Endocrinologist & Podiatrist: Why Diabetics Need Both — Michigan’s Coordinated Approach

Complete Diabetic Care Requires Two Specialists

An endocrinologist optimizes your blood sugar. A podiatrist protects your feet. Together, they form the complete diabetic care team — but most diabetic patients only have one or the other. At Balance Foot & Ankle, we’ve built the partnerships that make true coordinated care possible across Michigan.

The Grunberger Partnership — Bloomfield Hills

Our Bloomfield Hills office is located in the same building as the Grunberger Diabetes Institute at 43494 Woodward Ave, Bloomfield Hills. Dr. George Grunberger is internationally recognized as a leading diabetes management authority. Our proximity creates a seamless care pathway — endocrinological management and podiatric foot protection in the same building visit.

The Vassallo Partnership — Howell

Our Howell office is minutes from Vassallo Medical Group on the same Grand River Ave corridor. Dr. John Vassallo, MD, manages diabetes, hypertension, and vascular health for Livingston County patients while we monitor and protect their feet.

What We Provide That Endocrinologists Don’t

Annual diabetic foot exams with vascular and neurological assessment, neuropathy screening and documentation, diabetic shoe fitting (Medicare-covered), wound care and ulcer prevention, medical nail care with sterile instruments, custom 3D-printed orthotics for pressure redistribution, and MLS laser + EMTT for diabetic neuropathic pain.

Ask Your Endocrinologist About Referring You

If you’re a diabetic patient of Grunberger, Vassallo, or any other Michigan endocrinologist or internist — ask them about referring you to Balance Foot & Ankle. You deserve both halves of complete diabetic care.

Call (810) 206-1402. Offices in Howell (Livingston County) and Bloomfield Hills (Oakland County).

Endocrinologist and Podiatrist for Diabetic Patients: Coordinated Care in Michigan

For Michigan diabetic patients seeing an endocrinologist, adding a podiatrist to the care team creates a complementary clinical partnership that addresses the foot complications that diabetes management alone cannot prevent. The endocrinologist manages the metabolic underpinnings of diabetes — insulin regimen, GLP-1 agonists, SGLT2 inhibitors, thyroid function, and the tight glycemic control that slows neuropathy and vascular disease progression. The podiatrist manages the foot and ankle sequelae that develop despite good metabolic control — peripheral neuropathy with loss of protective sensation, peripheral arterial disease affecting wound healing, nail and skin conditions that create wound entry points, and the biomechanical factors that determine where pressure loading concentrates on the foot. Together, endocrinology and podiatry form the most complete diabetic foot care team available to Michigan patients.

Balance Foot & Ankle communicates directly with patients’ endocrinologists when findings at the annual diabetic foot exam are relevant to glycemic management or vascular risk — including new peripheral neuropathy progression, ABI findings suggesting peripheral arterial disease, and preulcerative changes that indicate the patient’s foot protection behaviors need reinforcement. Michigan endocrinology practices who refer diabetic patients to our Howell or Bloomfield Hills offices for annual foot examinations receive timely written reports of clinical findings to integrate into their ongoing metabolic management. Diabetic patients who see an endocrinologist but have not established podiatric care should ask their endocrinologist for a podiatric referral, or call Balance Foot & Ankle directly at (810) 206-1402 to schedule an annual diabetic foot examination.

Michigan patients with systemic conditions affecting their feet deserve coordinated care that addresses both the underlying disease and its foot manifestations. Balance Foot & Ankle works collaboratively with endocrinologists, cardiologists, rheumatologists, neurologists, and primary care physicians throughout Livingston and Oakland counties to provide podiatric care that integrates with the patient’s overall treatment plan. When a systemic disease is driving foot complications, managing the foot without optimizing the underlying disease — and managing the underlying disease without addressing the foot complications it produces — produces inferior outcomes. Call us at (810) 206-1402 to schedule a comprehensive evaluation at our Howell or Bloomfield Hills office, and bring your list of current physicians so we can coordinate your care appropriately.

Related Treatment Guides

• Plantar Fasciitis & Heel Pain Treatment
• Custom 3D Orthotics
• Sports Foot & Ankle Injury Treatment
• Bunion Treatment

Same-week appointments are available at our Howell office at 4330 E Grand River and our Bloomfield Hills office at 43494 Woodward Ave #208 for Michigan patients with foot conditions related to systemic health issues. Our clinical team is experienced working alongside specialists in endocrinology, cardiology, rheumatology, and neurology to provide podiatric care that integrates with the patient’s complete treatment plan. Call Balance Foot & Ankle at (810) 206-1402 to schedule your evaluation today.

Medical References & Sources

• American Diabetes Association — Foot Complications
• PubMed Research — Diabetic Foot Care
• American Podiatric Medical Association — Diabetic Foot

Your Board-Certified Podiatrists

Dr. Tom Biernacki, DPM

Board-Certified · FACFAS

Dr. Carl Jay, DPM

Board-Certified Podiatrist

Dr. Daria Gutkin, DPM

Podiatrist

Dr. Tom Biernacki, DPM

Dr. Tom Biernacki, DPM is a double board-certified podiatrist and foot & ankle surgeon at Balance Foot & Ankle Specialists in Southeast Michigan. With over a decade of clinical experience, he specializes in heel pain, bunions, diabetic foot care, sports injuries, and minimally invasive surgery. Dr. Biernacki is a member of the APMA and ACFAS, and his patient education content on MichiganFootDoctors.com and YouTube has reached over one million views.