A panel of diabetes care specialists convened with Pharmacy Times to discuss how interdisciplinary teams divide responsibility for medication management, technology education, and long-term follow-up for people living with diabetes. The discussion was co-moderated by Jennifer D. Goldman, RPh, PharmD, CDCES, BC-ADM, FCCP, of Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, and Katelyn O’Brien, PharmD, BCPS, CDCES, BC-ADM, a clinical pharmacy specialist in adult endocrinology at Boston Medical Center.
Key Takeaways
- Diabetes management requires coordinated expertise across pharmacy, nursing, nutrition, and behavioral health because the condition spans cardiometabolic, renal, and psychosocial domains that no single clinician can address alone.
- Pharmacists operating under collaborative practice agreements can titrate insulin and GLP-1 receptor agonists, manage prior authorizations, and bridge post-discharge gaps — work that panelists linked to reduced hospital admissions and improved time in range.
- The CDCES credential functions as the connective tissue of the diabetes care team, signaling advanced expertise to patients while equipping clinicians to educate colleagues on technology, transitions of care, and evolving therapeutic options.
Panelists opened by framing diabetes as a condition extending well beyond glucose. Diana Isaacs, PharmD, BCPS, BCACP, BC-ADM, CDCES, endocrine clinical pharmacist at Cleveland Clinic, noted that cardiovascular, renal, nutritional, and psychosocial components each require distinct expertise, making a team structure necessary rather than optional. Natalie Bellini, DNP, BC-ADM, CDCES, program director of diabetes technology at University Hospitals, described how her health system’s pharmacy-led discharge program manages patients with diabetes until their next endocrinology or primary care visit, an approach she said has reduced hospital admissions.
All 5 participants hold the CDCES credential, and the panel examined what that certification signals to both colleagues and patients. Kristine Batty, PhD, APRN, BC-ADM, CDCES, FADCES, diabetes nurse practitioner at the University of Maryland Medical System, emphasized that CDCES-credentialed clinicians educate other providers as well as patients, particularly during the 30-day post-discharge window when patients are most vulnerable.
On diabetes technology, Isaacs argued that the diabetes care and education specialist is positioned to serve as the technology champion, keeping pace with evolving pumps and algorithms and optimizing device settings and alerts. O’Brien described technology access at a safety net hospital, where in-house pump training and multilingual education support high CGM and automated insulin delivery uptake, though gaps persist for patients whose primary language is not English.
The panel closed on a shared conclusion: the future of diabetes care depends not on one profession expanding its scope but on every discipline contributing within a coordinated team.
Pharmacy Times would like to thank ADCES and the panelists for their participation.
