diabetes technology

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DiabetesWise Offers Unbiased Resource to Help Patients Find Right Diabetes Tech

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This is an amazing resource to check out -- DiabetesWise. On this site, you'll find unbiased comparisons to help people with diabetes find the right devices for their lives and their needs. DiabetesWise could become your new hub for navigating the wide range of diabetes devices and technology available today.

On DiabetesWise, you can start with their "Checkup" - a quiz that will help you personalize how you can make your diabetes device routine easier and more effective. Then you can enter the "Wisdom" section where you can filter by your priorities and concerns, then learn about how other people with diabetes have made their choices. Look at their profiles and stories, and learn from their experiences to find what is right for you. This is a great way to gather real-world wisdom.

Next, learn about different device combos, be it sensor and pump, meter and pump, sensor and injections, sensor and smart pump, or meter and injections - and how they may fit in your life. Beyond this, there are guides galore and more specific information for people coming from different backgrounds of using (or not using) devices of different types.

This looks to us like a great site to visit and explore. Find out more about it in the Diabetes Mine article, DiabetesWise: New Hub Helps Match Patients with the Right Diabetes Technology. The article covers the history and creation of the site, as well as a deeper dive into the opportunities DiabetesWise offers.

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. 

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Now Shipping: Medtronic Guardian Connect CGM System

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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!

FDA Approves Dexcom G6 CGM

Dexcom's new G6 Continuous Glucose Monitoring System

Dexcom's new G6 Continuous Glucose Monitoring System

Yet another great piece of news in the area of Continous Glucose Monitoring technology advancement: Dexcom received FDA approval for their next generation, G6 CGM product.

For a more detailed analysis of the Dexcom G6 CGM, visit the recent blog posts from Diatribe, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, and Beyond Type 1

The G6 solution is an exciting development for the diabetes community as it promises a ten day wear on the sensor, acetaminophen blocking, no finger stick calibrations,  potential integrations with the Tandem insulin pump, OminPod's tubeless pump and more.

A launch date has yet to be determined but Healthy Living Medical Supply will be ready to provide this new platform to our patients once it does become available.

Interested in learning more about CGM and the possible therapeutic benefits? Read this article from the Healthy Living blog on the benefits of CGM. 

We're here to help!

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2017 Diabetes Technology Round-Up

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This year has brought many positive developments and advancements in diabetes technology. Some of these include:

We are looking forward to bringing these technologies and soon-to-be-released offerings to our customers...to help them thrive while living with diabetes in 2018!