Diabetes treatment

MinuteClinic providers are trained to treat diabetes. They can review your medical history, discuss your symptoms, conduct examinations and provide a personalized treatment plan.

1. You may have to answer a few questions about symptoms to help us prepare for your visit prior to scheduling your appointment.

2. Check-in varies depending on how you scheduled your appointment:

   If you made your appointment online:
   Check in using the email or text message we sent to confirm your appointment. If you prefer to check in using the electronic kiosk, make sure you have your confirmation code.

   If you made your appointment in the clinic:
   Sign in at the electronic kiosk.

   If you made a MinuteClinic Virtual Care® appointment:
   To join your virtual visit, use the link in the email or text message we sent you to confirm your appointment. Please join 15 minutes before your scheduled visit time. You will need your date of birth and zip code to join the visit.

3. When it's time for your appointment, a provider will call your name.
4. Your provider will conduct a thorough examination based on your reason for visit, presenting symptoms and health history. Charges will be based on examination and services provided during the visit.
5. At the end of your visit, you are provided with a visit summary, receipt and educational material about your diagnosis. At your request, we can send your primary care provider information about your visit.

Diabetes is a chronic disease that’s manageable. The treatment and management of prediabetes, type 1 and type 2 diabetes involve a combination of factors. Based on your assessment and screening results, your MinuteClinic® provider may include the following in your personalized treatment plan:

• Blood glucose monitoring: Check and record your blood sugar level occasionally. If you’re receiving insulin therapy, you might need to do this multiple times a day.
• Healthy body weight: Get to and maintain a healthy body mass index (BMI). Reducing your body weight by just 5 to 10% can make a difference and help lower your blood glucose levels.
• Healthy eating: Map out a meal plan that fits your health goals, food preferences and lifestyle. Make sure that it supports your diabetes treatment. An effective meal plan should include more fruits, vegetables and fiber. It should have fewer calories, refined carbohydrates and fewer foods containing saturated fats.
• Medication or insulin therapy: It’s possible for some people who have type 2 diabetes to achieve their blood sugar targets with healthy eating and exercise alone. Other people may also need diabetes medication or insulin therapy.
• Regular physical activity: Everyone benefits from regular exercise. Choose activities you enjoy, such as hiking, swimming or basketball. It's much easier to include fun activities into your daily routine, rather than “workouts” that you might need to convince yourself to do.

Before starting an exercise program, consult your health care provider to plan the type, amount and intensity of your planned activities.

MinuteClinic providers can develop a treatment plan and help you follow it. Your provider can help you manage your diabetes and enjoy healthy living through good self-care.

• Prediabetes: If you have prediabetes, the primary goal is to prevent or delay it from escalating into type 2 diabetes. With treatment and monitoring, you’ll be able to maintain healthy blood glucose levels.
• Type 1 diabetes: Treatment involves frequent blood sugar checks, carbohydrate counts, insulin injections or using an insulin pump.
• Type 2 diabetes: Treatment benefits significantly from lifestyle changes and blood glucose monitoring, along with diabetes medications, insulin or both.

MinuteClinic providers can prescribe FDA-approved GLP-1s, such as Liraglutide and Semaglutide, to patients when clinically appropriate. GLP-1s are proven to help with blood sugar control and lower cardiovascular risk.

Diabetes treatment works well when it’s paired with regular tests and exams that are part of diabetes monitoring. Ongoing monitoring provides the information needed to adjust to your treatment, maintain good overall health and prevent complications. Your diabetes monitoring may include:

• A1C (Glycated Hemoglobin) testing
• Blood pressure checks
• Body mass index (BMI) measurement
• Cholesterol testing
• Kidney function (micro albumin) testing
• Comprehensive foot examination