Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota and the state Department of Health's Diabetes Prevention and Control Program have awarded the 2008 North Dakota Diabetes Care Provider Achievement Awards to 207 providers and 7 clinics. The awards, presented at the May HealthCare Forums in Fargo and Bismarck, recognize recipients for demonstrating excellence in managing the care of adult or pediatric diabetes patients in 2007.

Providers earn an award if they have four or more adult or pediatric patients and meet at least four out of five criteria, which are based on American Diabetes Association Standards. Providers who meet all five criteria receive gold awards. Clinics earn an award if they have more than 10 patients and meet all five criteria.

Of the providers who work with adult diabetes patients, 196 earned awards, of which 90 were gold.

The adult criteria are:

• Annual office visit, 100 percent
• Annual A1C (assessment of blood sugar control over time), 95 percent
• Annual dilated eye exam, 60 percent
• Annual lipid profile, 85 percent
• Annual nephropathy (kidney disease) assessment, 80 percent

Eleven providers earned the pediatric gold award. The pediatric criteria are:

• Annual office visit, 100 percent
• Annual A1C (assessment of blood sugar control over time), 95 percent
• Annual dilated eye exam if the child is 10 or older and five years after diagnosis, then annually, 60 percent
• Annual lipid profile if the child is 12 or older and five years after diagnosis, then annually if the child has abnormal results, 85 percent
• Annual nephropathy (kidney disease) assessment if the child is 12 or older and five years after diagnosis, then annually, 80 percent