A champion for his patients, I recently heard Dr. Lowell Schmeltz of Associated Endocrinologists in Farmington Hills put very powerful words to the experience of caring for people living with diabetes. I cannot recreate the strength and inspiration of his words, but I can share what I took away from his short presentation:
Keep the education going. He encouraged us to share what we know, between suppliers, manufacturers, insurance companies, and doctors' offices. What are the new requirements for obtaining a device? What is missing in the documentation? Keep the conversation going for the sake of helping the patient. Always think about the patient.
My favorite single sentence that Dr. Schmeltz said was, “CGM is driving diabetes with your eyes open” because it offers such a poetic, understandable visual. With the G7 coming out in the next six to 12 months and the advanced iterations of the Libre, we are as close as we ever have been to a solution until we can learn to make pancreases work again.
His message to Healthy Living was his appreciation of our personal touch with patients. Don’t lose the patient touch. Provide the good care. We so value Dr. Schmeltz's positive feedback as we continue to put patient care first and foremost in our calls and interactions, while we work closely with referral sources as partners in care.
I was obviously wowed by this presentation. It was an honor to hear Dr. Schmeltz in person.
