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We have integrated this
information into the MyDiabetesCoach web site, your
personal health care coach to help you better understand
diabetes, support self-care activities and improve the
care you receive from your doctor. MyDiabetesCoach also
offeres you the chance to use the CareRewards point
system to stay motivated.
MyDiabetesCoach:
an online tool to help you organize and update all your
diabetes-related health data.
A key element of the
Diabetes Care Link is MyDiabetesCoach. MyDiabetesCoach
is a tool that will help you work with your doctor to
set your treatment goals concerning nutrition, exercise
and medications, and to develop a daily plan for meeting
these goals. By knowing your goals and following your
plan every day, your health should improve and you can
avoid many complications from diabetes.
With MyDiabetesCoach,
you can:
- Keep track of the most important self-care activities,
such as measuring blood sugar and Hemoglobin A1C levels,
maintaining your exercise regimen, and achieving your
weight and exercise goals.
- Make sure you're getting all the tests and treatments
recommended by experts such as the American Diabetes
Association (ADA).
- Earn incentives for taking good care of yourself
with CareRewards,
a program to help you monitor your diabetes care in
a simple, engaging and effective way … and earn
valuable rewards as your measures improve.
- Feel better, enhance your quality of life, and
reduce your risk of complications. Diabetes is
the leading cause of blindness, lower extremity amputation
and kidney disease. And it increases your risk of
coronary heart disease and stroke significantly. By
monitoring your condition and your progress toward
goals using MyDiabetesCoach, you can help avoid these
serious complications.
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CareRewards:
extra incentives for following a sound self-care regimen.
In America today, the
state of diabetic care is far below what it should be.
A recent study published in the New England Journal
of Medicine showed that only 30% of diabetic patients
received care meeting the recommendations of the American
Diabetes Association (ADA). That means 70% are not getting
all the care they need to decrease the risk of heart
disease, stroke, kidney disease, blindness, amputation,
and other serious side effects diabetes can cause.
CareRewards will
help you to understand and request the best care from
your doctors…and take good care of yourself as
well. That means taking your medication as prescribed,
maintaining your diet and exercise routines, tracking
your blood pressure, glucose, hemoglobin and cholesterol
levels, and more. For most diabetics, keeping up with
these types of regular self-care activities has always
been a challenge. But CareRewards helps keep
you motivated as you accumulate CareReward points.
What is CareRewards?
CareRewards is
a system for tracking key diabetes self-care activities.
By registering for MyDiabetesCoach, you'll get the tools
you need to monitor regular activities related to quality
diabetes care. Each quarter, you'll record this information
on the CareRewards page and earn reward points.
What activities earn
CareRewards?
You'll earn points for
performing seven important self-care activities. According
to the ADA, these activities comprise an effective regimen
for successfully managing your diabetes:
- Monitoring your blood sugar level at the frequency
prescribed by your doctor.
- Taking your diabetes medication as prescribed.
- Exercising at least four times per week and either
maintaining a healthy weight or losing weight.
- Getting your annual eye exam.
- Discussing diabetes foot care during your doctor's
visit.
- Getting your blood pressure and cholesterol level
checked during your doctor's visit.
- Getting your Hemoglobin A1C checked. You'll also
be asked to record this level over time.
How many CareRewards
points can you earn for each activity?
Points will be awarded
as follows:
| Eye Exam |
Annually |
1000 |
1000 |
| Hemoglobin A1C
Checked |
Every 3 months |
500 |
1000 |
| Foot Care |
At quarterly
routine visit |
500 |
1000 |
| Cholesterol
and Blood Pressure Checked |
At quarterly
routine visit |
500 |
1000 |
| Diet and Exercise |
Exercise 4 times
per week on a diet regimen, maintain healthy weight
or lose weight |
250 |
1000 |
| Medications |
Taken as prescribed
(yes/no) |
250 |
1000 |
| Blood Sugar
Level Monitored |
3-4 times daily
(yes/no) |
250 |
1000 |
| 7000 |
| *Bonus
Points: You can also receive Bonus Points for
reducing your Hemoglobin A1C level. Each quarter,
your level will be measured, and a baseline established.
If your reading the following quarter is lower than
this baseline, you are eligible for bonus points.
By reducing this level each quarter, you can receive
up to 5000 bonus points per year. |
Why are these seven
self-care activities so important?
- Monitoring your blood sugar level at the frequency
prescribed by your doctor. Keeping your blood
sugar in control is the key to treating diabetes.
It won't just help you feel better, but will also
prevent or delay the onset of diabetes complications.
