The document describes the COACH 4 DM project which aims to evaluate how quality improvement strategies can influence the adoption of evidence-based diabetes self-management education. It involves working with six local health departments designated as Diabetes Centers of Excellence to facilitate a quality improvement project to improve delivery of diabetes education services. The goals are to assess current practice, establish improved service delivery processes, and evaluate the new system. Preliminary findings show participants have high knowledge of quality improvement methods generally but less knowledge and comfort using specific tools like PDSA cycles. Perceived engagement in quality improvement by health departments is high but perceived effectiveness is moderate.