by Kirsten Brown

Jay Shubrook, D.O. (’94), associate professor of family medicine and director of the Diabetes Fellowship, recently earned recognition from the Diabetes Physician Recognition Program for providing exemplary care to his diabetic patients. The American Diabetes Association (ADA) and the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) jointly created the program in an effort to highlight the most diligent doctors in the field.

To receive this three-year recognition, Shubrook underwent an audit of patient care charts to determine if he met the program’s standards for quality diabetes health care. These standards include attentively administering eye exams, nutrition therapy, blood pressure tests and maintaining patient satisfaction.

The Diabetes Recognition Program is one of three programs NCQA and ADA makes available as a resource for patients seeking doctors who meet specific qualified standards.

“Our recognition programs contain a set of clinical criteria that doctors we recognize meet,” Jeff Van Ness, a spokesperson for NCQA. “It represents a very high bar in terms of quality of care in diabetes, cardiovascular health and information up-keep.”

In this way, the program takes a two-facet approach to improving diabetic health care, Van Ness explains.

“After all, if you’re diabetic, you want to know who’s a good doctor for diabetes,” he says. “How do you go about finding one? This is one of the ways for consumers to find where they should go, while creating an incentive for doctors to keep up the quality of the care they provide.”

Shubrook chose to apply after discussing with his colleagues the potential benefits of earning recognition.

“We decided this could be an important accomplishment for the Diabetes Fellowship,” he says. The Diabetes Fellowship is a clinical teaching and training program centered about the treatment and management of diabetes. The fellowship is sponsored by the Appalachian Rural Health Institute (ARHI) and its Diabetes/Endocrine Center. ARHI was formed by OU-COM and the College of Health and Human Services.

“One goal is to see if you’re recognized as providing quality care that exceeds the national standards for diabetes care,” says Shubrook.

In fact, he numbers among only 154 diabetes physicians who have received Recognition in Ohio, says Van Ness.

“Dr. Shubrook deserves a lot of credit for having received accreditation,” Van Ness adds. “It’s a real boon to his patients to have a recognized physician caring for them.”

As a patient of Shubrook, Marty Bayha says she feels grateful for his care.

“I feel very fortunate to have him as my diabetes physician,” Bayha says.

“I think his recognition from ADA and NCQA are a testament to his abilities, his research, and his meticulous attention to detail with regards to my — and his other patients’ — health care.”

Shubrook’s excellence is apparent through the manner in which he deals with his patients, Bayha adds.

“Dr. Shubrook has been an extremely caring, informative, compassionate physician as I deal with my pre-diabetes,” she says. “He always does a very thorough evaluation, explaining options regarding my treatment. He makes me feel as though I am part of a team with regards to my health.”

In addition to the security of finding an excellent physician, patients also may receive financial benefits, Van Ness says.

“In some cases, it might be that physicians will be given preferential treatment by the health insurance company,” he explains, “so you might have a lower co-payment if you are being seen by a recognized physician.”

For Shubrook, however, the greatest gains lie with what the recognition may mean for ARHI’s Diabetes Fellowship.

“If you’re identified nationally as someone to go to,” he says. “it brings us one step closer to gaining national recognition for the diabetes section of ARHI.”

“The Diabetes Fellowship is the first in the country,” Shubrook adds. “We are training primary care doctors to become the best available.”