Moon Township, PA, (March 3, 2011) –Heritage Valley Health System announced its participation in a new program aimed at controlling blood sugar and reducing the risks associated with high blood sugar in patients with diabetes. The new quality improvement initiative is in collaboration with the Highmark QualityBlue Program and the Glycemic Health Initiative and has two primary goals – to improve patient care by achieving measurable reductions in inpatient hyperglycemia and to improve education, thereby reducing the human, societal, and financial costs for the institution, patient, and community at large.

According to the American Diabetes Association, more than 25 million Americans have diabetes, many of whom are undiagnosed. When diabetes patients are hospitalized, uncontrolled hyperglycemia puts them at increased risk for serious infection and other complications, including death. Therefore, proper management of inpatient hyperglycemia is becoming an increasingly urgent need.

“The high prevalence of hyperglycemia in hospitalized diabetes patients calls for a hospital-wide glycemic awareness initiative,” commented Dr. John Cinicola, Chief Medical Officer and Chair of the Diabetes Protocol Sub-team. “Studies suggest that with appropriate inpatient management of blood sugar, we may lower the risk of complications for our diabetes patients.”

This comprehensive program is designed to address the growing problem of hyperglycemia, or high blood sugar, associated with diabetes in hospitalized patients and its detrimental effects on the health of those patients. The program emphasizes awareness of hyperglycemia in patients, actions that staff and patients can take to address hyperglycemia, and methods to help achieve better blood sugar control in patients.

“Our efforts are designed to enhance diabetes education for both staff and patients, as well as to improve glycemic control throughout a patient’s hospital stay – from admission to discharge,” said Lorraine Mammone RN, BSN, project coordinator at Heritage Valley. “We are pleased to be adopting this important new program.”

“Heritage Valley’s participation in the Highmark QualityBlue Program and adoption of the Glycemic Health Initiative exemplifies the System’s mission to improve the health and well-being of all people in the communities we serve,” added Dr. Cinicola.

For more information on the Highmark QualityBlue Diabetes Control Program and the Glycemic Health Initiative at Heritage Valley Health System, call 724-773-4596.