Focusing On You: Diabetes Care at University of Miami Health System

Dr. Rajesh Garg is an endocrinologist at UHealth, the University of Miami Health System and director of the Comprehensive Diabetes Center at The Lennar Foundation Medical Center in Coral Gables, Florida. To make an appointment, call 305-243-3636 option 2. For more about diabetes care, CLICK HERE to visit the University of Miami's health news blog.

RAMON'S STORY

When musician Ramon Garganta first received his diabetes diagnosis, he was overwhelmed and confused. As his condition progressed and his health deteriorated, he felt afraid for his life. "I thought I was going to die," says Ramon. "I was ready for whatever it took to get myself straight with this."

A friend referred Ramon to Dr. Rajesh Garg, an endocrinologist at UHealth, University of Miami Health System. "When Ramon came to see me for the first time, he was on multiple drugs, many of them he did not need," says Dr. Garg. "They way he had been treated for many years was stunning, yet there are hundreds of patients just like him."

Untreated, diabetes can lead to a number of other diseases and conditions like kidney disease and blindness. "Diabetes is a systemic disease that affects everything in the body from head to toe," says Dr. Garg. As director of the new Comprehensive Diabetes Center at The Lennar Foundation Medical Center, Dr. Garg is a point person for patients with Type I and Type II diabetes, as well as patients who are prediabetic.

"Diabetes is complex. It's not just one disease," says Dr. Garg. "We understand that and we make a customized plan for each patient according to their goals and lifestyle. We plan for success."

At UHealth's Comprehensive Diabetes Center, doctors from ten specialties including podiatry, nutrition, diabetes education, nephrology, and ophthalmology coordinate their efforts to provide an individualized plan of care for each patient, all under one roof in Coral Gables, Florida. The center is the only one of its kind in South Florida.

For Ramon, this coordinated approach made all the difference. Dr. Garg simplified Ramon's diabetes treatment regiment, connected him with the specialists he needed, and introduced him to a diabetes educator who helped allay Ramon's anxiety about his condition. "Within a couple of months we took care of everything he needed and the transformation is quite remarkable," says Dr. Garg.

Communication among physicians is an additional benefit of the comprehensive approach, as well as the ability for doctors to make same-day appointments for patients, if needed. "The right hand knows what the left hand is doing here," says Ramon. "All the records come to me immediately on my computer. You really don't have to wait."

"This is the best model for diabetes care," says Dr. Garg. "We want to bring in new concepts and unique ways of treating patients. It's not just taking care of their numbers. It's about treating patients in a more humane way, in a way that improves their quality of life."

Today, Ramon's diabetes is well controlled and he's planning for the future, which includes a trip to India and more time with his seven grandchildren. "I feel like I have fifteen to twenty more years ahead of me," says Ramon. "It's like a whole new life."

FOCUSING ON YOU

Focusing on You: Innovations in Modern Medicine is a series of healthcare-related stories airing regularly on CBS-4. For more stories like this one, visit YouTube channels for UHealth, the University of Miami Health System.

Above content provided by UHealth, the University of Miami Health System