Improving Diabetes Control Using Lean Six Sigma Quality Improvement in an Endocrine Clinic in a Large Accountable Care Organization.

This article describes a quality improvement project to reduce the number of patients with diabetes who have poor glycemic control in a large tertiary care endocrinology clinic. The project used the Lean Six Sigma Define-Measure-Analyze-Improve-Control process improvement methodology to develop clinic workflow processes for obtaining A1C measurements in a timely manner to facilitate interventions to improve glycemic control. The percentage of patients with poorly controlled diabetes (A1C >9.0% or missing value in the past 12 months) significantly improved from 26.4% at baseline to 16% (P <0.001), and the proportion of patients with an A1C test within 3-6 months of an appointment improved from 76 to 92%.

Integrating Patient Priorities with Science by Community Engagement in the Kidney Precision Medicine Project.

The Kidney Precision Medicine Project (KPMP) is a multisite study designed to improve understanding of CKD attributed to diabetes or hypertension and AKI by performing protocol-driven kidney biopsies. Study participants and their kidney tissue samples undergo state-of-the-art deep phenotyping using advanced molecular, imaging, and data analytical methods. Few patients participate in research design or concepts for discovery science. A major goal of the KPMP is to include patients as equal partners to inform the research for clinically relevant benefit. The purpose of this report is to describe patient and community engagement and the value they bring to the KPMP. Patients with CKD and AKI and clinicians from the study sites are members of the Community Engagement Committee, with representation on other KPMP committees. They participate in KPMP deliberations to address scientific, clinical, logistic, analytic, ethical, and community engagement issues. The Community Engagement Committee guides KPMP research priorities from perspectives of patients and clinicians. Patients led development of essential study components, including the informed consent process, no-fault harm insurance coverage, the ethics statement, return of results plan, a "Patient Primer" for scientists and the public, and Community Advisory Boards. As members across other KPMP committees, the Community Engagement Committee assures that the science is developed and conducted in a manner relevant to study participants and the clinical community. Patients have guided the KPMP to produce research aligned with their priorities. The Community Engagement Committee partnership has set new benchmarks for patient leadership in precision medicine research.

Comparison of testosterone, alendronate, and a combination of both therapies in men with low bone mineral density.

BACKGROUND: Both bisphosphonates and testosterone are known to improve bone mineral density (BMD) in men with low bone mass, but whether combination therapy is superior to these agents used alone is not clear. We compared the changes in lumbar spine BMD when men with low bone mass were treated with each agent alone or as combination therapy. METHODS: In a retrospective study, we analyzed serum and BMD data from 149 men who had been evaluated in the Endocrinology Clinic at the Dallas Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Dallas, Texas. The subjects were divided into three cohorts: 59 men receiving testosterone therapy alone, 68 men receiving alendronate therapy alone, and 22 receiving combination therapy. RESULTS: Compared with the baseline values, the lumbar spine and BMD increased significantly in each of the testosterone, alendronate, and combination therapy cohorts (median annualized rate of change: 2.1% [p < .001], 2.6% [p < .001], and 2.5% [p = .04], respectively). The combination therapy group did not demonstrate any additional increase in BMD at the lumbar spine or total hip compared with either agent alone. The results did not change after adjusting for differences in baseline weight, age, BMD, or baseline testosterone level. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that the combination of testosterone and alendronate does not appear to be superior to single-drug therapy in our patient population.

Thiazolidinedione-associated congestive heart failure and pulmonary edema.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of thiazolidinediones on the development of cardiac failure and pulmonary edema during treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 6 men (aged 66 to 78 years) treated at our institution between August 1, 2001, and May 21, 2002, who had type 2 diabetes and developed signs and symptoms of congestive heart failure and pulmonary edema after 1 to 16 months of therapy with pioglitazone or rosiglitazone. RESULTS: Four patients had chronic renal insufficiency; only 1 had ischemic cardiomyopathy. Symptoms resolved promptly in all 6 patients after administration of diuretics and discontinuation of the thiazolidinedione. CONCLUSION: We conclude that thiazolidinediones can cause or exacerbate heart failure and pulmonary edema and should be avoided in patients with left ventricular dysfunction or chronic renal insufficiency.