Medicare has added a restriction to its coverage of Dexcom CGM for their patients: “Medicare” transmitters will be hardcoded to prevent pairing with the Dexcom G5 smartphone app! In fact, Medicare has forced Dexcom (and maybe they did it willingly) to build custom transmitters that totally disallow users from using their smartphones app (Dexcom, Clarity and Follow).
WHY????
This is totally outrageous and shows how much Medicare either doesn’t understand the amazing benefits of the Dexcom G5 or simply doesn’t care! I’m speechless. I’m only hoping and praying that our wonderful do-it-yourself, #We’reNotWaiting community will figure out how to break through the blockage.
As Dr. Steve Edelman writes:
Consider a backup camera for your car. For many tasks, the backup camera offers a better user experience than just using your rear view mirror and looking out the back window. The backup camera doesn’t replace the rear-view mirror, but it can only help. Once you’ve used a backup camera, it becomes very hard to go back. (I get anxious driving loaner or rental vehicles now).
Medicare’s decision to restrict smartphones is akin to forcing car manufacturers to disable rear-view cameras. The use of a backup camera literally doesn’t cause any harm or limitation to the standard rear view mirror. In fact, it is harmful and less safe to remove the functionality of a backup camera to a car, just as it is harmful and less safe to remove the added functionality of a smartphone to CGM.
If you are on Facebook, you might want to join the group: CGMitC Off Topic and check out Wes Ton’s post about the restriction.
Read more: Medicare’s smartphone restriction of Dexcom G5 hurts patients
Dexcom and Fitbit bring CGM data to Smartwatch, as reported on FierceBiotech 8 September 2017 and in the Dexcom announcement to their shareholders on 7 September 2017.
Fitbit (NYSE:FIT), the leading global wearables brand, and DexCom, Inc. (NASDAQ:DXCM), the leader in continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) for people with diabetes, today announced a collaboration to develop and market products to help people better manage their diabetes and get a more complete picture of their overall health with easy-to-use mobile tools.
View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170907005577/en/
The first planned initiative is to bring Dexcom CGM data to Fitbit’s new smartwatch, Fitbit Ionic. Through this experience, Dexcom CGM users on either Android or iOS devices would be able to see both activity and glucose levels, right on their wrist.
Do you have absolute confirmation that Dexcom is shipping modified transmitters to those of us on CGM and Medicare?
I’ve asked many people (in and out of Dexcom) and everyone says that all equipment being shipped to those of us on Medicare is not restricted in any way.
I’ve been chasing it down too, Nolan. I have the answer I am confident with this morning, from Claudia Graham, Sr. VP of Global Access:
“there is no transmitter that is being modified at this point. We are working with patients to explain the requirements and other things to ensure compliance. Please just check our website for any updates etc.. we will release relevant information when it comes available.”
Yeahhhh, we are on the honor system!!!