Strategies for Improving Care

Recommendations c A patient-centered communication style that incorporates patient preferences, assesses literacy and numeracy, and addresses cultural barriers to care should be used.B c Treatment decisions should be timely and founded on evidence-based guidelines that are tailored to individual patient preferences, prognoses, and comorbidities.B c Care should be aligned with components of the Chronic Care Model (CCM) to ensure productive interactions between a prepared proactive practice team and an informed activated patient.A c When feasible, care systems should support team-based care, community involvement, patient registries, and decision support tools to meet patient needs.B DIABETES CARE CONCEPTSIn the following sections, different components of the clinical management of patients with (or at risk for) diabetes are reviewed.We highlight the following three themes that are woven throughout these sections that clinicians, policymakers, and advocates should keep in mind: