Latest updates on ACP's priorities, initiatives

ACP releases new online modules on continuous glucose monitoring

ACP has released a new free online program focused on the latest continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) technology. Explicitly designed for ACP members, this two-part series offers practical insights for integrating CGM into treatment plans for patients with type 2 diabetes.

The CGM program's content includes:

• tips on selecting the right CGM device based on patient needs and medications,
• strategies for shared decision making to support better glycemic control,
• interactive case studies that translate theory into real-world clinical practice, and
• insurance and billing guidance to improve patient access to CGM.

Members can earn CME credit for completing the modules, which are available in the ACP Online Learning Center.

ACP review of performance measures for diabetes finds many inadequate

In a recent paper, “Quality Indicators for Diabetes in Adults: A Review of Performance Measures,” published in Annals of Internal Medicine on May 6, ACP critically reviewed current diabetes performance measures and found that only four of 14 commonly used indicators meet the College's stringent standards for quality and evidence-based care. In the paper, ACP emphasizes the need for methodologically sound and clinically meaningful measures of diabetes care that will lead to improvement in health outcomes for patients with diabetes.

ACP supports key measures of diabetes control, including kidney health evaluations, HbA1c control, eye exams, and the use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers, and has proposed a measure aimed at increasing the use of newer pharmacological treatments. In 2024, ACP published “Newer Pharmacologic Treatments in Adults With Type 2 Diabetes: A Clinical Guideline From the American College of Physicians” to provide clinical recommendations on the topic.

ACP, other physician groups oppose infringements on medical care, patient- physician relationship

In a recent statement, ACP joined the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American Osteopathic Association and the American Psychiatric Association in affirming that the trusted relationship between a physician and their patient should never be jeopardized by the actions of policymakers, that physicians should not be criminalized or penalized for providing care and that medical standards of care and physician education training and education must remain evidence-based and free from political interference.

The statement noted that these organizations have consistently opposed any legislation, regulation, or executive action that interferes in the confidential relationship between a patient and their physician or that undermines the provision of evidence-based standards of patient care and physician training and education. Patients must be able to discuss health issues with their trusted physician to determine together what care is best for them, the statement stressed.

“We reiterate that all patients must have access to evidence-based, comprehensive medical care, and that physicians must be able to practice medicine that is informed by their education, training, and experience without threat of criminalization. Politics should not get in the way of evidence-based care and a strong patient-physician relationship,” the statement noted. “We support our members and will continue to advocate for access to the full spectrum of evidence-based health care and medical education.”