Type 2 Diabetes Management

Special Shoes

Posted by Lu Young RN

You were born with two feet and  perhaps now you need type 2 diabetes management with special shoes to keep them.

Do I Need a Special Pair of Shoes?

Yes, if you are high risk.

High risk is defined by having one or more of the following:

• Loss of sensation in the feet

• Absent pulses on the feet

• Any kind of foot deformity

• Any history of foot ulcer

• Prior amputation

How do I pay for special shoes?

Congress amended the Medicare statutes to provide partial reimbursement for depth shoes, custom molded shoes, and shoe inserts to qualifying Medicare Part B diabetic patients.

How Do I Qualify?

The physician (M.D. or D.O.) who is managing your diabetic condition must certify that:

1. You have diabetes mellitus

2. You have one or more of the following conditions:

• Previous amputation of the other foot, or part of either foot, or

• History of previous foot ulceration of either foot, or

• History of pre-ulcerative of callus formation of either foot, or

• Foot deformity of either foot, or

• Poor circulation in either foot; and

3. The physician who is managing your diabetic condition has certified that indications 1 & 2 are met. And that you need therapeutic shoes.

What Is Reimbursable:

A qualifying patient is limited to one of the following footwear categories within one calendar year, reimbursed at 80% of the allowable amounts:

• One pair of depth shoes and three pair of inserts.

-OR-

• One pair of custom molded shoes (including inserts) and two additional pairs of inserts.

Additionally:

• Separate inserts may be covered under certain criteria.

• A shoe modification will be covered as a substitute for an insert.

• A custom molded shoe is covered when the patient has a foot deformity, which cannot be accommodated by depth shoe.

Now that you have all the information, you can make the decision.  Type 2 diabetes management with special shoes may help you keep your feet.  So take good care of your feet.