[Diabetes-talk] DDI Products Covered in Illinois and Missouri

[Tom Ley]

Dear list members,

I do not know if it is an oversight in the DDI press release or not, but of the Prodigy meters listed in the press release, Prodigy Voice is not among them. The Prodigy Voice is the only blood glucose meter on the market todaywhich is truly accessible to the blind, as has been discussed at length in Voice of the Diabetic, here on the list, and elsewhere.
 
Here is the paragraph from the DDI press release to which I refer:
 
Begin citation
With the agreements announced by the Charlotte-based manufacturer,
Prodigy(tm) meters - including audible, auto-code and multilingual blood
glucose testing monitors - will help even more people to live well with
diabetes.
End citation
 
All three Prodigy meters listed in the press release require the ability to read the screen to perform critical functions of meter operation.
 
Only the Prodigy Voice meter received an award from the National Federation of the Blind; none of the three meters listed in the press release received an award. They could not have received an award due to significant issues with accessibility. 
 
If the Prodigy Voice is not covered under these contracts, I hope it will be added so blind persons covered by Medicaid in these two states will have the opportunity to obtain a fully accessible meter.
 
Tom
 
 
 
 

--- On Wed, 7/29/09, Frye, Dan <DFrye at nfb.org> wrote:


From: Frye, Dan <DFrye at nfb.org>
Subject: [Diabetes-talk] DDI Products Covered in Illinois and Missouri
To: "Diabetes Talk for the Blind" <diabetes-talk at nfbnet.org>
Cc: bbpierce at pobox.com
Date: Wednesday, July 29, 2009, 6:45 PM


Colleagues:

I received the following information from DDI's public relations office.
If you have seen this, please disregard the duplicate circulation; if
not, I hope this detail will prove helpful. We will consider the
appropriateness of this release for the Braille Monitor, but I wanted
list participants to know of this as soon as possible:

CONTACT: Pete Bosak

Diagnostic Devices, Inc.

704-285-6409

peteb at prodigymeter.com



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE



Diagnostic Devices, Inc.'s low-cost Prodigy(tm) blood glucose meters now
Medicaid-covered in Illinois and Missouri

DDI's Prodigy(tm) line of blood glucose meters and test strips now even
more accessible





Charlotte, N.C. - July 29, 2009 - Diagnostic Devices, Inc. (DDI) has
signed contracts with the states of Illinois and Missouri that will
result in its Prodigy(tm) line of blood glucose monitoring systems and
test strips being covered under Medicaid in those states.



With the agreements announced by the Charlotte-based manufacturer,
Prodigy(tm) meters - including audible, auto-code and multilingual blood
glucose testing monitors - will help even more people to live well with
diabetes.



"And we will continue working with other states for coverage under their
Medicaid programs, and to demonstrate to them the savings Illinois and
Missouri taxpayers will realize with the Prodigy family of products,"
said Rick Admani Abulhaj, DDI's chief operating officer.



"We're thrilled that we were able to get on board with both Illinois and
Missouri Medicaid," said Mike Tickle, DDI's senior director of Pharmacy
Benefit Management and Major Retail Chains. "With our innovative
technologies, we're providing cost-effective diabetes management tools
that will now also benefit the taxpayers of these two states."



A recent study by University of Florida PharmD candidates found the
"talking" feature of the Prodigy(tm) AutoCode meter made a "significant
improvement" in overall diabetes control and compliance among patients
who took part.



The Prodigy(tm) Voice meter for blind or low-vision diabetes patients
has won awards from both the National Federation of the Blind and the
American Foundation for the Blind.





About Diagnostic Devices, Inc.



Diagnostic Devices, Inc. (DDI) is a privately owned company
headquartered in Charlotte, N.C. DDI develops, manufactures and markets
innovative technology-based diabetes products, with a focus on
blood-glucose meters. DDI's Prodigy(tm) product line offers "talking"
meters especially beneficial to the sight-impaired diabetic community.
Additional information about DDI can be found online at
www.prodigymeter.com <http://www.prodigymeter.com/> , or by calling
1-800-366-5901.



MNR 01-7/28/09

###




***********************
Daniel B. Frye, J.D.
Associate Editor
The Braille Monitor
National Federation of the Blind
Office of the President
1800 Johnson Street
Baltimore, Maryland 21230
Telephone: (410) 659-9314 Ext. 2208
Mobile: (410) 241-7006
Fax: (410) 685-5653
Email: DFrye at nfb.org
Web Address: www.nfb.org <http://www.nfb.org/> 
"Voice of the Nation's Blind"
The Braille literacy crisis in America jeopardizes opportunities for
blind people throughout the country.
You can be part of the solution.
<https://catalog.usmint.gov/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?la
ngId=-1&storeId=10001&catalogId=10001&identifier=4000> 

_______________________________________________
Diabetes-talk mailing list
Diabetes-talk at nfbnet.org
http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/diabetes-talk_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for Diabetes-talk:
http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/diabetes-talk_nfbnet.org/honesttomley%40yahoo.com