Hey everyone,
I hear a lot about supply companies being difficult, but i’ve waited over a month for my supplies this time around, and have had to pay out of pocket for a lot of my supplies. Does anyone have any suggestions for a good supply company, that is easy to deal with? ANY improvement would be better than my current situation.
Hi Erin @EcDrapeau, there are often options available for you to get your supplies. What kind of supplies makes a difference.
For insulin and BG Check strips I use Walgreen’s because it is handy to where I live and if I need emergency supplies when traveling any Walgreen’s can get me a refill.
When I used MiniMed pumps I always got those supplies directly from Medtronic [on-line store] and NEVER had a delay.
My DexCom supplies come through Byram Healthcare [byramhealthcare.com] because my insurance company [United] does mot have a contract with Dexcom. When I recently changed to a Tandem pump I got the pump and supplies through Byram because United will only cover Medtronic products. By using Byram both my Dexcom and Tandem materials are fully covered and, so far - fingers crossed, I haven’t experienced any delays. Byram ships by a ground carrier so it can take almost a week for my stuff to arrive in Florida from California; faster shipping has a fee.
Hi, I have to use Byram Healthcare and I think they are terrible. I placed my order in the first week of December. It has been one fiasco after another. It appears that they needed more information from my doctor. He complied and then they need different tests. The long and short of it is I did finally receive my Dexcom CGM. However I still have not received myT1 Slim pump. There is a real internal communication problem within that company. Their processes for ordering are horrible. I ordered a refill on my CGM via the web - then I get a reminder call to order them. Too many different people to deal with. They would leave messages to call them but not leave an extension number. The result was hours of sitting on hold. I have been a Type 1 diabetic for 53 years and I have never experienced such frustrations. If I could use another supplier, I would. Good luck.
Mel
Of course, I’m not sure who your insurance carriers are, but I found that going through my Prescription provided worked really well. Last year we had Caremark, and once I learned I could get all my supplies through them mail order, it was fantastic, and easy to manage using their website. And, it was the best way to be able to get everything in 90 day supplies rather than 30. And, of course, just when I got that all working well, we learned we were being changed to ExpressScripts this year. After a little apprehension, I learned that it was just as easy and efficient, and my costs went down greatly with ExpressScripts. So, your prescription provider is an option, give it a shot.
I’ve had a few different insurance plans but they have sent me to Edgepark for my pump and CGM supplies; I’ve never had a problem. Depending on what you’re looking for you might check eBay. They are generally for over the counter items such as BG meters and test strips, although I have purchased some pump supplies on occasion. Since I was able to do that I decided to see if I could sell some of my old hardware when I upgraded, but eBay informed me I could not since they require a prescription - apparently some just managed to slip through their censors.
If you do buy online be sure to check the expiration date - I would only consider purchasing if the seller posted a photo of it in their ad, and confirmed it was okay when I received the items.