The researchers developed a diabetes care quality summary score (DCQSS) that weights blood pressure, tobacco use, glucose information, and lipid information by cost-effectiveness for improving cardiovascular outcomes. They compared the DCQSS to selected Diabetes Quality Improvement Project (DQIP) measures of care in an urban Medicaid healthcare maintenance organization population using a retrospective chart review. The DCQSS assesses cardiovascular risk compared to individual risk-factor control with DQIP measures. The authors believe that the DCQSS provides an easier interpretation of diabetes quality than multiple DQIP measures.