S1 Ep9: Acing the A1C; improving management of diabetes at the Northern Roots Primary Care Clinic in Smithers, BC - featuring Dr. Kalah Blackstock

Originally from rural Saskatchewan, Dr. Kalah Blackstock now practices medicine and is raising her young family in Smithers BC, a place she describes as a fun place to live and a supportive community for raising kids, where she loves the ‘mild’ winters. Dr. Blackstock and her team at the Northern Roots Primary Care Clinic recently sought to improve care for diabetic patients and prevent downstream complications and empower self management by focusing on increasing physical exams and frequency of the hemoglobin A1C blood test (which measures average blood sugars over several months). Their goal was to ensure 75% of diabetic patients had a physical exam and 3 hemoglobin A1C blood tests annually, and the team worked towards this by creating a standardized diabetic lab requisition, by implementing reminder calls to patients, and by coming together to learn about and prioritize quality improvement as a team.