Summit Medical Group has achieved measurable success in patients undergoing diabetes management as determined by a substantial increase in Healthy Days, according to a review by Humana’s Bold Goal population health strategy.

Bold Goal is an initiative by Humana to improve the health of the communities it serves 20 percent by 2020. Knoxville is one of Humana’s designated Bold Goal markets across the country where Humana is partnering with employers, nonprofit organizations, government agencies and health care providers, like Summit Medical Group, to address key barriers to better health outcomes.

The Bold Goal results already are apparent in Knoxville among patients with diabetes enrolled in Humana Medicare Advantage health plans who are treated by Summit Medical Group.

“Summit Medical Group is committed to delivering the highest quality of health care in East Tennessee,” Summit Medical Group CEO Ed Curtis said. “The results for Humana’s Bold Goal in Greater Knoxville indicate our efforts to both treat patients with diabetes and increase quality of life are on the right track. The more ‘Healthy Days’ our patients have, the better they can manage their diabetes. The integrated care that ensures all our patients’ needs are being addressed is a big factor in this measurable success.

“Just as our programs are leading the industry in making a positive impact for our patients with diabetes, we know these initiatives are improving the health of all patients in our care who utilize these services, health education classes and more.”

The number of Unhealthy Days among patients with diabetes decreased, a trend driven by Summit Medical Group, according to Humana’s Knoxville case study, as measured from 2015 to 2017. Healthy Days is a measurement of mental and physical health validated by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

Humana determined that among its Medicare Advantage members with diabetes in Knoxville, 35 percent are seen by Summit Medical Group providers, which achieved the following impact from 2015-2017:

• Summit patients had an overall decrease in Unhealthy Days trend of 14.7 percent compared to 7.1 percent decrease for non-Summit patients.
• Summit patients with low severity of diabetes had a 25.3 percent decrease in physical Unhealthy Days compared to 13.4 for non-Summit patients.

Katy Decker, Director of Care Coordination at Summit Medical Group, explains that Summit covers the spectrum of diabetes care by having:

• Nurse Care Managers assist patients with creating a plan to achieve their desired health goals and resolve any barriers to that plan.
• Social workers help patients maximize resources available to them in the community and through their insurance plan.
• Pharmacist coordinates with the provider and patient to resolve medication side effects and identify the least expensive medication options.
• Nurse care coordinators follow up with patients with diabetes after a hospital stay to review discharge instructions, ensure the patient has new medications and supplies, and schedule a follow-up visit with their Summit Provider.

Suzanne Kieltyka, Director of Integrated Programs at Summit Medical Group, is part of the Greater Knoxville Health Advisory Board established under Humana’s Bold Goal. According to Kieltyka, Summit Medical Group has tracked success of these programs for its general patient population, including patients with diabetes in Humana’s Bold Goal program, as follows:

• Out of patients who participate in one of Summit’s free Health Education classes, 69% quit smoking, 66% lose weight and 73% achieve better blood sugar control.
• The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) has recognized 43 Summit Medical Group primary care offices for providing excellent care through its Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) program; 139 Summit physicians for providing excellent care to patients with cardiovascular disease or who have had a stroke; and 130 Summit physicians for providing excellent care to patients with diabetes.

The Diabetes Support Group program also is open to Summit patients and the community and offers additional education on diabetes-related topics. The group meets on the fourth Thursday of the month in January, April, July and October from 5:30-6:30 p.m. at Summit Medical Group’s headquarters, located at 1275 Dick Lonas Rd., Suite 101 in Knoxville.

For more information about classes and support, call 865-212-2281. For more information on Summit Medical Group, please visit www.summitmedical.com.