Berkeley Parents Network: Primary Care MD for Diabetic

Berkeley Parents Network

Primary Care MD for Diabetic

Berkeley Parents Network > Reviews > Health & Medical > Primary Care MD for Diabetic

April 2004

I am diabetic, and have recently had difficulty managing my blood sugar levels. My primary care physician has not seemed particularly concerned -- to the point that I have found it pretty frustrating, as I would really like to be aggressive in treating this (I'm pretty young, with a toddler to care for, and would like to be part of his future!). Any recommendations for a primary care physician (Alta Bates Medical Group) who's good at working with diabetes?

I doubt you will find that there is a primary care physician who is a specialist in diabetes. As a type 1 diabetic, I too have found it increasingly frustrating that there are not more doctor's in the area that deal with this. But really what you need is a specialist, namely an endocrinologist that specializes in Diabetes Management, in addition to your PCP. The specialist is not one for taking care of your basic health needs, nor is the PCP meant to be the specialist, and actually I find it better that I have both to balance it out.

For ABMG, there are only two that I know of--the best one, my first doc, moved away five years ago, leaving most if not all of his patients to Randall Ammon, in Orinda, or Michael O'Conner in Pinole. Dr. O'conner is straitforward and his staff is ok. I think you have a bigger concern with your PCP--that he/she is not so concerned about your overall health enough to recommend you to someone--it's not his/her job to specialize in your diabetes management, but it is certainly his/her responsibility to recommend someone who can. I would be looking for both a new PCP and Endocrinologist if I were you. Please feel free to email me with any other questions/concerns you might have.

As the mother of a diabetic child, my sense is that you would be better served by getting a referral to see an endocrinologist. Our daughter has both a pediatrician and an endocrinologist. Diabetes is a very complicated disease, compounded by the fact that the patient has to be his or her own doctor 99% of the time making personal choices all day long about insulin dosage, food, exercise, etc. In order to do this well, you need the information, education, supervision, and encouragement that can best be provided by a diabetes educator and endocrinologist. I would be leery of seeing a primary care physician for diabetes care simply because a generalist cannot be as up to date as a specialist. There are new insulins on the market, insulin pumps with very sophisticated software systems, and various strategies that change all the time. In order to get the best care possible, you need to see someone who specializes in this disease. Many primary care doctors may tell you that they can treat diabetes, but their level of understanding may not good enough. The other thing I would suggest is that if you are not already doing so, be sure to get a hemoglobin A1C test on a quarterly basis. This is your best indicator of how well your blood sugars have been maintained for the past 2-3 months. Good Luck.

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