Most medical problems can be cured or fixed, but diabetes isn't one of them. It is a lifelong condition, kept in check by driving down blood glucose to a healthy level and keeping it tightly controlled with a combination of medications that lower blood sugar, proper diet, regular exercise, and other lifestyle changes. A hospital stay due to diabetes-related complications, like nerve pain or circulatory problems, should not happen—it means the disease wasn't properly managed. Moreover, a hospital stay for any reason exposes diabetic patients to special dangers. A patient whose blood sugar is too high has an increased risk of infection and will be slower to heal if surgery is needed.
Maintaining good blood sugar control is particularly challenging in a hospital setting, however. No matter how diligent the care, it won't match the regimen a patient might have meticulously crafted. If a patient is on insulin, the hospital may use a different form—rapid-acting rather than the patient's long-acting version—or administer the wrong dose. (Insulin errors are among the most frequent serious medical mistakes in hospitals.) Meals are likely to be served at different times than a patient is accustomed to, and are not portion-controlled. Blood thinners, blood pressure drugs, pain relievers, and other medications can affect glucose levels. So can the emotional stress of being in the hospital. Moreover, diabetic patients often arrive with other chronic conditions that complicate treatment, such as heart disease and respiratory problems. The 50 diabetes centers ranked in the latest edition of Best Hospitals, released last month by U.S. News & World Report, bring together teams of specialists to deal with these multiple difficulties. The top 10 are shown below, followed by information about what makes a good diabetes center, how to determine whether one is needed, and advice on how to get admitted.
The Best Hospitals in Diabetes & Endocrinology
Rank
- Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston
- Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore
- University of California, San Francisco Medical Center
- Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles
- Cleveland Clinic
- New York-Presbyterian University Hospital of Columbia and Cornell
- Yale-New Haven Hospital, New Haven, Conn.
- Barnes-Jewish Hospital/Washington University, St. Louis
- Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston
[See the full list of Best Hospitals in Diabetes & Endocrinology.]
What makes these hospitals the best for diabetes?
Their caregivers are always aware that treating a diabetic patient is complex. They closely monitor blood sugar levels, alert the staff that a patient is diabetic through the use of colorful wrist bands or other means, adjust the timing and content of meals, and take additional special precautions to protect the patient. When a diabetic is admitted because her congestive heart failure is worsening, for example, doctors will check her legs for poor circulation (peripheral artery disease), her stomach for ulcers, her feet for numbness caused by nerve damage, and will be on the lookout for other conditions that may not have revealed themselves but might need attention. Before she is discharged, she will likely be seen not only by diabetologists or endocrinologists but by a team made up of a nutritionist or dietitian, an ophthalmologist, a nurse educator, and other specialists to examine her and help her script a practical plan to deal with her diabetes when she is discharged.
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