Area Geisinger physicians receive national recognition for providing quality diabetes care

Diabetes Physician Recognition Program measures performance in key areas of diabetes care

WASHINGTON—The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) and the American Diabetes Association (ADA) announced that three local primary care physicians at Geisinger Medical Group–Dallas received recognition from the Diabetes Physician Recognition Program for providing quality care to patients with diabetes.

In photo, from left to right David Hutz, MD, Michael Kovalick, DO, and Nicole Alu, DO, gather to accept a plaque recognizing physicians at the Geisinger Medical Group–Dallas for excellence in diabetes care. Click photo for hi-res version

Physicians Nicole Alu, DO, David Hutz, MD, and Michael Kovalick, DO, are part of 141 primary care physicians and endocrinologists within Geisinger Health System who received the recognition. The recognition is valid for three years.

The Diabetes Physician Recognition Program is designed to improve the quality of care diabetic patients receive by recognizing physicians who deliver quality diabetes care. To earn the recognition, Geisinger Clinic primary care physicians and the Endocrinology Department submitted data demonstrating performance in the Program’s key diabetes care measures. These measures include effective control of blood pressure, blood sugar and lipids, eye and foot exams, kidney function monitoring and nutrition therapy.

“Proper treatment and care has a profound impact on diabetes patients. By providing the care as outlined by these measures, it is possible to prevent complications of the disease, such as heart attacks, stroke, blindness, kidney disease and amputations,” explains Dr. Kovalick, lead physician at Geisinger Medical Group–Dallas. “The natural course of this disease can actually be altered.”

“For a person with diabetes, the right physician can make the difference between living with diabetes as opposed to suffering from diabetes,” said Larry C. Deeb, MD, President, Medicine & Science, American Diabetes Association. “Physicians who earn recognition through the Diabetes Physician Recognition Program have an established track record of providing excellent diabetes care. The list of recognized doctors is the first place to look if you or a loved one has been diagnosed with diabetes.”

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 U.S. and has no cure.