Thursday, April 16, 2009

Moving On

A while back I told you all about my attempt to get a CGMS from Minimed to work with my 722 pump named “Master P.”

I have sent in all the info, was told that my insurance will cover 100%, but that my medical group was dragging its feet approving it.

I guess my thought was that my insurance company would be the one to put the brakes on it but it’s my medical group that is causing the speed bumps. If someone can explain that to me I would love to know because it seems strange. Anyhow, I have emailed and called my “representative” from Minimed several times and she has told me, “I’m working on it and I’ll email you the end of this week.”

I have read that line in my inbox four different times and have never heard a thing.

So, I am done with Minimed. Did I give up too early? Oh well. They gave up on me so forget them.

I got in touch with a representative from Dexcom who right out of the gate got back to me with all the info needed. In a few days I was told the same thing that Minimed told me after having to drag it out of them. The customer service so far has been awesome and after reading what so many have to say, especially Bernard, I was a little concerned about the Minimed system.

Now I am waiting on Dexcom but I am a patient guy, I mean, I am as long as I am not ignored. I do not do well with that as you can tell.

Keep your fingers crossed and I’ll keep you updated on any progress.

8 comments:

Allison said...

Oh that's too bad! I LOVE the Minimed system. It works really well for me. Not perfect, but I LOVE having only one gadget and everything being all together. It's too bad your representative was so crummy! I had a good team working for me and I was approved inside of a month. The only upset was with the coding error at the insurance company, but even that's all cleared up.

Maybe your Minimed rep really was having a hard time with your insurance agency? I dunno... I understand your frustration, but I was hoping to have another Minimed CGM friend (I don't know anyone else!)

Scott K. Johnson said...

You know, as a patient, communication is NOT too much to ask for. Sorry to hear that it has continued to be trouble. Hopefully this will go better.

Carol said...

Sorry to hear of your bad experience. I'm hoping I'm not in the middle of one of those too. I'm a Cozmo user, so MM said I could switch to their pump/cgm combo at no cost. Sweet deal since I don't have a CGM currently. The rep working with my insurance even called to say she had verified my coverage for the CGM, gave me co-pays for supplies, etc. I thought that meant it was a "go" on the cgm. Not so much apparently. MM has already shipped the pump to me, but the cgm approval is still pending. Meanwhile, I have 30 days to send them my beloved Cozmo for the $500 credit with minmed. I will not be releasing my Cozmo until I have the pump and the CGM in my hot little hand and working to my satisfaction. Otherwise the MM pump goes right back to them, and I'm right there with you!

k2 said...

I'm with Scott - communication is key and your the patient - they need to keep you posted!
Hang in there and continue to let us know what's going on with the quest for your CGM!
Kel

Windy said...

I love my Dexcom, though I often wish I only had one device. Dexcom's customer service has ALWAYS been great for me! They even had someone call me on a weekend when I had a sensor failure and had used like 25 test strips trying to calibrate! They Fed Exed me a replacement sensor 2 days later. My Animas rep said they are working on an integrated pump model w/ Dexcom due to come out later this year.

Wendy said...

George,
I have to tell you. I love my dexcom 7 system. I am waiting impatiently to upgrade to the 7 plus system. For me it is dead on accurate. I actually bolus off of it. SSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHH don't tell the FDA okay.

Bernard said...

George

I still love the Dexcom and it really works well for me. Since their only product is CGM, it makes sense to me that they would respond quickly.

I'm completing the paperwork for the Dexcom Seven Plus and I'm hoping I'll get one in about a month.

I don't fully understand the delay you're experiencing. Is it due to your endo's office? If so, give them a call and persevere with themLet us know how it works out.

The Mindful Diabetic said...

I have my fingers crossed for you! If any group of reps can get you through the insurance drama, it is DexCom! They were great for me to work with. I have my DexCom Seven PLus sitting right next to me in its FedEx box. I am getting trained next week, whoohooo! They wanted me to train when it came in last week but I didn't have the time to meet with them due to some graduate school stuff. They totally worked with me for scheduling the training and even offered to come to my house to train me...

PS-thanks to Bernard for his YouTube review of the new system!