I have been a diabetic since October 1957. And even though I have taken very good care of myself., I do have some health problems related to having Diabetes, One of those is congestive heart failure which causes me to have very sensitive skin from lack of oxygenated blood flow to my skin. After 5-6 days of wearing the Dexcom, I develop a rash, that if left go for the full 10 days will develop into a full blown infection. My Dr. has prescribed that I get 15 sets of CGM for 90 days. My supply provider (Byram Healthcare) will not send more than 9 sets because they say that insurance will not cover 15. I have a letter from my health insurance saying that they will cover them. Now I am learning that these are covered by medicare and I need to contact them. Yeah right. Thatās like talking to a post. Has anyone gone through this successfully? I have been working on this for about 18 months to no avail. Iām unsure what to do next.
Bottom line. How do I go about getting more Dexcom G6 sensors?
Ugh ā that sounds incredibly frustrating. Iām so sorry!
We havenāt dealt with Medicare, so Iām just brainstorming:
Dexcom has always been good about sending us replacements when something goes wrong before the 10 days, and their reps are invested in making sure you use their products, since thatās how they make a living. Have you already tried asking a Dexcom rep for help?
Hi @Janthetoolman (any relation to Tim from Home Improvementš?). Iām not on Medicare but there have been times when Iāve needed an override to get what I needed. That required a special authorization from my doctor. Iām not sure if thatās what youāre insurance has right now but itās worth checking into. Iāve also found that device reps can be Iāve assets when there are issues between insurance and suppliers. I tried that once - going back and forth from one to the other with āhe said/she saidā but didnāt understand some of the technicalities. Finally called my rep and they got things straightened out.
Some supplies now fall under pharmacy benefits rather than DME (or whatever itās called). Your rep should know if thatās the case with Medicare or your specific plan.
I have talked with Dexcom and they are great for sending replacements out. But it seems a little unethical to ask for a replacement, when the sensor did not fail, but the person wearing it skin failed. Plus the fact that I would have to coll every six days to get a replacement. But I suppose I would never have to order again if I were to receive one every six days. Thanks for the input. I will see if I can even find my Dexcom rep to get some help.
I understandā¦I wasnāt thinking āunethicalā but I did see a point about it not the sensor. It would make sense for them to just give you what you need - I understand about the 10 day usage but there are special circumstances.
I hope your rep is able to help you out!
It may be unethical to ask for replacements, but if itās a choice between ethics and life, its not a choice. @Janthetoolman - I assume you have an override for the addtional Dexcoms?
I also have big challenges wearing a G6 sensor for 10 days, though I didnāt with the G5 that had different adhesive (and a bit shorter designated wear time). Per my endo, the G6 adhesive causes significant allergic reactions for quite a few patients. The extensive suggestions on Dexcomās website about how to prevent an allergic reaction also indicates that this is a pretty big issue for the G6.
I wear a layer of colloidal dressing under the set. It was the only solution that worked for me. I found the colloidal dressing on Amazon after checking several pharmacies to no avail. Itās about $15 for a 3ish month supply so Iāve never bothered with trying to get that covered through insurance. It does makes it more likely for the sensor to fall off early, even with overpatch adhesive.
When Iāve had my sensor fall off early or Iāve had an allergic reaction and had to take it off early, Iāve requested replacement sensors from Dexcom. This is a product failure due to the adhesive they have chosen for the G6 model in an apparent effort to develop a sensor that can stay on for 10 days, and one that is widespread. It is not a unique problem with our skin. There is nothing unethical about requesting a replacement for a failed product.
Iāve had better experiences with getting the Dexcom supplies through my pharmacy than from Byram. Itās worth checking if you can get your subscription for a shorter wear time through a pharmacy as was suggested.