A qualitative study was conducted among organizations offering educational programs for patients with type 2 diabetes. The aim was to describe these activities, assess their quality, identify the underlying models, and compare them. Seven innovative organizations were selected, located in hospitals, networks, or paramedical facilities, in mainland France and the French overseas departments. Interviews and observations of educational sessions were conducted between 2000 and 2002. An analytical framework was developed based on models from the fields of health education and patient education. This study provides detailed insights into the educational activities offered. It confirms the variability of practices, despite the shared goal of “increasing patient autonomy”: organizational differences are significant; implicit models and objectives are sometimes contradictory, encouraging either autonomy in managing a prescribed treatment or, conversely, patient self-determination. These differences do not appear to be linked to the type of facility, but rather to the personal backgrounds of the practitioners and local constraints. The quality of the programs is high. They reflect a positive vision of health, within an approach focused on health promotion. The survey, however, highlights shared limitations (patient involvement, diversity of skills, interdisciplinarity). It also appears necessary to evaluate the effects of such educational practices based on the model used.