DME

Healthy Living Medical Supply Wishes Our Pediatric Patients with Diabetes a Great Start to the School Year!

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Healthy Living Medical Supply wishes all of our pediatric patients and families a successful start to the new school year! We know that the start of a new school year brings a mixture of excitement along and anxiety for many families - this is the case, perhaps even more so, for children and families impacted by type one diabetes.

Healthy Living Medical Supply understands the unique needs of pediatric diabetes patients better than any other durable medical equipment (DME) supplier - we offer a unique pediatric program featuring free meters to be left at school and a hassle-free supply refill experience that ensures children always have the necessary supplies on hand to be successful living with diabetes. We work hard to ensure that our patients always have enough pump supplies, CGM supplies, and diabetes testing supplies available. 

The new school year is also an opportunity to consider beneficial diabetes technologies that can assist parents by helping them stay better connected to their children throughout the day. Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) systems from Dexcom and Medtronic help parents stay connected to their child throughout the day via an app on their smartphones - this helps parents monitor blood glucose levels remotely while their child is at school. You may learn more about our CGM systems via our CGM page and by calling a member of our CGM/insulin pump therapy team at 866.779.8512 (option 2) to learn more. 

Check out these additional resources on our website to help children and college-age students living with diabetes at school: 

Getting Ready for Back to School with a 504 Plan

The College Diabetes Network Helps you Live Well at School and Beyond

Healthy Living Medical Supply, based in Detroit, Michigan, is in network with all major insurances in the state of Michigan including Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, Health Alliance Plan of Michigan, Priority Health, Medicaid, and Medicare. Contact us today at 866.778.512 or via website chat to start the simple enrollment process.

Healthy Living Salutes Our Labor Day Weekend Work Team!

Happy Labor Day to our customers, providers, and partners!

Happy Labor Day to our customers, providers, and partners!

While Labor Day Weekend for many people means picnics and celebrating the unofficial end of summer, for people with diabetes it can mean delays in the delivery of their needed CGM and insulin pump supplies due to Holiday shipping interruptions. Healthy Living recognizes this and pulled together a Saturday orders processing team to ensure minimal disruption in supply delivery to our customers due to the Labor Day Holiday.

Five members of our Detroit-based customer care team focused on processing refill orders while three members of our shipping team in Troy packed shipments - we even arranged for a special UPS pick-up to in the early afternoon to ensure timely delivery of these critical medical supplies. Our team routinely looks at the calendar for potential supply bottlenecks that may be caused by holidays and plans accordingly. 

While we don't like to have our employees working on holiday weekends, we also realize that we are in the business of supporting people with a chronic disease and on occasion this involves weekend/holiday shifts. Healthy Living salutes our Saturday orders processing team of Donald, Christina, Tammi, John, Steve, Tara, Mansa and George for their work in helping our customers receive their diabetes supplies in a timely manner.

Looking for a durable medical equipment (DME) supplier for CGM, insulin pump supplies, or a new pump? Healthy Living Medical Supply specializes in diabetes related technologies and therapies and takes pride in providing compassionate and efficient customer service to our customers who are living with diabetes. Give us a call at 866.779.8512 (we answer calls FAST), chat with an agent live or fill the form on this page to start the simple, five minute enrollment process to begin receiving your CGM and insulin pump supplies from a group of people that get it.

Healthy Living Medical Supply is in-network with most major insurance companies in the state of Michigan, including Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, Health Alliance Plan of Michigan (HAP), Priority Health, Michigan Medicaid, Medicare, and many others. 

Introducing the Healthy Living Medical Supply Pediatric Program for Children with Type 1 Diabetes

At Healthy Living, we understand the unique needs of our pediatric members and their care teams. Call us at 866.779.8512 to learn more about our Pediatric Diabetes Supply program and to enroll for the great customer service that you deserve.

At Healthy Living, we understand the unique needs of our pediatric members and their care teams. Call us at 866.779.8512 to learn more about our Pediatric Diabetes Supply program and to enroll for the great customer service that you deserve.

Our team consistently works to better understand the needs and challenges of people of all ages who are living with diabetes (members of our team even wore insulin pumps filled with saline solution to learn more about the ins and outs of using an insulin pump!). We believe that working with a durable medical equipment provider for diabetes-related supplies should involve compassionate customer service with an experience that is EASY for patients. We know this is even more important for pediatric patients living with diabetes and members of their caregiving teams. As a result, we have created a program to support the unique needs of our pediatric diabetes population. You can read more about the program on our pediatrics page, but here are a few highlights: 

  1. Healthy Living Medical Supply provides extra meters for pediatric patients to leave with the school nurse, in the backpack, or in their school locker so that their primary meter may remain home.

