What to expect at your pediatric diabetes appointment

• Complete your pre-visit questionnaire: The day before your appointment you will be notified to check-in online in MyChart, this includes completing a questionnaire. The information you provide helps us prepare for your child's appointment. The questionnaire asks questions about your child's use of insulin injections, insulin pump or continuous glucose monitor (CGM), how often glucose levels are checked and recent results.
• Upload CGM data: If your child uses a CGM please upload your child's data to the cloud service your family uses (Dexcom Clarity, Libreview, T:connect, Carelink, etc.) 1 day before the appointment. Click here to learn more.
• Bring all diabetes devices: Please remember to bring all devices including meters, pump, pods, CGM, smart pen or any combination that your child uses to every appointment. If your child uses more than one glucometer please bring all of them.
• Insurance coverage for lab tests: If your insurance company has a preferred lab and point of care tests are not covered, please send us a message in MyChart 2-3 weeks prior to the scheduled appointment date. Our nurses can send the lab order to your preferred lab for the tests to be completed prior to your child’s appointment.
• Lab results: For a productive appointment please have all labs completed 7-10 days before your child’s appointment. This gives the care team time to review the results prior to your child’s appointment.

• Check-in
  • Please arrive 15 minutes before your appointment to allow time for registration. (If you are more than 15 minutes late we may need to reschedule your appointment.)
• Intake
  • A medical assistant will measure your child’s height, weight, heart rate and blood pressure.
  • Specimens will be collected for lab work: Collection may involve a finger stick to check glucose, a blood sample to check hemoglobin A1c and urine to check microalbumin. (Let your medical assistant know if your child's labs have already been completed by another lab.)
  • A brief eye exam to screen for diabetic retinopathy, if indicated.
  • Meet with a Diabetes Care and Education Specialist:  This is time to discuss the plan or review progress since the last appointment. We use this time to let you know of new treatment options  available and review learning goals. You can also address any questions or concerns that you may have about treatment(s) and/or technology.
  • Meet with a Physician/Provider: Before the provider meets with you and your child they will review what the Diabetes Care and Education Specialist discussed with you and your child. The Diabetes Care and Education Specialist will relay any questions or concerns they were unable to answer. These questions or concerns will be discussed with you and your child as well as recommendations for treatment(s) and/or screening(s).
  • As a teaching institution, we are committed to the education of the next generation of physicians/providers. With your permission, there may be a medical student, resident or fellow involved in the care of your child during some or all of your visit.
• Wrap-up
  • Complete your appointment with a registered nurse: Take this opportunity to be sure you have all lab orders, prescriptions, school forms and educational material you received during the visit.

The bill for your child’s visit will reflect fees for the services that your child received and may vary based on your insurance. Below is a list of frequently used services along with the Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) code used for billing. Your physician/provider may order additional tests based on medical necessity which are not listed below. If you have questions or concerns about the additional testing please do not hesitate to ask. We encourage you to talk to your insurance company regarding questions you may have related to coverage and cost of these services.

• Point of care (POC) lab testing: Hemoglobin A1c (83036), Glucose (82948), Ketones (82010)
• Review of continuous glucose monitoring (95251)
• Digital eye exam to screen for diabetic retinopathy (92250)
• Physician/provider professional office visit fee for the appointment is based on if your child is a new or established patient, time spent and medical decision making involved. The CPT code ranges are listed below.
  • New Office Visit (99203-99205 or 99243-99245)
  • Established Office Visit (99213–99215)