Health Promoter/Pharmacist Case Management of Latinos with Diabetes

Many Latino individuals with diabetes have inadequate blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol control. Latinos frequently do not achieve their chronic disease management goals owing in part to lack of adherence to prescribed medications, but also to inadequate intensification of therapy (increasing the dosage or number of medications) by healthcare providers. This pilot study will address both of these challenges by determining the feasibility and acceptability of an innovative case management approach to improve diabetes treatment among Latinos. This form of case management includes a peer community-based health promoter (HP) to deliver tailored support to improve medication adherence. The HP will communicate directly with a clinic-based pharmacist, who will assist in managing complex medication regimens and intensify therapy under physician guidance. To evaluate the impact from this case management approach, we will provide a cohort of 20 Latino patients with an assigned HP/pharmacist team. We will longitudinally investigate changes in medication adherence and clinical outcomes over 6 months.