Where Do You Refer the Person With Diabetes?

Medicare currently reimburses DSMT only if it is provided by an ADA-ERP–certified program or by a program within the Indian Health Service. Both organizations use the National Standards for Diabetes Self-Management Education to define the requirements for a DSMT program. As of spring 2004, there were about 1900 ADA-recognized programs at more than 2600 sites nationwide. These programs can be found at the ADA Web site (see Table 3).

It is also possible to find a certified educator in your community by visiting the AADE Web site (see Table 3). The AADE has access to diabetes educators in several different disciplines, such as nursing, dietetics, and possibly pharmacy and psychology. Dietitians who work in a diabetes education program are likely to have a special interest and training in diabetes.

Table 3. Finding a Diabetes Self-Management Program

American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE) www.diabeteseducator.org 1-800-832-6874

American Diabetes Association (ADA) www.diabetes.org