OBJECTIVE To explore the effect of "diabetes specialists-community general practitioners-community nurse co-management mode" and "diabetes specialist management mode" on diabetic nephropathy (DN) in primary medical institutions. METHODS Patients with type 2 diabetes admitted to Quanzijie Health Clinic of Jimusar County of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region from October 2017 to March 2018 were enrolled. The Patients were divided into co-management group or specialist management group according to their administrative villages. The treatment plans of the two groups were formulated with reference to the current guidelines. The subjects of the co-management group were jointly managed by a fixed team composed of diabetes specialists from Jimusar Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, community general practitioners and community nurses from Quanzijie Health Clinic, and required to attend diabetes education courses every month. The diabetes specialist of Jimusar Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital was responsible for the formulation and management of the treatment plan of the research object. Follow-up was fulfilled once every 4 weeks for 24 weeks in two groups. Before and after intervention, blood glucose, blood pressure, urinary albumin/creatinine ratio (UACR), estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) as well as the utilization rate of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors/angiotensin II receptor blocker (ACEI/ARB) were collected. RESULTS A total of 115 patients accomplished this study with 54 patients in co-management group and 61 patients in specialist management group. After 24 weeks of intervention, fasting glucose level, postprandial glucose level 2 hours after breakfast, glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), Log UACR in co-management group and specialists management group were significantly decreased compared with baseline [fasting glucose level (mmol/L): 8.06±1.92 vs. 9.16±2.83, 8.21±2.10 vs. 9.06±1.89; postprandial glucose level 2 hours after breakfast (mmol/L): 12.26±3.78 vs. 14.11±5.28, 12.47±3.63 vs. 14.00±3.88; HbA1c: 0.074±0.014 vs. 0.082±0.023, 0.076±0.014 vs. 0.081±0.016; Log UACR (mg/g): 1.63±1.56 vs. 2.25±1.44, 1.84±1.65 vs. 2.43±1.56, all P < 0.05], but there was no statistical significance between the two groups [fasting glucose level (mmol/L): -1.10±0.47 vs. -0.85±0.36, postprandial glucose level 2 hours after breakfast (mmol/L): -1.85±0.88 vs. -1.53±0.68, HbA1c: -0.008±0.004 vs. -0.006±0.003, Log UACR (mg/g): -0.61±0.29 vs. -0.59±0.29, all P < 0.05]. There were no significant changes in blood pressure, serum creatinine and eGFR in the two groups before and after intervention. There were 18 and 24 patients with hypertension in co-management group and specialist management group, respectively. The utilization rates of ACEI/ARB in both groups after intervention were significantly higher than those before intervention [88.9% (16/18) vs. 22.2% (4/18), 95.8% (23/24) vs. 29.2% (7/24), both P < 0.01]. At the end of the study, the utilization rate of ACEI/ARB was similar between the two groups [88.9% (16/18) vs. 95.8% (23/24), P > 0.05]. CONCLUSIONS Both "diabetes specialists-community general practitioners-community nurse co-management mode" and "diabetes specialist management mode" can effectively decrease glucose levels and UACR levels of patients with type 2 diabetes as well as the standard use of antihypertensive agents, which has positive effects on the prevention and treatment on DN.