Heartland Rural Health Network, Inc.
- Project Title: Diabetes Master Clinician Program
- Grant Period: 2012-2015
- Program Representative Interviewed: Melissa Thibodeau, Executive Director
- Location: Highlands, FL
- Program Overview: To help address the growing prevalence of diabetes, the Heartland Rural Health Network focuses on improving patient care and chronic disease outcomes. The Network assists rural primary care providers with the implementation of quality improvement initiatives using the chronic care model and electronic patient registries, specifically the Diabetes Master Clinician Program (DMCP). DMCP is a registry established to assist nurses and medical assistants in primary care offices in educating diabetic patients. In this program, patients are able to see how well they are doing in achieving their diabetes goals through “report cards.” Providers have access to various quality reporting tools. Heartland Rural Health Network has expanded this model to also include the use of community health workers and quality improvement strategies for cardiovascular disease outcomes.