University of Pittsburgh Diabetes Institute

For Patients and Families

Prevention and Detection

The University of Pittsburgh Diabetes Institute, in partnership with UPMC, provides patients with comprehensive diabetes treatment and care, with access to the best hospitals, clinics, and physician practices – all working collaboratively. The Institute’s team approach includes the patient, physician, diabetes educator, dietitian, and other health care providers. Patients may consult specialists in endocrinology, cardiology, neurology, nephrology, ophthalmology, podiatry, pharmacy, and other fields.

As part of its suite of treatment options, the Diabetes Institute offers access to 26 UPMC hospitals and medical practices certified in diabetes education by the American Diabetes Association (ADA). Recognition by the ADA is limited to those sites around the country that demonstrate consistent and rigid compliance with the highest professional standards for the care and education of people with diabetes. In most cases, ADA recognition enables patients to receive diabetes education that is reimbursable by third party payers. View a list of diabetes education classes offered by UPMC.

Prevention and Detection

The Diabetes Institute is dedicated to the prevention of diabetes and its complications on several levels:

• Primary prevention — Many who are at risk for type 2 diabetes can avoid the disease with lifestyle changes such as diet and physical activity. The Diabetes Institute sponsors community screening and education events to identify those at risk and help motivate them to take steps to prevent diabetes.
• Secondary prevention – People with diabetes can prevent devastating complications with careful self-management and assistance from their diabetes care team. A Diabetes Institute initiative to supply several hundred primary care physicians with evidence-based guidelines for diabetes care resulted in vastly improved outcomes for their patients: lower cholesterol, lower blood pressure, and better control of blood sugar levels. The program reaches into the rural areas surrounding Pittsburgh, in keeping with the Diabetes Institute’s commitment to deliver quality diabetes care to regions that are typically underserved.
  
  Diabetes Institute patients have their own high tech management tool. UPMC’s Web-based HealthTrak system allows patients in selected physician practices to communicate with their physician’s office; access their medical record; renew prescriptions; and track their blood glucose, weight, exercise regimens, and blood pressure.
• Tertiary prevention – Careful management of diabetes complications can reduce the incidence of disability and illness. Diabetes Institute UPMC practitioners employ state-of-the-art treatments to decrease the risk of escalating complications.