Health Research, Inc. – Center for Health Workforce Studies

Diabetes prevalence in New York State has doubled since 1994 and is expected to grow; 1.8 million New Yorkers suffer from diabetes and 4.2 million have prediabetes. Certified diabetes educators (CDEs) are trained clinicians who work with people with diabetes to help them become proficient in self-managing their health. In 2009, the New York State Department of Health’s Office of Health Insurance Programs began providing reimbursement for CDE services. However, little was known about the CDE workforce in New York State and whether the new reimbursement mechanism would enable more people to access diabetes self-management programs. To address this information gap, NYHealth funded the Center for Health Workforce Studies (CHWS) to conduct a market analysis of the CDE workforce, the results of which would help inform the broader clinical and policy goals of the Foundation’s Diabetes Campaign.

Certified diabetes educators are health professionals who have been trained and certified in diabetes education, and have an important role in a patient care team by helping patients set and achieve goals for managing their diabetes. CHWS, a national leader in health workforce research, will conduct an analysis of the supply of and demand for CDEs, identify effective models of diabetes education, and make recommendations for policies and programs to increase access to services.