Glycemic management can be difficult and costly for many hospitals across the country. Teams tasked with managing patients’ glycemic health are typically siloed and unable to collaborate effectively. Additionally, relevant patient data is rarely aggregated, accessible or actionable, and nearly 90% of American hospitals continue to treat glycemic issues with confusing, ineffective, one-size-fits-all protocols.
Poor glycemic management can lead to dire consequences for patients and hospitals, and the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated existing challenges. Not only are hospitals and their staff stretched thin as a result of the pandemic, but patients living with diabetes and COVID-19 tend to have prolonged hospital stays, additional complications and increased risk for worse outcomes. Furthermore, about 80% of COVID-19 patients receive steroids as part of their treatment, which can complicate glycemic control for all patients (even those without diabetes).
During a recent Becker’s Clinical Leadership and Pharmacy Virtual Forum, Cathy Rolih, MD, clinical physician executive of the Diabetes Center of Excellence at Novant Health, joined Jordan Messler, MD, executive director of clinical practice at Glytec, to discuss the timely importance of reimagining glycemic management during the COVID-19 era and beyond.
How Glytec Customer and Pioneering Health System Novant Health is Leading the Charge in Glycemic Management
As Dr. Rolih shared with attendees, Novant Health has provided safe, inpatient diabetes care before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in large part due to its collaborations with internal partners and external experts like Glytec clinicians. A testament to its collaborative efforts, Novant Health established and continues to build, leverage and expand multidisciplinary teams, including:
What’s Next for Novant Health and Glycemic ManagementInnovation
The future remains full of unknowns, however, in the coming months Novant Health will be focused on expanding the reach and role of its Diabetes Educator Team. Dr. Rolih added that her organization will continue to refine order sets and protocols, share and promote glycemic management best practices, and explore new teams and tools.
Additionally, Novant Health will incorporate three key learnings as it continues to advance glycemic management in a post-pandemic world. The first is that culture matters. As Dr. Rolih shared, Novant Health’s culture is highly patient-centric. Their success has been a result of a perpetual focus on quality and safety, and a commitment to collaboration that allows them to solve complex problems and adapt to evolving scenarios.
Dr. Rolih also stressed that teamwork is crucial. Novant Health’s ability to quickly integrate new teams of experts has been essential in successfully fulfilling patients' ever-changing needs.
Finally, Novant Health believes passion is the key ingredient. By employing passionate individuals who are willing to work above and beyond their traditional roles, Novant Health has been able to adapt and respond in times of turbulence and better prepare for future successes.
Wrapping up the webinar, Dr. Messler shared how Glytec’s eGlycemic Management System (eGMS) unites diabetes management data and teams, as demonstrated by Novant Health. With EHR and lab-integrated software, eGMS enables seamless collaboration and its cloud capabilities allow implementations and upgrades to be done remotely. Most importantly, eGMS equips teams with vital, real-time patient data so they can optimize insulin therapy, empowering organizations like Novant Health to help improve the lives of patients with glycemic issues and those administering their care.
To learn more about Novant Health’s work and how Glytec can help health systems better manage glycemia in patients, watch the entire webinar here.