New Frontiers in Diabetes Care: Quality Improvement Study of a Population Health Team in Rural Critical Access Hospitals.

Background: Rural populations are older, have higher diabetes prevalence, and have less improvement in diabetes-related mortality rates compared to urban counterparts. Rural communities have limited access to diabetes education and social support services.

Objective: Determine if an innovative population health program that integrates medical and social care models improves clinical outcomes for patients with type 2 diabetes in a resource-constrained, frontier area.