  2. We stay in routine contact with the parents/primary caregivers to ensure needed supplies are on hand so patients can be successful in living with diabetes.

  3. We know CGM (continuous glucose monitoring) technology - wouldn't it be great if parents could monitor their children's blood glucose levels while they were sleeping, at school, or on a sleepover at a friend's home? Healthy Living carries all major brands of CGM systems that not only provide pediatric patients with greater insights into their blood glucose levels, but also allow parents and caregivers to have access to the metrics via their smartphones.

  4. When the time comes to consider insulin pump therapy Healthy Living has you covered. We're able to supply insulin pumps and and pump supplies from both Tandem Diabetes and Medtronic Diabetes with excellent customer care in the process.

  5. We provide pediatric-friendly meters with Bluetooth capabilities so data can be easily viewed and shared. More about our pediatric friendly meters here and here.

  6. Order processing is simple for refills when working with Healthy Living - it shouldn't take weeks to receive your child's needed diabetes supplies. Our warehouse is located in Troy, Michigan and our Customer Care Team is located in downtown Detroit, Michigan, so your order will arrive fast, typically within 2-3 business days after receiving your approval via a simple text message.

If you are tired of poor customer service and fighting with your current DME supplier for diabetes supplies, give us a call at 866.779.8512 or chat with an agent live to start the simple enrollment process. Healthy Living Medical Supply is in network with most major insurances in the State of Michigan, including Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, Health Alliance Plan of Michigan (HAP), Priority Health, Michigan Medicaid, Children's Special Health Care Services of Michigan, and many more. Keep your business local! Healthy Living Medical Supply is also the only Michigan-based DME focused entirely on diabetes. 

Tape Tips for CGM and Insulin Pump Sites

We are commonly asked for tips on how to help sensors for CGM systems, infusion sets for insulin pumps, and Omnipods stick better - adhesion is even more important during summer months with increased body perspiration.

We routinely reference the Tape Tips from Medtronic's website when working with customers in coming up with ways to help with adhesion. Before purchasing expensive tapes and transparent dressings that might not even work, be sure to try these simple tips. 

One particular tip that may help is listed directly below and involves the use of non-deodorant antiperspirant. 

Use of Non-Deodorant Antiperspirant at Pump and Sensor Sites:

Non-deodorant antiperspirant can be used at pump and sensor sites to suppress the sweat glands so the adhesive sticks better.  It also helps cut down on possible skin reactions.

Certain Dri Solid Non Deodorant Antiperspirant is commonly found in many drug stores.  It should be labeled and only used at pump and sensor sites.  Apply to the pump infusion and/or sensor site.  Let it soak in for 10-15 minutes. Wash the residue off with soap and water or alcohol.  Wipe the top of the applicator with alcohol to keep it clean.  Insert the pump and sensor.  This works like a charm! 

If you are looking for a great customer service from a Michigan based durable medical equipment (DME) supplier for your Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) supplies, insulin pump supplies, and diabetes testing supplies, contact us today to start the easy enrollment process. We're in network with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, Health Alliance Plan (HAP) of Michigan, Priority Health, and all other major insurances in the state of Michigan. 

In the News - 670G Receives Pediatric Approval & Tandem's Auto-Suspend-on-Low Technology

We're tracking two big announcements from both Medtronic Diabetes and Tandem Diabetes from this past week. 

The first update comes from Medtronic and is an exciting one for families with children living with Type 1 Diabetes - the 670G closed loop system from Medtronic received clearance from the FDA for use with pediatric patients ages seven and up. This certainly is welcome news for pediatric patients, their care team members, and providers. 

And second, Tandem Diabetes received approval for their auto-suspend-on-low technology from the FDA. While we don't know the full details, it looks like the T:Slim X2 pump, when combined with the Dexcom G6 CGM system, will suspend insulin delivery in advance of a predicted low. 

Both of these exciting updates represent a significant advancement in diabetes technology and great news overall for patients and everyone involved in the diabetes community. 

If you are looking at one of these insulin pumps and/or CGM options, Healthy Living Medical Supply is a great place to start - simply give us a call at 866-779-8512, chat with us live, or leave a message if you're on our site after hours. You may also learn more on our Insulin Pump Therapy page

Go local with Healthy Living Medical Supply. Healthy Living Medical Supply is the only Michigan-owned and operated durable medical equipment (DME) supplier that specializes in diabetes. We're able to work with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, Health Alliance Plan of Michigan, Medicare and all major Medicaid plans in the state for insulin pumps, insulin pump supplies, and continuous glucose monitoring systems. 

