Despite advances in available treatments and evidence-based clinical practice guidelines, fewer than one in four diabetes patients are successfully achieving metabolic targets — a statistic that has remained unchanged since 2005. It’s critical to avoid therapeutic inertia and prioritize timely and appropriate intensification of lifestyle and/or pharmacologic therapy for patients who have not achieved the recommended targets, yet challenges remain. While there are multiple factors that may contribute to therapeutic inertia, one contributing factor is that primary care physicians face significant time constraints, and achieving optimal patient care often requires frequent visits, medication adjustments, and ongoing support for making lifestyle changes. Especially in rural areas, there is a growing physician shortage. In the June 15 presentation “A New Era—Leveraging RDNs in Medication Management in Reducing Therapeutic Inertia,” Gretchen Benson, RDN, LDN, CDCES, will discuss how a team-based approach to care that utilizes an expanded role for registered dietitian nutritionists (RDNs) can help patients with type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia achieve improved outcomes. This presentation will highlight results of several studies that have shown successful clinical outcomes from a collaborative, team-based approach that expands the RDN role in initiating/titrating medications, and will share steps to implementing a successful medication protocol.