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If you have ever moved away from your T1D care provider, how challenging was it to find a new T1D care provider who was accepting new patients?
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Not challenging, but my last move was in 1993.
A formal hand-off/referral was given. The initial waiting period for the first visit was O-V-E-R 9 months away!! Polite, brief VM were left multiple times, numerous emails, assorted phone calls, even a physical visit. No response of ANY kind whatsoever… crickets. Supposedly accepting new patients and actually seeing them, entirely different creatures.
I moved to Florida 15 months ago. I STILL haven’t found an adequate provider! And it’s been so difficult to find a supplier for my supplies as well. My insurance won’t allow for me to use a pharmacy for pump and Dexcom supplies. It’s been horrible locating one that delivers to Florida and works with my BCBS insurance.
Try CCS medical supplies, they are there in Florida too…
Linda,
I live in Florida. I get my supplies from Edgepark, and I have a BCBS insurance. They cover 100% of my Durable Medical Supplies. (I also have Medicare).
I agree. I moved to west central Florida back in 2005. Before moving, I had access to excellent medical care at a University hospital 20 minutes away from where I lived. I moved to Citrus County where there were No board-certified endocrinologists. I wound up going to one in Tampa over 1 hour away. Several years later, I found one in Hernando County, just 20 minutes away and was with him from 2013 to 2022. For the last 3 years under his care, he’d been unable to obtain Medicare-approval for me to change my sites more often than every 3 days (Type 1 since 1976 and pumping since 2011 and had been experiencing poorer insulin absorption and higher BG’s on Day 3 of sites). I changed to another endo in Pasco County…about 50 minutes away, She has been able to obtain Medicare autho for me to change my sites more frequently. I’ve been getting my pump and CGM supplies through CCS Medical since 2014. They are a Medicare-approved provider of DME. Generally, CCS processing runs pretty smoothly UNLESS you need to make a change in type of supply or quantity. Then it can become a nightmare and requires diligent follow-up to be certain you receive what you need when you need it.
I used to use Solara. I would try reaching out and see if they can help. BCBS of MI they took at 100% coverage. https://www.solara.com/
I moved to Montana…I found a wonderful Dr! I was going to Northwestern in Chicago…big shoes to fill.
After 60+ years I want to see a doctor not a Nurse Practitioner! Here in MS that’s all I see, the medical field here is NOT educated on this disease!!
I didn’t move away but my doctor “retired” and I had to find a new one. It takes a while. Now it is fine.
My medical doctor acted as my endocrinologist for years. When he retired it was a challenge to find an endocrinologist. I did find some. Not sure they should have been endo doctors. One patient in the waiting room told me his husband ended up in the hospital due to changing his medication from type 1 medication to type 2. I look up medication before taking them now. I got up and left. I now drive 30 minutes to reach the recommended endo doctor I use now. Had a friend in another state with type 2 and she said the nearest endocrinologist to her was over an hour. Seems to be getting worse.
Yes I do
I only ever changed providers due to incompetence, it took a few tries to find a decent one that understands the condition.
Challenging is vague. But I left an outstanding Dr. at the Joslin Clinic in Syracuse. I moved close to a city with several Endo Choices. I chose a hospital where I do all of my medical care. Unfortunately, the Endocrinology department has a few Endo doctors, and lots of APRN’s. They assign your care specialists. So, for the past 11 years, I’ve seen APRN’s about 95% of the time.
Does type 1 care provider mean all the doctors we need to see for things caused by diabetes? or just the endo/ primary care doc?
I said very challenging, it seems that in the area I live, doctors and their nursing staff are over worked. Both my new endocrinologist and cardiologist told me that they are getting overwhelmed by healthy patients that are seeing them because of questions about their health app readings and/or to get some of the newer type 2 diabetes GLP-1’s for weight loss.
I feel it’s not hard to find a PCP who’s accepting new patience… it’s much harder to find a GOOD PCP. That’s a challenge!
The challenge is finding an endocrinologist with experience in T1 . I asked JDRF for help, and the organization’s view was that any endocrinologist would do, and that finding an endocrinologist is not hard.
Other medical specialties, such as ophthalmology, are very clear about the need to distinguish among the various “sub-specialties.” A retina specialist does not remove cataracts, and an anterior segment ophthalmologist will send you to a retina specialist for retinopathy assessments. These areas of expertise are recognized by anyone seeking health care. Why can’t endocrinologists do the same? Why doesn’t JDRF recognize that T1 and T2 are different?
Just found out my long-time endo is leaving the practice. Seems like the practice can’t find a replacement and the other three docs won’t take the leaving doc’s. Very disappointing.
Have found one but it is not an easy process and I don’t know the quality of the new one.
Ugh!
Not sure. I was diagnosed and first treated at a university clinic. After a year there, I graduated and moved for a job. That was 47 years ago and I don’t remember having trouble finding a provider. The one I found was great and I saw him for over 40 years.
The challenge has been finding an Endo that supports use of DIY Loop, current one is interested because of my numbers and results, but the perceived FDA limitations cause an issue.
Awhile ago I moved from suburban northern VA to a small rural town in central VA. The GP I was seeing referred me to an an Endo practice 30 miles to the east. The Endo there was kind of new and wanted to start me over despite I had been diagnosed T1d 39+ years ago. After the 3rd visit I went looking for a new Endo. My GP referred me to a practice 30 miles to the west. The Endo was very good. He was teamed with a PA who knew how to fine tune the pump. Been happy with them. My problem has beed with getting blood tested prior to my appointments.
Moved out of state, and asked my new PCP for a referral to an endo, which she provided. At first the endo practice refused me because my control was too good. I think they thought I was T2. Had to explain that I was T1, using a pump and needing to transition to a new one etc etc. Eventually they took me on, but with an NP. Which was fine–she’s very knowledgeable and easy to work with.
Never have had any difficulties finding a new care provider. This is with 7 international moves.
Only once, did I have the experience of going to a new state and city and due to the health insurance I had I could not go to the 1 endocrinologist in the plan because they didn’t believe in insulin pumps or CGM’s. I know there were endocrinologist (who didn’t accept my insurance) that used them & encouraged their patients to. This was in 2016.
My T1D provider is 160 mile round trip and has been from my first visit. I needed a specialist with his level of expertise. The local doctors had no idea how to treat me. I was 45 with three young kids and a busy job. Without him, I wouldn’t be 77 now.
Over the past 6 decades I’ve changed about 6 times.
Finding an endo accepting new patients wasn’t much of a problem. Finding an endo who really knows diabetes who is accepting new patients is a huge problem!
I haven’t moved but my endo did. It took 2 years to find another good one.
My first Endo. retired, but he got me set up with his Intern partner of many years ago.
Our mid-sized town of 50,000 has had only 1 endo for over 40 years. His specialty is diabetes, so we are blessed, but he is nearing retirement. This past year, another endo has started a practice associated with our regional hospital, but I’m not sure she is accepting any new patients now.