PRESS RELEASE

HOWARD FOGEL, MD, RECEIVES NATIONAL RECOGNITION FOR PROVIDING QUALITY DIABETES CARE
Diabetes Physician Recognition Program Measures Program in Key Areas of Diabetes Care

The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) and the American Diabetes Association (ADA) announced that Howard Fogel, MD, Medical Director of the Sinai Diabetes Center has received Recognition from the Diabetes Physician Recognition Program for providing quality care to his patients with diabetes.

The Diabetes Physician Recognition Program was designed to improve the quality of care that patients with diabetes receive by recognizing physicians who deliver quality diabetes care, and by motivating other physicians to document and improve their delivery of diabetes care. To receive recognition, which is valid for three years, Dr. Fogel submitted data that demonstrated performance that meets the Program’s key diabetes care measures. These measures include eye exams, blood pressure tests, nutrition therapy and patient satisfaction, among others. When people with diabetes receive quality care as outlined by these measures, they are less likely to suffer complications such as heart attacks, stroke, blindness, kidney disease and amputations.

“In this era of cost-consciousness, it is important to recognize physicians who are providing quality care for their patients with diabetes,” said Eugene J. Barrett, MD, PhD, President, American Diabetes Association. “We hope that all physicians who care for people with diabetes will see the importance of tracking their patient care and meeting the quality measures of the Diabetes Physician Recognition Program to help prevent or delay the devastating complications associated with this chronic disease.”

Diabetes is a serious disease that affects the body’s ability to produce or respond properly to insulin, a hormone that allows blood sugar to enter the cells of the body and be used for energy. An estimated 16 million Americans have diabetes; it is the sixth-leading cause of death by disease in the US and it has no cure.

NCQA is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to improving health care quality. NCQA accredits and certifies a wide range of health care organizations, recognizes physicians and physician groups in key clinical areas and manages the evolution of HEDISR, the tool the nation’s health plans use to measure and report on their performance. NCQA is committed to providing healthcare quality information through the Web, media and data licensing agreements in order to help consumers, employers and others make more informed health care choices.

The American Diabetes Association is the nation’s leading voluntary health organization supporting diabetes research, information and advocacy. Founded in 1940, the Association has offices in every region of the country, providing services to more than 800 communities.

Contact:
Carole Herrup
Public Relations Director
New England Sinai Hospital
150 York Street
Stoughton, MA 02072

Tel. 781-297-1329
FAX: 781-297-7509