Diabetes - Medical Practice Guidelines

State of Florida Agency for Health Care
Administration Notice on Practice Parameters

These practice guidelines, produced in consultation with the Diabetes Practice Guideline Advisory Committee, are endorsed by the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) pursuant to the Florida Health Care and Insurance Reform Act of 1993, Chapter 93-129, section 408.02, Laws of Florida.

These guidelines are endorsed for information, education and review by the medical community, other professionals, and the public.

These guidelines are not to be used as fixed protocols. They merely identify typical courses of intervention. There may be patients who require more or less treatment. However, those cases that exceed or fall below the guidelines may be subject to more careful scrutiny and may require documentation of the special circumstances. Treatment must be based on patient need as well as professional judgment.

In summary, medical guidelines are patient management strategies, which are not entirely inclusive or exclusive of all methods of reasonable care that can obtain the same results, or of those which consider the particular needs of the patient and available resources.

While standards are intended to be rigid and mandatory — making exceptions rare and difficult to justify — guidelines are more flexible, although they should be followed in most cases. Guidelines can be tailored to fit individual needs that are influenced by the patient, setting, resources and other factors. Deviations can be justified by individual circumstances. Options are intended to be neutral. They merely note the interventions available to practitioners.

Guidelines are revisited every three years or less. Review is based on valid scientific update. These guidelines were initially endorsed on January 16, 1998. Revisions have been made to the original guidelines and endorsed on October 19, 2001.

Practice Parameter Subject: Diabetes