Local Physician Receives National Recognition For Providing Quality Diabetes Care

The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) and the American Diabetes Association (ADA) announced that Sullivan Medical Center’s Volney Willett, III, M.D., has received Recognition from the Diabetes Physician Recognition Program for providing quality care to his patients with diabetes.

The Diabetes Physician Recognition Program was designed to improve the quality of care that patients with diabetes receive by recognizing physicians who deliver quality diabetes care. To receive recognition, which is valid for three years, Dr. Willett submitted data that demonstrates performance that meets the Program’s key diabetes care measures. These measures include eye exams, blood pressure tests, nutrition therapy and patient satisfaction, among others. When people with diabetes receive quality care as outlined by these measures, they are less likely to suffer complications such as heart attacks, stroke, blindness, kidney disease and amputations.

“For a person with diabetes, the right physician can make the difference between living with diabetes as opposed to suffering from diabetes,” said Larry C. Deeb, MD, President, Medicine & Science, American Diabetes Association. “Physicians who earn recognition through the Diabetes Recognition Program have an established track record of providing excellent diabetes care.”

Diabetes is a serious disease that affects the body’s ability to produce or respond properly to insulin, a hormone that allows blood sugar to enter the cells of the body and be used for energy. An estimated 16 million Americans have diabetes; it is the sixth-leading cause of death by disease in the U.S. and it has no cure.

NCQA is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to improving health care quality. NCQA accredits and certifies a wide range of health care organizations and recognizes physicians in key clinical areas. NCQA’s Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) is the most widely used performance measurement toll in health care. NCQA is committed to providing health care quality information through the Web, media and data licensing agreements in order to help consumers, employers and others make more informed health care choices.

The American Diabetes Association is the nation’s leading voluntary health organization supporting diabetes research, information and advocacy. Founded in 1940, the Association has offices in every region of the country, providing services to more than 800 communities.

To schedule an appointment with Dr. Willett, call 217-728-2042.

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