Expanding the Home Health Care Paradigm: Regionalizing Standards of Diabetes

As financial resources for health care dwindle and demands for care of chronic disease increase with the aging population, new paradigms for providing care must be developed. This article describes the development and implementation of a regional diabetes outreach network. Emphasis is on education of professionals who provide diabetes care to ensure current and competent diabetes care practices. Key words: diabetes, diabetes network, policy development, professional education, regional N THE UPPER Peninsula (UP) of Michigan, be-N tween one third and one half of the patients vis