[Diabetes-talk] Fw: [SPAM] FW: CMMS and payment for adaptive insulin measurement

Tue Mar 9 19:47:37 UTC 2010

Good Afternoon Everyone:

Spread the word!!!  

If there's anyone out there who knows which baby to polk, nudge, pinch, or which button to push to get a code on this thing simply for this to be covered under medicare, medicade, and/or insurance in genral, please give me a shout immediately, if not sooner!!!  I'd be most delighted to do this but I don't have the name of a contact person.  If there's anyone who does, like I say, shout! SHOUT! S H O U T!!!!!

Bern
----- Original Message ----- 
From: Jerry Munden 
To: The Jacobs Family 
Sent: Tuesday, March 09, 2010 2:24 PM
Subject: [SPAM] FW: CMMS and payment for adaptive insulin measurement

Jerry Munden (Living well with Type I for 30+ years ... and you can too!)
Vice President of Business Development

Prodigy Diabetes Care, LLC

9300 Harris Corners Parkway, Suite 450

Charlotte, NC 28269

Phone: 704-285-6454   Fax: 704-285-6495

Email: jerrym at prodigymeter.com

Web: www.prodigymeter.com

PRIVILEGED AND CONFIDENTIAL: The information contained in this electronic message and any attachments are confidential property of the sender. The information is intended only for the use of the person to whom it was addressed and should not be used in any manner not authorized by the sender. Any other interception, copying, accessing, or disclosure of this information is prohibited. The sender takes no responsibility for any unauthorized reliance on this information. If you have received this message in error, please immediately notify the sender and purge the message you received. Do not forward this message without permission.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Ann Williams [mailto:asw13 at case.edu] 
Sent: Tuesday, March 09, 2010 1:43 PM
To: Jerry Munden
Cc: Martha Rinker; Angie Chanthavong; Megan McGregor; David Deane; Rick Admani; Ramzi Abulhaj; 'ESmith9746 at aol.com'; Mike Freeman; Paul Schroeder; 'deeclayton at mchsi.com'
Subject: Re: CMMS and payment for adaptive insulin measurement

Hi Jerry,

I am delighted to hear that the Count-a-Dose will soon return to the market.  It is a very usable adaptive insulin measurement device, and it fills a niche in the market of medically necessary diabetes self-management products that is currently empty.

Unfortunately, I am not in a position to give you direct help in getting Medicare coverage for it.  It is a medically necessary device, and I agree that it should be covered as durable medical equipment.  This should not take an act of Congress, just assignment of a billing code.  However, I do not know the right person to contact at CMMS.  Furthermore, it would seem to be very appropriate for one of the blindness organizations who have blind users of this device among their membership to advocate for this.  National Federation of the Blind, with its headquarters in Baltimore, and American Council of the Blind, with its Washington office, readily come to mind.  American Foundation for the Blind would also be a good organization to work on this.  I know these 3 o0rganizations have worked together in the past on matters that they all 3 agree on.  I wonder if that could happen with this issue, since I think they would all support meeting self-management needs of blind people who have diabetes,.

AADE has repeatedly offered in the past to support any effort initiated by a blindness organization to obtain coverage for nonvisual insulin measurement devices.   I hope one or all of them starts an effort soon.

Ann 

Ann S. Williams, PhD, RN, CDE
Research Associate
Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing
Case Western Reserve University
10900 Euclid Avenue
Cleveland, Ohio 44106
Phone:    216-368-1704
Cell: 216-470-0074
Fax:        216-368-3542
Email:    ann.s.williams at case.edu

Jerry Munden wrote: 
  Martha Rinker - Chief Advocacy Officer at American Association of Diabetes Educators
  Ann Williams, PhD, RN, CDE - Professor Case Western Reserve University
  Hello Martha + Ann:

  Prodigy®  will be ready for the release of the Prodigy Count-A-Dose product in early April 2010. There are many blind and vision impaired people across the country contacting us requesting the product. With 3.2+ million blind and vision impaired people with diabetes in the USA the need is huge and there are no other comparable products. 

  Have we made any headway into getting Medicare reimbursement for this medically necessary product?  

  The suggested retail price will be $69.99.
  Any help you could provide is appreciated!
  Jerry

  Jerry Munden (Living well with Type I for 30+ years ... and you can too!)
  Vice President of Business Development

  Prodigy Diabetes Care, LLC

  9300 Harris Corners Parkway, