LIMBWatch Series | Beyond Insurance: How Good Days Helps Patients Access the Care They Need — Featuring Clorinda Walley

What happens when a patient knows they need medical care but cannot afford to receive it? And what happens when the cost of a follow-up appointment becomes the difference between healing and losing a limb?

On this episode of Limb Watch, brought to you by Diabetic Foot Files, Dr. G sits down with Clorinda Wally, leader of Good Days, to expose one of the most overlooked challenges in modern healthcare: the financial and systemic barriers that prevent patients from accessing the treatment they need.

With more than 35 years of healthcare industry experience, Clorinda brings both professional insight and deeply personal understanding to the conversation. After being diagnosed with ulcerative colitis in her 30s, she experienced firsthand how a serious illness can transform a person’s life, overwhelm a family, and make navigating the healthcare system feel impossible—even for someone who has spent decades working within it.

Together, we explore why having health insurance does not necessarily mean having access to healthcare, how copays, prior authorizations, transportation challenges, insurance restrictions, and the cost of medical supplies can interrupt treatment, and why these barriers can have devastating consequences for people living with diabetes and diabetic foot ulcers.

In limb salvage, time is tissue. But what happens when patients cannot afford the time-sensitive care that could save their limbs?

Dr. G shares a sobering clinical experience involving a patient whose healing diabetic toe ulcer deteriorated to necrosis after financial concerns prevented her from returning for follow-up care. It is a painful reminder that delayed treatment is not always the result of noncompliance or a lack of concern. Sometimes, patients are forced to choose between their health and the expenses required to survive.

In this conversation, we discuss:

The hidden cost of healthcare: Why insurance coverage does not guarantee access to treatment.

The financial consequences of diabetic foot ulcers: How delayed appointments, inadequate wound supplies, and interrupted treatment can contribute to worsening wounds and potential limb loss.

The human side of healthcare access: The emotional toll of financial stress, illness, and feeling unable to obtain medically necessary care.

Beyond the prescription: Why clinicians must ask whether patients can realistically afford, reach, and follow their treatment plans.

Finding help when the system feels overwhelming: How patient a