Help Your Patients Manage Their Diabetes

November is Diabetes Awareness Month and World Diabetes Day is Nov. 14. This is a great opportunity to educate your patients on diabetes prevention and control and share helpful resources. 

According to a 2026 National Diabetes Statistics report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 40.1 million people in the U.S. have diagnosed or undiagnosed diabetes.

GSD HEDIS® measure requirements 

Proper diabetes management is essential to help your patients control their blood glucose, reduce risks for complications, and prolong life. It is also key to meeting the Glycemic Status Assessment for Patients with Diabetes (GSD) HEDIS measure. 

• Who is included in this measure: Patients 18 to 75 years of age with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes. 
• Actions needed for compliance: Document an appropriate hemoglobin HbA1c (A1C) level or glucose management indicator (GMI) for a diabetic patient. A lower A1C level indicates better performance for this indicator.
  • Controlled A1C: < 8%
  • Uncontrolled A1C: > 9%

We encourage providers to intervene early with members whose A1C/GMI levels are between 8% and 9% to help prevent progression to uncontrolled diabetes.

Documentation in the member’s medical record must include a note indicating the date when the HbA1C test was performed and the result. GMI values must include documentation of the continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) data timeframe used to find the value. The terminal date in the range should be used to assign the assessment date.

If you care for members who may be at high risk for diabetes or already have it, you can share our member diabetes guide that has information on detection, control, and treatment. This can help explain what diabetes is, the symptoms, and related complications so patients have a better understanding of how their diabetes diagnosis may affect them and what to do to get it under control. 

For encouragement, share our success story about EmblemHealth member Peter Agusto. Mr. Agusto attended the Community Diabetes Wellness Program at EmblemHealth Neighborhood Care and came away with life-changing results. Neighborhood Care offers a Diabetes Wellness program for members concerned about diabetes or prediabetes, providing screenings and classes designed to prevent or manage this condition.