As many of you already know, the diabetes Conversation Map® tools are a full curriculum for type 2 DSME/S. This means that the content covered during the Map sessions, with supporting materials, meets the American Diabetes Association Recognition criteria for a complete DSME curriculum.

Diabetes is a condition that affects the entire family. Many aspects of daily living, such as eating, working, sleeping, physical activity, and stress management can be greatly impacted. An approach I feel strongly about, and I think many of us have adopted, is to invite patients' family members and caregivers to group diabetes education sessions. Including caregivers in these sessions creates an environment in which all participants not only learn how to manage diabetes together, but also learn how to support each other.

Being a member of the American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE) has always been part of my professional development. As a long-time member (over 15 years), I have attended most of the annual conferences and this year was no exception.

We recently hosted a webinar on Medicare Billing for Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support (DSME/S) and Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT) with Jo Ellen Condon, Director of Education Recognition at the American Diabetes Association. Below is a Q&A with Jo Ellen that reflects some of the questions answered on the webinar as well as some received as follow-up questions via email.

We are thrilled to feature David Moen, MD as part of our conversations around patient engagement. Ultimately, we believe that the patient is in the driver’s seat when it comes to enrolling in DSME in order to pursue improved health outcomes. But we play a critical role in encouraging this effort at the outset and throughout the process.

After the American Diabetes Association’s 75th Scientific Sessions, I came back to work with renewed focus and excitement for self-management education and support. A new position statement on diabetes self-management education and support (DSME/S) in type 2 diabetes

Behavior change can be a complex and difficult journey. However, having a simple framework can make it approachable for both you and your patients. A few weeks ago I met with a physician who shared the framework that works best for him. We were discussing how overwhelming behavior change can be for patients.

Patient engagement is a buzzword that gets thrown around a lot these days. Depending on your role, it might mean making a personal connection with a patient, having a process for engaging a patient in communication over time, or creating services that keep patients returning to the practice to work on their goals.

Hello and welcome back to our blog dedicated to Healthy Interactions mission of Personal Health Engagement (PHE). My goal is to put a face to PHE and celebrate all who have been involved in this global movement. Throughout the last eight years, I have had the pleasure to work with professionals from over 120 countries, which I think is awesome!

I have been providing group diabetes support sessions for the last seven years: same place, same time, and mostly the same people. I get 3 to 10 participants for a 90-minute monthly session. The sessions are very engaging with a lot of learning among all in attendance, including myself.