 S. L. Lampkin, M.D.
"Basically, my patients in the program are more knowledgeable about their disease process and are better able to manage it. They know their medications and the possible side-effects, and they can communicate much better with me when they come into the office. The information they receive through the program keeps them much more focused. And, of course, they appreciate the one-on-one attention from the program nurses that physicians can't always provide.
"As a physician, I, too, benefit from having patients involved in the program. They send me information about my patients and their medications. I find it very helpful."
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 John Anderson, M.D.
"I sent one of my diabetic patients home with instructions for a new medication to help reduce her A1Cs, which were trending up. I told her to come back in three months and to fax me her glucose levels in the meantime. It would not have been until she came back three months later that I found out we had had a miscommunication, which her health support nurse caught and helped correct.
"Now, while it's not a dramatic case, for two months that patient could easily have had substandard care, glucoses that were up, A1Cs that would have still been high, simply because of a miscommunication. Her health support nurse said, 'Why don't you call your physician.' And the patient got back on the phone and got the right answer.
"I've had other instances in which the program provided a trigger at the point of care, by the patient, that reminded me there were standards of care that were about to lapse. That's what's important, that the patient is engaged in their care. It puts the burden on the patient to remember the dilated retinal exam, the foot exam, etc., and it reminds the physician. It gets the doctor to remember when these important things come up."
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