Meritus Health earns recognition from American Diabetes Association

The ADA’s Education Recognition Program certification ensures quality diabetes education and support for people living with diabetes

The American Diabetes Association, the nation’s leading organization committed to fighting diabetes, recently announced the recognition of Meritus Health through its Education Recognition Program (ERP). The diabetes self-management education and support service (DSMES) was recognized earlier this month.  

The ADA’s ERP certificate assures that educational services meet the National Standards for DSMES. The corresponding intervention provided is evidence-based and outcome driven. Services apply for recognition voluntarily and ADA-ERP recognition lasts for four years.

“DSMES is an essential part of managing diabetes and is as effective as diabetes medication. Therefore, all people with diabetes benefit from it,” said Barbara Eichorst, MS, RD, CDCES, the ADA’s vice president of health programs. “We applaud Meritus Health for its commitment to providing value-based interventions such as DSMES, maximizing corresponding outcomes, and patient experience.”

Meritus director of Community Health and Outpatient Care Management, Beth Fields Dowdell, said the certification aligns with the health system’s goal of improving the health of the community.

“Having robust and informative education and support services for those with diabetes and prediabetes is vital to maintaining a healthy population,” Fields Dowdell said. “It provides patients with the tools to care for themselves and manage their diabetes.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) National Diabetes Fact Sheet, there are over 38 million people, or 11.6%, of the U.S. population who have diabetes. While an estimated 29.7 million have been diagnosed, unfortunately 8.7 million people are not aware they have this disease. Each day, nearly 3,300 Americans are diagnosed with diabetes. Many will first learn they have diabetes when they are treated for one of its life-threatening complications—heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, blindness, nerve disease, or amputation. Diabetes is the eighth leading cause of death in the U.S.—in 2021, it contributed to 399,401 deaths. The ADA’s Economic Costs of Diabetes in the U.S. in 2022 report confirms diabetes continues to be one of the nation’s most expensive chronic health care conditions with an estimated cost of diagnosed diabetes of $412.9 billion.