For those affected by diabetes, proper foot care and maintenance is essential. The disease decreases blood flow, particularly to the feet. Diabetics must continuously monitor their feet to avoid infections, otherwise they could face amputation. When inspecting your feet, look for wounds, bruises, blisters, ulcers and ingrown nails. It is recommended that you contact your podiatrist for instructions on how to properly care for your feet. Proper shoes are also very important for diabetics. Shoes should be well-fitting, protect your feet, made of stretchable and breathable materials and have supportive foot beds and insoles. 

Our extensive diabetic foot care program gives you the opportunity to exam your feet so that we are able to customize a diabetic foot care program that meets your needs. We offer diabetic shoes and customs inserts which we cast in our office. Having your shoes fitted by a professional will help avoid diabetic injury that may be caused by improper fitting of the shoes. To find out more about our recommended foot care guidelines, visit our Diabetic Foot Care Guidelines page.

Custom Diabetic Shoe Program

In order to help diabetics obtain correct shoe gear and prevent or reduce the number of ulcerations, injuries, and amputations, Medicare, Medicare replacement plans, and some private insurances will assist their diabetic patients in paying for diabetic shoes. In order to qualify, certain conditions must be present and the following process must take place:

• The patient’s primary care provider (or the doctor that manages the patient’s diabetes) must first examine the patient and document in their medical records the patient’s current plan for management of diabetes, such as diagnostics (blood glucose test or A1C), diet, exercise regimen, and/or medications
• They must also document the patient’s foot deformities or conditions, including but not limited to: bunions, hammertoes, neuropathy (loss of protective sensation in the feet), ulcerations, or amputation.
• Please print the our Custom Diabetic Shoe Form, take it your  primary care provider (or the doctor that manages the patient’s diabetes) to be filled out and return it to us.

After that:

• The patient sees one of our podiatrists for a podiatric foot examination.  At that visit, the patient’s feet are thoroughly examined, their shoe gear is evaluated, their proper foot measurements (both length and width) are obtained, and the patient and podiatrist agree on the proper shoe style to fit the patient’s needs and preferences.
• The podiatrist’s office sends the podiatrist’s medical records and paperwork fully documenting the foot examination visit to the patient’s primary care doctor (or the doctor who manages the patient’s diabetes), who signs the medical records agreeing with the podiatrist’s prescription for diabetic shoes.
• Once the podiatrist’s office has the signed medical records from the primary care doctor’s visit, as well as the podiatrist’s visit, they place the order for the shoes in the style, size, and color decided upon at the podiatric exam visit, as well as any inserts for the shoes.