In an effort to connect, inform, and stimulate discussion among physicians about innovative strategies and quality initiatives to improve diabetes care, the Joslin Diabetes Center, a teaching and research affiliate of Harvard Medical School, recently announced that it will join forces with Sermo, one of the largest online networks used exclusively by U.S. physicians.

The partnership will provide Sermo's 125,000 physicians from 68 specialties with Internet access to research reports and other material from the Joslin Professional Education Continuum (JPEC) program. The JPEC develops performance-focused education and research reports that cover several different clinical disciplines. The materials cover cardiometabolic risk, advancing therapies, insulin management, office systems, diabetic neuropathy, and sleep apnea.

Both organizations say the new partnership will support one of the largest online communities of primary care physicians, endocrinologists, and other relevant specialists who provide care to diabetic patients.

"Joslin will initiate discussion threads and promote their presence on SERMO's platform to their large network of 250,000 primary care physicians, endocrinologists, and other diabetes-related specialists," Julie Brown, Joslin Diabetes Center's director of professional education told InformationWeek Healthcare.

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She also said the Joslin/Sermo discussion platform will also feature a large interdisciplinary collection of diabetes experts assembled online. Joslin will also co-sponsor research for distributing key diabetes education materials for diverse audiences involved in diabetes care and treatment. "Collaboration amongst and education of clinicians and researchers who treat and prevent diabetes has never been more important," Jon Michaeli, VP marketing and membership of Sermo, said in a statement. "Sermo's platform will enable the largest group of diabetes experts ever assembled online to collaborate in an interactive setting where insights and conclusions have clear benefits for patients."

The Joslin Diabetes Center's partnership with Sermo follows an announcement in February that Joslin and American Well will collaborate on an initiative that brings telehealth services to patients nationwide. In the coming months, Joslin said it would use American Well's Online Care technology to assess diabetes patients with the goal of improving clinical and financial outcomes.

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