Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/425939
ACKNOWLEDGED EXCELLENCE WINTHROP UNIVERSIT Y-HOSPITAL HAS achieved recognition for its high standards of diabetes care: + First major teaching hospital in New York state to achieve The Joint Commission Gold Seal of Approval for Certification in Advanced Inpatient Diabetes Management + First Diabetes Education Center (founded in 1979) in New York state recognized by the American Diabetes Association in accordance with National Standards for Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support + Pediatric Diabetes Program ranked No. 19 in U.S. News & World Report top-ranked Children's Hospitals for Diabetes and Endocrinology, 2014 + Adult Endocrinology Faculty Practice distinguished by National Commission on Quality Assurance Diabetes Provider Recognition of the medical care they know. There is no hard and fast age to transition." T he emerg i ng a du lt s a nd t hei r families are often unaware that some medications and treatments for diabetes are available for adults but not children. These require the expertise of adult- focused providers. The Point of Transition Then, there's the visit. When the pediatric endocrinolog y tea m a nd the emerging adult patient ma ke a concerted decision to transition to adult endocrinology care at Winthrop- University Hospital, providers book a special "transition night." This appointment features members of the pediatric and adult endocrinol- ogy teams and represents the formal transition between providers. The patient, adult nurse practitioner and pediatric certified diabetes educa- tor who has worked with the patient meet at the adult endocrinology offices, where an entire patient history includ- ing lab data is recounted, an exam is performed by the nurse practitioner, and the future is planned. The adult endocrinologist participates in the visit and helps develop the patient-centered plan of care. At the transition visit, the patients see t h at t he y a re in go o d h a nd s. Endorsement from the pediatric staff who they know and trust is both explicit and implicit. "These meetings help the adult endo- crinology team know the nuances of each patient's experience with diabetes," Dr. Bredefeld adds. "I have a spectrum of patients, some are new to diagnosis and some who have had the disease for 18 years. The future of their management depends on the skills they've developed and how their disease affects them. Some patients have a firm grasp on what it takes to effectively manage diabetes, and they're looking to fine-tune their skills. We appeal to each patient in order to reach an understanding of the barriers to their self-management and find their motiva- tions for achieving control over time." A Lifetime of Success Expertise at both ends of the tran- sition process is directly responsible for cultivating such successful follow- up rates. The Pediatric Endocrinology Program at W i nt h rop -Un iversit y Ho s pit a l Eileen Egan, DNP, CDE, and Dr. Bredefeld discuss the latest glucose monitoring devices. Some of the members of Winthrop-University Hospital's Diabetes Transition Team M D N E W S . CO M ■ MD NEWS Long Island | 9