The document you are looking at breaks new ground in more ways than one. It is the first publication of the Hudson Center for Health Equity & Quality (Hcheq), a new organization based in New York's Hudson Valley, dedicated to broadening access to health care and developing information technologies that support clinical initiatives and high quality care for all people. It is a report on the proceedings of the first roundtable discussion held by Hcheq—the first of what we hope will be many such events convened by Hcheq to bring experts together for a lively exchange of ideas about a particularly thorny health care issue. The focus of the roundtable itself was, as far as we know, a first: While the use of chronic disease registries in various settings has been explored and discussed, their adoption by small, resource-strapped independent practices in community settings has not been spotlighted.

Diabetes registries are powerful tools that give health care professionals the knowledge to vastly improve their care of patients with diabetes—and the information to help patients take better care of themselves. Diabetes is one of the 21st century's scourges, a chronic disease that demands action. In the following pages, you'll learn what our roundtable participants had to say about the enormous benefits that can accrue from the adoption of diabetes registries—as well as the frustrations that may crop up along the way. We think you'll find the information illuminating.

Georganne Chapin
President and Founder
Hudson Center for Health Equity & Quality

Diabetes Registries Roundtable Proceedings – November 16, 2005

784k