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

Thu Jul 30 01:38:32 UTC 2009

Tom makes a valid point. Perhaps somebody from the company can investigate and post a clarification. I have no further information than I posted, and I honestly acknowledge that I failed to notice the crucial absence of this product in the list. I assumed that it was among those covered. Thanks to Tom for his attention to detail.

Dan Frye

-----Original Message-----
From: diabetes-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:diabetes-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Tom Ley
Sent: Wednesday, July 29, 2009 8:52 PM
To: Diabetes Talk for the Blind
Cc: Pierce, Barbara
Subject: Re: [Diabetes-talk] DDI Products Covered in Illinois and Missouri

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> 

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