Type 2 diabetes care by video in Florida

MD Care treats adults with type 2 diabetes and prediabetes across Florida. For primary care, you stay with the same clinician whenever possible, so your plan builds from one visit to the next.

What type 2 diabetes is

In type 2 diabetes, the body doesn't use insulin well and, over time, may not make enough of it. Sugar (glucose) builds up in the blood instead of moving into cells for energy. Prediabetes means blood sugar is higher than normal but not yet in the diabetes range, and it's a good moment to act.

Over the years, high blood sugar can damage the heart, blood vessels, kidneys, eyes, nerves and feet. Good care aims to keep blood sugar in a healthy range for you, and to manage blood pressure and cholesterol too, since they affect the same organs.

How MD Care manages diabetes by video

• A full first visit. Your clinician reviews your history, recent labs, current medications, how you check your blood sugar, and what daily life looks like: meals, activity, sleep, work.
• Your glucose log. If you check your blood sugar with a meter or a continuous glucose monitor, you share your readings before visits. Patterns over days and weeks matter more than any single number.
• Labs near you. If appropriate, your clinician orders tests at Labcorp or Quest, such as an A1C (your average blood sugar over the past few months), kidney function, a urine test for protein, and cholesterol. Results are reviewed with you.
• Medication review. Your clinician checks whether your medications are working, whether you're having side effects or low blood sugar, and whether anything should change. Changes are made with you, not to you.
• Prescriptions to your pharmacy. Prescriptions go to the pharmacy you choose. Renewing a medication your MD Care clinician prescribed is $5.
• Regular follow-up. When you're starting or changing treatment, visits are closer together. Once your numbers are steady, A1C is often checked a few times a year. Your clinician sets the schedule with you.

The parts that need in-person care

Some important diabetes care can't happen on a screen. Your clinician will help you keep up with:

• A yearly dilated eye exam with an eye doctor, to check for diabetes-related eye damage.
• Foot exams, to check feeling and circulation. Look at your own feet every day and tell us about any sore, blister or color change that isn't healing.
• Dental care, since diabetes raises the risk of gum disease.
• Vaccines, which you can get at your pharmacy.

When you need a specialist or in-person care, we refer you.

What you can do at home

• Check your blood sugar as your clinician advises, and write the numbers down or keep them in your meter's app.
• Build balanced plates. Half vegetables, a quarter protein, a quarter whole grains or starchy foods is a simple place to start.
• Choose water over sugary drinks.
• Move most days. A short walk after meals can help.
• Take medication as prescribed, and don't stop or change it without talking to your clinician.
• Ask about diabetes education. Diabetes self-management training can make a real difference, and Medicare covers it for eligible patients.

Low blood sugar: know the signs

Some diabetes medications, especially insulin and certain pills, can cause low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), often defined as below 70 mg/dL. Signs include:

• Shakiness, sweating or chills
• A fast heartbeat
• Hunger, irritability or anxiety
• Dizziness, confusion or blurred vision

If you can, check your blood sugar. The usual first step is the "15-15 rule": eat or drink 15 grams of fast-acting sugar, such as half a cup of juice or regular soda, wait 15 minutes, and check again. Then eat a snack or meal. Tell your clinician about any low, because your medication may need adjusting.

Medicare and cost

MD Care accepts Medicare. We confirm your coverage before your visit, and your usual Medicare cost-sharing may apply. Without insurance, a video visit is $50, a message visit is $20 when appropriate, and a prescription renewal is $5. There's no membership.

Labs are billed by Labcorp or Quest, and Medicare often covers diabetes-related lab tests. Medicare Part B also covers some diabetes supplies, such as blood sugar meters and test strips, and Medicare drug plans limit what you pay for covered insulin to $35 a month. Your pharmacy or plan can confirm your costs.