Diabetic Shoe Program

The diabetic shoe program was put in place by congress in the mid 1990’s in order to save money, prevent and limit ulcer formation, prevent amputations and decrease the number of disabled Americans as a consequence of these diabetic complications. It has been a success and with the increase in the number of diabetic Americas the benefits of this program have saved millions of dollars and many limbs. Having a good understanding of the way a foot functions and pressures in the foot is critical to preventing ulcers, infections, and amputations. Dr. Oehler has treated 1000’s of ulcers over his career medically and through the use of devices such as shoes, padding techniques, insole modifications, and specialized moldable devices for the toes. We have had great success with these modalities.

Extra depth shoes today look much like any other shoe do to advances in sole technology. This is very helpful since people were not willing to wear shoes that did not look good. For most people extra depth shoes are sufficient to relieve pressure and get people walking with more comfort. The diabetic shoe program does require paperwork, but no worries, we take care of it for you. The entire process can take up to 4-5 weeks but usually takes around 3 weeks. We have laid out the program that works best and is as follows:

Visit 1: Diabetic foot exam and the initiation of the Certificate of Medical Necessity (CMN). The CMN must be signed by the physician managing your diabetes
Visit 2: After we receive the CMN from your physician we schedule the second visit to size and mold your feet and select the style of shoe.
Visit 3: When we receive the shoes and inserts from the manufacturer we schedule our 3rd and final visit to distribute the shoes and make sure everything fits properly. On occasion we may need to make adjustments or re-evaluate the fitting on a 4th visit.

Custom diabetic shoes require additional steps in the process due to the specialized fit needed. Custom shoes are constructed from direct molds of the patients feet because other shoes are not an option because of deformities. These deformities can be of any kind as long as they do not allow off the self shoes to fit your feet. The process is much the same for the extra depth shoes but takes longer. Custom shoe are normally to the patient within 8 weeks. The added time is required because the shoes are constructed around a mold of each foot and customized for the patient.