How to Locate a Certified Diabetes Educator

More than 23 million people in the United States have diabetes and the condition is becoming more prevalent each day. There is no cure for diabetes, so management of the disease becomes increasingly important. Certified diabetes educators undergo rigorous training and pass an exam that qualifies them to train diabetics, and pre-diabetics to successfully manage their condition and to modify their lifestyles., Many certified diabetes educators operate through hospitals, though some have private practices. In addition, the main certifying body has a provider directory on its website.

Instructions

American Association of Diabetes Educators

• 1

  The American Association of Diabetes Educators is the primary organization that awards the certified diabetes educator (CDE) designation. The association's website has a location service, called "Find a Diabetes Educator." When you enter information into the query form, the system will return a list of providers. Those with the CDE credential are certified diabetes educators.

• 2

  Call the major, accredited hospitals in your area that have reputable diabetes programs. Ask to be referred to a certified diabetes educator. Because Medicare approves certain diabetes self-management training services, many public hospitals will have access to certified diabetes educators. In addition, it may be helpful to contact your health insurance company to ask which providers they work with. Finally, perhaps no other referral will be more helpful than that of your own personal physician.

• 3

  Many diabetes educators run a private practice and have independent websites to market their services. One directory of diabetes educators is MyDiabetesEducator which hosts full profiles of educators who subscribe to the service. Again, look for the CDE credential following the names of providers you find using this search.