta. Specifically, the health information technology-enhanced clinical interventions will:

• Support patients to better understand and utilize the medications that their physicians prescribe through the exchange of patients' health information with pharmacists who will follow up with patients using personalized telehealth services to deliver education and support
• Reduce hospital stays due to poor management of diabetes by supporting doctors in establishing effective discharge protocols and by sharing hospital visit information with primary care providers to actively follow up with patients when they return to their home environment
• Improve health outcomes of diabetic patients by implementing robust clinic-based case management strategies that are enhanced by electronic health record reporting capabilities
• Minimize cost inefficiencies and improve care at the time of delivery using computerized clinical decision support

Additional Information

• Overview of the Delta BLUES Beacon Community [PDF - 77 KB]
• Delta BLUES Beacon Community Website
• The Beacon Communities At One Year: The Mississippi Delta Experience