Judy Podoll, Nurse Practitioner: Milwaukee

My Endo is a Nurse Practitioner. Her name is Judy Podoll and she
practices at the Froedtert & Medical College of Wis complex in suburban
Milwaukee. This is where our level One Trauma, regional transplant and
Children's Hospital are located. Lots and lots of resources available and
very close by.

Judy has been my endo since I was dx in March of 2005. She's an insulin
diabetic and very aware of what is going on with current treatment
scenarios etc. She usually blocks an hour for my appointment and does not
hurry me along. I have a lot of stress in my job and she's always very
concerned about what I'm doing in my day-to-day life, work and home. We
have a great relationship and I love going to her.

If she has any negatives, it's that while she's very aware of new
treatment options, she's rather reluctant to go outside the box so to speak.
I wanted to try Byetta first, before going on Novolog & Lantus. I had
to talk to her about it for almost a year before she would let me try
it. I was her first native patient (not transferred to her) to try it.
It didn't end up working for me and I went to insulin about 30-45 days
into it. I would like to feel that we've explored all our available
options. I think it's ok to be cautious, just make sure we're not
deliberately avoiding something because it's new.

I feel fortunate to have found her with no referral from my PCP. I also
feel very fortunate to have access to world class health care that
it's in my network.

Richard L. Phelps: Chicago

My endo is a dude named Richard L. Phelps. He practices out of Chicago's Northwestern hospital, he's in his 60s.
He's got some pretty major plusses. His availability is awesome, he's relatively cheap, he takes the time to listen, he doesn't think he's God or anything like that, he really cares, and he's on call for patient emergencies 24-7.
He's also got some downsides; he's not really into pumps or CGMSs (which isn't to say he won't let you, he's just not that enthusiastic about them). He does the A1cs with a blood draw- and he actually draws the blood himself, not delegating to a nurse.
I'd give him four and a half stars out of five.

Welcome!

So here it is. Your big chance. You now have the opportunity to share your experiences with your endocrinologist. Do you like them? Why? Hate them? Why? Do they have a caring and knowledgeable staff? Do they return phone calls? Do they spend time with you or rush you out the door?

Diabetics and parents of diabetics face an uphill battle every day managing diabetes. I want to know which endos are helping you up the hill or dragging you down. And once I know about it, your endo may know about it. The idea is for us to recognize the great ones, and make sure the bad ones know why they are bad, and why we will be telling people to stay away from the practices.

Doctors are just like a brake shop, or a restaurant, or even a car wash. They are in business to make money, and when they are bad no one ever speaks up. Now's our chance to speak up. Coming in the next day or two will be detailed instructions on how and what to submit to me for posting on the site. Of course, I will begin by posting my experiences with the three adult endos I have seen over the years and the two children's practices my little Emma has been to.

I hope this site becomes informative to you all and will motivate you to treat your doctor like a businessperson.