Diabetes can cause devastating impacts, including heart disease, stroke, and blindness. In 2010, diabetes was the seventh-leading cause of death in the U.S., and in 2012, its estimated costs were $245 billion.
CHR has been a leader in diabetes research for more than 25 years. In 1989, we helped Kaiser Permanente develop one of the country’s most comprehensive registries of patients with diabetes. We developed the registry so that the health care system could identify its diabetes patients to ensure that they received blood sugar testing and foot exams. However, it also proved very useful for research on diabetes and its complications, making it possible to conduct studies that help clinicians to better serve patients and to help patients better manage their disease.