The Wall Street Journal recently featured a story that explains why and how more U.S. diabetes patients are using continuous glucose monitors (CGM) to track their blood sugar. Almost 840,000 patients in the U.S. used the devices as of March 31, more than double the 389,000 using them at the end of 2017, according to Seagrove Partners LLC, a health-care research and consulting firm. The Journal's article has a great diagram showing how CGM works and talks about the importance of this technology to improve quality of life for many people with diabetes.
Dexcom G6 CGM Receives CMS Approval & Will Be Available to Medicare Beneficiaries in Early 2019
More great news has been announced about CGM! The Dexcom G6 continuous glucose monitor (CGM) will be covered for Medicare beneficiaries, starting in early 2019. CGMs are DME items that provide critical information on blood glucose levels to help patients with diabetes better manage their disease. Coverage for therapeutic CGM includes certain beneficiaries who have either Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes and intensively manage their insulin.
The Dexcom G6 CGM shines because of the following advantages:
Zero fingersticks
Acetaminophen blocking to maintain accuracy while taking Tylenol
Smartphone app that allows data to be shared with family members, providers, and other members of a patient's care team
Super easy application device
Very small and discreet sensor
Integration with the tSlim:X2 insulin pump from Tandem Diabetes, which is also covered by Medicare
Healthy Living will be able to provide the G6 to Medicare members – stay tuned for updates on this exciting news! Read the press release directly from Dexcom.