Certified Diabetes Educators in New York: An Analysis of the Workforce
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.Grantee Name
Health Research, Inc. (dba Centerfor Health Workforce Studies)
Funding Area
Improving Diabetes Prevention and Management
Publication Date
December 2012
Grant Amount
$124,236
Grant Date:
2008 - 2010
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.
Outcomes and Lessons Learned
- Conducted a literature review to understand the contributions of CDEs and diabetes self-management education.
- Held in-depth interviews with CDEs representing a number of health professions, employers of CDEs, diabetes services program directors, health insurers, and government stakeholders.
- Conducted a survey of CDEs to assess issues such as the certification process, current employment, patients served, and models used for providing diabetes education services to patients.
- Conducted a survey of providers of diabetes education to assess issues such as the types of clinical and educational services provided on an inpatient and outpatient basis, and employer preferences when hiring CDEs.
- Released a brief summarizing the results of this research, “A Market Analysis of Certified Diabetes Educators in New York: Initial Findings.”
- Produced a summary report titled, “Certified Diabetes Educators in New York: Findings From a Statewide Market Analysis and Recommendations for Improving Access to Diabetes Self-Management Education Services.”