Box 1:

Purpose and benefits of disease registries

Quality improvement Identifying gaps in care (HbA1c not checked) Identifying care goals not obtained (HbA1c > 8%, BP > 140/90 mmHg, etc.) Identifying medications not used (statins, ACEi/ARB)

Understanding the burden of disease and complications Comprehending disease disparities Finding undiagnosed cases

Identifying patients for research projects

Comparing care quality across sites

Comparing complexity of patients across sites

Comparative effectiveness research

Epidemiologic surveillance, including longitudinal analyses

Population-based care management studies of people with diabetes

ACEi, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor; ARB, angiotensin receptor blocker; BP, blood pressure; HbA1c, glycated hemoglobin.