Now Shipping: Medtronic Guardian Connect CGM System

Medtronic's Guardian Connect is composed of three key components: the sensor, a bluetooth transmitter that lasts a year, and a mobile app

Medtronic's Guardian Connect is composed of three key components: the sensor, a bluetooth transmitter that lasts a year, and a mobile app

We're excited to share that Healthy Living Medical Supply is now shipping the Medtronic Guardian Connect CGM system! This is a great technology option for any patient who is taking insulin via injections and who isn't quite ready for an insulin pump. Read more about the Guardian Connect CGM system at the Medtronic website

What is CGM? CGM stands for Continuous Glucose Monitoring and is a small, half dollar sized device that goes on your body and measures blood sugar levels every five minutes or roughly 288 times per day. 

What are the benefits of CGM? We've written about this here on our blog before, but in short CGM reduces the number of daily finger sticks while giving patients much greater insight into what is happening with their body's sugar levels. Medtronic Guardian Connect's stand alone CGM system takes readings every five minutes or 288 times throughout the day and night - this is significantly more information than is yielded through finger sticks alone.

What are the top benefits of Medtronic's Guardian Connect CGM System?

1. The data is automatically uploaded directly to the physician's office via Medtronic's CareLink platform. 

2. Predictive alerts for highs and lows are sent out 60 minutes in advance. Predictive alerts are sent out 40 minutes faster than the competition.

3. IBM Watson integration creates actionable trends from user CGM data.

4. Last but not least, Medtronic's Guardian Connect CGM system is significantly less expensive for the patient and health plan in comparison to the competition. Why? Because the transmitter lasts for one year, no receiver is needed, and a month's supply comes with five sensors for a total of 35 days of wear time. This means lower copays for patients, longer sensor wear time and a lower spend for the health plan. 

Most major commercial insurances, including Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Health Alliance Plan of Michigan (HAP), will pay for CGM. Contact Healthy Living Medical Supply today at 866-779-8512 to learn more and to begin the easy enrollment process.

Michigan Residents: Keep your business local! Healthy Living Medical Supply is the only locally owned and operated diabetes speciality provider in the state of Michigan...and we provide world class customer service!

Now Shipping: Dexcom G6 System

Dexcom G6 Continuous Glucose Monitoring System now shipping from Healthy Living Medical Supply

Dexcom G6 Continuous Glucose Monitoring System now shipping from Healthy Living Medical Supply

Great news, the Dexcom G6 system is now shipping from Healthy Living Medical Supply! The new system features a longer wear time on the sensor (10 days), Acetaminophen blocking, finger stick free approval from the FDA (imagine avoiding over 1000 finger pokes per year!), smart phone integration, an improved applicator, and FDA indication for pediatric patients two years and older. 

Do you live in the State of Michigan and have a commercial insurance such as Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan or HAP? If you currently work direct with the manufacturer or another supplier for your CGM, call us now at 866-779-8512 to start the simple process of converting to to the only diabetes specialty DME (Durable Medical Equipment) company that is locally owned and operated in Michigan. 

New in Diabetes Technology: The OmniPod Dash

Insulet's Omnipod Dash Tubeless Insulin Management System Receceives FDA Clearance

Insulet's Omnipod Dash Tubeless Insulin Management System Receceives FDA Clearance

It seems like nearly every day there is more great news in terms of the development of new technologies to empower people living with diabetes...the latest is from Insulet and their Omnipod Dash system, which recently received approval from the FDA.

To learn more about Omnipod Dash, visit the product FAQ page over at Insulet's website. A few key highlights that we're excited about include:

1. The same great features Omnipod users have been used to...the new Dash system is tubeless, discreet and waterproof which makes it great for pediatric patients and anyone with an active lifestyle

2. Bluetooth capabilities for sharing data to an iOS device and up to 12 people on their care team

3. Compatibility with one of the leading test strip brands on the market, Contour Next. 

The system will be slowly released to patients in 2018 prior to the widespread launch in 2019. Most major commercial insurances, including Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Health Alliance Plan of Michigan, pay for Omnipod as a durable medical equipment benefit (DME).

Healthy Living Medical Supply is a leading DME specializing in diabetes services and technologies and will be ready to provide this technology to patients when it becomes available soon!

Submit Co-Pays FAST with Online Bill Pay from HLMS

One of the feature requests we receive most often from our customers is the ability to submit co-payments for insulin pumps, insulin pump supplies, CGM supplies, and other diabetes supplies online. While not widely known amongst our customers, this is a service that we currently offer - and once paid, you'll have a copy of your receipts and payment history for future reference. 

Get started with secure and easy online bill pay from Healthy Living today! Simply request to pay your bill online the next time you are working with an agent to submit a co-payment for your order.