Study finds that NPs, physicians, and physician assistants (PAs) in the VA system provide comparable diabetes management. The study tracked 19,238 veterans who were diagnosed with diabetes in 2008 for four years. A total of 15,841 patients were prescribed glucose-lowering drugs, including oral medications and insulin. After adjustment for patient characteristics, there were no differences in levels of glycated hemoglobin (HbA_1c) at diagnosis, initiation of the first and second oral glucose-lowering drugs, or after four years of primary care follow-up among NPs, PAs, or physicians. NP-treated patients were started on insulin at slightly lower HbA_1c levels than physician-treated patients. Expanding the roles of NPs and PAs could help to meet the demand for primary care providers within and outside of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) system, suggest the researchers in the March issue of the American Journal of Medicine.