These 17 hospitals earn first recognition for caring for patients with diabetes

Almost one in three patients in hospitals have diabetes, and a select group of hospitals are among the first recipients acknowledging hospitals as leaders in caring for individuals with diabetes.

The American Diabetes Association and The Leapfrog Group have named 17 hospitals as leaders in treating patients with diabetes. The groups announced the partnership in September to spotlight hospitals who fare well in caring for patients with diabetes. This is the first group of hospitals to earn recognition.

Robert Gabbay, MD, the ADA’s chief scientific and medical officer, said the hospitals chosen are “leading the nation in dedication to people with diabetes.”

“Safe, effective, patient-centered care from hospital admission through a patient’s return home lowers risks of serious health complications and improves outcomes for people living with diabetes,” Gabbay said in a statement.

The Leapfrog Group is known for its hospital safety grades, which the organization issues twice each year. But with the recognition program with the ADA, the group isn’t issuing any low marks.

• Read more: In a Leap Year, Leapfrog Group hopes to see big jumps in patient safety

The goal of the program is to spotlight those hospitals who are excelling in caring for those with diabetes, Leah Binder, president and CEO of the Leapfrog Group, told Chief Healthcare Executive® in September.

“The idea is really to be a positive recognition, and that’s it,” Binder said in September. “And hopefully that will be helpful in galvanizing change across all hospitals. Because any hospital can do this. And I know all hospitals want to do this. Hopefully this will give them a little impetus to put some priority to it.”

Binder said the need to examine care for patients with diabetes in hospitals merits more attention.

““It's just something that's been overlooked, that we really have to address pretty aggressively,” she said in September.

About 30% of all Americans hospitalized are diagnosed with diabetes, according to a 2021 analysis by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

Patients in hospitals don’t always get their insulin or other treatments when they should, which raises risks of complications, Binder has said.

Patients with diabetes can face greater risks of serious complications, including amputation, coma and death, if hospitals make mistakes in their care, the groups said. Black and Hispanice patients are more likely to undergo amputation than white patients, the organizations said.

The program examines how hospitals care for patients with diabetes during admission, their time in the hospital and their discharge procedures. About 8 million people living with diabetes are treated in hospitals each year.

The groups plan to recognize more hospitals for their care of patients with diabetes in 2024. The application process for recognition next year will open July 1.

Here are the 17 hospitals named as “Recognized Leaders in Caring for People Living with Diabetes.”

California

Mills-Peninsula Medical Center

New Jersey

AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center-Atlantic City Campus

AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center-Mainland Campus

Hackensack Meridian Jersey Shore University Medical Center

New York

Glen Cove Hospital

Ohio

Licking Memorial Hospital

The Christ Hospital

Pennsylvania

Geisinger Lewistown Hospital

Geisinger Medical Center

Geisinger Shamokin Area Community Hospital

Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center

Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest

Lehigh Valley Hospital-Muhlenberg

Texas

Midland Memorial Hospital

Texas Health Huguley Hospital

Titus County Hospital District, Titus Regional Medical Center

Washington state

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