The American Diabetes Association (ADA) and The Leapfrog Group have jointly recognized 36 hospitals across 12 states as 2025 Recognized Leaders in Caring for People Living with Diabetes.

The award acknowledges each hospital’s dedication to ensuring the safety and well-being of hospitalized individuals with diabetes, a population estimated to comprise 30% of all inpatients nationwide. According to the ADA, the number of award recipients has more than doubled since last year, indicating a growing national focus on addressing the specific risks faced by people with diabetes who require hospitalization.

“We congratulate these hospitals for demonstrating their commitment to patient safety and improving the lives of people living with diabetes.Moving evidence-based standards of care into practice opens doors to improved quality outcomes for people living with diabetes,” said Osagie Ebekozien, M.D., M.P.H., the ADA’s chief quality officer, in a statement.

This unique designation program assesses hospitals based on their approach to diabetes care throughout the admission, stay, and discharge processes. It puts into action the ADA’s globally recognized guidelines, known as the Standards of care in Diabetes-2025, alongside The Leapfrog Group’s standards for excellence in hospital safety and quality.

Hospitals earning this recognition demonstrate their ability to provide safe, high-quality care through the implementation of blood glucose (blood sugar) testing and hypoglycemia protocols, specialized preparation for inpatient surgery, careful planning of meals and insulin regimens, and thorough discharge planning for high-risk patients. Evaluations consider both the implementation of these processes and structures, as well as the quality of care delivered to a representative sample of patients.

Hospital Programs Showcasing Improvements

“This recognition is about more than a badge; it’s about how we care for people.”

One recognized institution, AdventHealth Waterman in Tavares, Fla., admitted over 6,400 patients with diabetes last year alone.

“This recognition is about more than a badge; it’s about how we care for people,” said Kimberly Smith, a certified diabetes care and education specialist at AdventHealth waterman, in a statement. “We’re not just managing blood sugar.We’re walking alongside people who are managing a lifelong condition, and we focus on what matters most to our patients: feeling heard, supported, and confident in managing their health.”

At UCI Health, officials are also celebrating the recognition.”This recognition highlights the impact of our inpatient diabetes program in reducing complications and improving overall health of our patients,” said Joseph Carmichael,M.D.,UCI Health chief medical officer and senior vice president,in a statement. “It also reinforces our ongoing collaboration with UCI-OC Alliance to advance health and well-being for our Latino community, which is disproportionately affected by diabetes.”

UCI Health has partnered with the UCI-OC Alliance to combat the disease in Orange County’s Latino community. According to the ADA, 37 million people in the U.S. live with diabetes and 8 million people are admitted to the hospital with disease-related complications. Inequity in access to high-quality healthcare increases the incidence of disease and risk of injury, infection and amputation as an inevitable result of the condition.

Participants in diabetes group medical visits at the UCI Health Family Health Center ― anaheim, have experienced an average reduction in hemoglobin A1c levels from 8.5% to 7.5% over approximately five months. UCI Health plans to expand the program to its Santa Ana location and is considering offering visits in English to reach a wider audience.

UCI Health also provides inpatient programs designed to address disparities in diabetes care among underserved communities, aiming to improve cardiometabolic risk and overall health outcomes through electronic health record-based interventions.