CMSHealthDisparitie

AoA partners with CMS through their Medicare outreach programs.  As it relates to health disparities, CMS has entered into collaboration with the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and the Patient Education Research Center at the Standford University School of Medicine to increase the number of diabetes self-management training programs (DSMT) in the United States.

This collaboration has a particular focus on Hispanic/Latino Medicare beneficiaries and will support HHS’ Interagency Hispanic Elder Initiative.  The initiative, launched in 2007 by the Department’s Administration on Aging (AoA), CMS, AHRQ, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevent (CDC) seeks to improve the healtlh of Hispanic senior populations. The initiative has identified diabetes as a primary issue of concern for Hispanic seniors.

The Standard Diabetes Self-Management Training Program uses trained “peers,” including seniors who have diabetes, to educate participants about actions they can take to better manage their diabetes. The program can be delivered in community settings where seniors naturally congregate, such as senior centers and senior housing programs, and it has been shown to be effective at improving people’s ability to control their diabetes and to reduce their use of emergency rooms.