Clinical Review
Clinical Pharmacy Specialists Help Achieve an LDL-Cholesterol Performance Goal in Veterans With Diabetes
Fed Pract. 2011 November;28(11):11
Author and Disclosure Information
Justin M. Metzger, PharmD, and Kelley J. Oehlke, PharmD
Dr. Metzger is the clinical pharmacy supervisor and Dr. Oehlke is a clinical pharmacy specialist, both at the Sioux Falls VAMC in South Dakota. Dr. Oehlke is also an adjunct associate professor at South Dakota State University College of Pharmacy in Sioux Falls.
According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), an estimated 25.8 million Americans have type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM), which accounts for 8.3% of the U.S. population.(1) The prevalence of type 2 DM in the VA population is substantially higher than in the general population. Five million veterans (20%) have type 2 DM. In 2006, the Veterans Integrated System Network 23 (VISN 23), which consists of VA medical centers in the upper Midwest, initiated a chronic disease management program that focused on improving the care of veterans in a registry of patients with type 2 DM, including guidelines for management of their cholesterol.