Hackensack Meridian Health Hospitals Recognized as a National Leaders in Diabetes Care

Hackensack University Medical Center and Jersey Shore University Medical Center have been named Recognized Leaders in Caring for People Living with Diabetes.

This designation, bestowed by The Leapfrog Group in collaboration with the American Diabetes Association (ADA), recognizes hospitals that meet the most rigorous standards for delivering safe, high-quality care to patients with diabetes. Among this elite group, Hackensack University Medical Center and Jersey Shore University Medical Center stand out as two of just 36 hospitals across 12 states in the U.S.

The award recognizes each hospital’s strong commitment to the safety and well-being of hospitalized people living with diabetes—estimated to be 30% of all people who are inpatient nationwide. "We congratulate these hospitals for demonstrating their commitment to patient safety and improving the lives of people living with diabetes. Moving evidence-based standards of care into practice opens doors to improved quality outcomes for people living with diabetes,” said Osagie Ebekozien, M.D., MPH, the ADA’s chief quality officer.

Every year, approximately 8 million Americans living with diabetes are hospitalized and face heightened risks of severe complications, including amputations, comas, and even death. Errors in medication administration, inadequate discharge planning, or exposure to hospital-acquired infections can have particularly devastating consequences for this vulnerable population. Recognized hospitals provide safe, high-quality care for people living with diabetes, by implementing blood glucose (blood sugar) testing and hypoglycemia protocols, specialized preparation for inpatient surgery, meals and insulin regimen planning, and robust discharge planning for high-risk people with diabetes. Hospitals are assessed both in the implementation of these processes and structures, and on how well they execute on the standard of care delivered to a random sample of individuals.

“Protecting people from medical errors and infections is a major challenge in American hospitals, and it’s even more of a challenge when a person is living with diabetes. So much can go wrong so quickly,” said Leah Binder, MA, MGA, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group, an independent national watchdog focused on patient safety. “We congratulate this year’s recognized leaders for their pioneering approach to ensuring vigilance in protecting these people, and we encourage other hospitals to apply to be a Recognized Leader next year.”

For information about services visit, www.hackensackmeridianhealth.org/en/services/endocrinology-and-diabetes. For a free referral to an endocrinologist, call 844-HMH-WELL.