A diabetic shoe program is a great way to increase therapeutic value and to get specialized foot orthotics.
It is not an easy task to maintain a center of excellence for diabetic footwear. This is not something many podiatric doctors can do. As podiatric medicine becomes less popular, more pharmacies are being established in the communities. It is found that some of the non-physician suppliers of shoes do a great job. As a result, patients and physicians become more skeptical about the health benefits of diabetic footwear.
There are various views among doctors regarding diabetic shoes. Some believe that the diabetic shoe program is too complex. Some find it valuable but only give it a mediocre effort. Many podiatry doctors believe that the doctor is the only one who can successfully implement a diabetic shoe program. This approach is dangerous for many reasons.
It is crucial to establish protocols for identifying qualified patients and scheduling them for a comprehensive diabetic feet assessment every year. This approach will enable the physician to identify patients who are at risk of developing an ulcerative disease, determine if they are qualified for shoes, and permit them to meet Physician Quality Reporting Systems incentive requirements. Many doctors are too busy to properly train or educate their staff. It is not easy to get things done and it's hard for many people to walk again. Also, documentation and adherence can suffer if there are not enough qualified staff.
A successful program requires a combination of identification, evaluations, fitting, documentation procurement, and the right adherence tools. Poor attention to detail, poor training, and ineffective staffing will result in unsuccessful diabetic shoe programs.
Here are my steps to success in running a diabetic shoe program:
While some patients may already be fitted with shoes from another facility, many others have never received shoes. The staff must be trained on established protocols to determine when the patient received the last diabetic shoes. It is also necessary to conduct a thorough diabetic foot exam.
The success of your program means that it is growing each year. It requires excellent service from your staff, education, and a quality product. Achieving success also means providing a high-quality product and service. This includes proper documentation in the chart and attention to DME supplier's standards.
Why it is important to designate a coordinator for diabetic shoes
Success is dependent on making the program work for everyone. At the beginning of each year, it's important to set benchmarks on how many shoes you can give to diabetic patients. The responsibility for identifying qualified patients should fall on the diabetic footwear coordinator. If you don't have an established diabetic shoe program, you will likely give five or fewer pairs per month.
Additionally, the diabetic shoe program will include a spreadsheet that will record when the doctor sent the patient's medical certificate, for who it was, and when the shoes were delivered.