When monitoring blood glucose, you should log the
result, time, and date of each check. This log is
vital because it tells you how certain foods, medications,
and exercise are affecting you. Regular monitoring
gives your doctor a clear day-to-day picture of your
sugar levels, and is a critical tool in evaluating
and adjusting your treatment plan.
- Taking your diabetes medication as prescribed.
Diabetes medication can be vital to keeping your
glucose levels in check, and helping to prevent complications.
Medication can be very effective in helping your body
to produce more insulin, or making your body more
sensitive to the insulin it produces. But diabetes
is a complex disease, and treatment plans often need
adjustments. Taking your medication as prescribed
helps your doctor understand if the medicine is working
correctly, and, if not, to make the correct adjustments.
- Exercising at least four times per week and either
maintaining a healthy weight or losing weight.
According to many studies, people with diabetes feel
better and live longer if they exercise regularly.
As a result, exercise and weight control are essential
to any treatment plan. Exercise increases muscle mass
and reduces fat. That helps the body to use insulin
efficiently, and makes blood sugar levels easier to
control. Exercise also strengthens the heart and lungs,
and helps reduce the risk of clotting, heart attack
and stroke. And it improves circulation, stimulating
blood flow in the legs and feet to help prevent complications.
- Getting your annual eye exam. People with
diabetes have a relatively high risk of developing
eye problems that can lead to blindness. For example,
according to the ADA, diabetics are 40% more likely
to suffer from glaucoma than people without diabetes,
and are 60% more likely to develop cataracts. Often,
symptoms don't become obvious until it is too late
for treatment. The only way to catch these diseases
early is to have your eyes examined regularly. The
sooner eye problems are diagnosed, the more likely
treatments will be successful.
- Discussing diabetes foot care during your doctor's
visit. People with diabetes are at risk for several
different foot problems that can lead to serious complications,
even amputation. Neuropathy, or nerve damage, can
reduce your ability to feel pain. This means you may
not feel a foot injury, which can lead to infection.
Calluses also build up faster on the feet of diabetics.
If not cared for, they can turn into open sores, which
are easily infected. Diabetes can decrease your body's
ability to fight off foot infections. So caring for
your feet on a regular basis is essential.
- Getting your blood pressure and cholesterol level
checked during your doctor's visit. Diabetics
are more susceptible to heart attack and stroke, and
at an earlier age, than someone without diabetes.
High blood pressure and high cholesterol increase
the risk even further. In addition to heart problems,
high blood pressure can also increase the risk of
kidney and eye problems. That's why it's essential
that your doctor monitor your cholesterol and blood
pressure as part of your diabetes treatment plan.
- Getting your Hemoglobin A1C checked, and monitoring
this level over time. Your Hemoglobin A1C level
is the best way to know how well you are controlling
your diabetes over time; it presents a good overall
picture of the effectiveness of your treatment plan.
Chronically high levels mean you are more vulnerable
to diabetes-related health complications. But for
every 1% decrease in Hemoglobin A1C level, you reduce
your risk of complications significantly. So it's
critical to lower your Hemoglobin A1C and keep it
under control, through diet, exercise and proper use
of your medications.
How are doctors participating
in the program?
Doctors can participate
in the program after becoming certified under the Diabetes
Physician Recognition Program (DPRP). This is a joint
effort of the American Diabetes Association and the
National Committee for Quality Assurance, the nation’s
leading health care quality organization. By participating
in the Diabetes Care Link, doctors will also earn rewards
for qualifying for either the one-year certification
or three year DPRP recognition. This way, the incentives
among all participants in the health care system - payers,
consumers and providers of care - will be aligned with
objective measures of quality care.
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What's
in the Diabetes CareGuide
The Diabetes CareGuide
provides you with helpful and important information
about diabetes so that you can take charge of your health.
The CareGuide is divided into several sections, each
of which provide answers to specific questions about
diabetes and how it is treated.
Use the CareGuide to
learn about:
- General diabetes information
- Treatment options
- The kind of doctor you need, and how to find him
or her
- Your doctor visit, and how to get the most out of
it
- Things you can do to manage your health
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What
is CareJournal?
The CareJournal is the
place to learn how to meet your personal goals and track
your progress. The CareJournal is divided into three
main sections:
- CareProfile: This is where you can enter
test results, your medication list, medication allergies
and other baseline information
- CareGoals: In this section you can set your
goals and learn what ActionSteps to take to meet them
- CareLog: The CareLog is where you can review
your progress to date
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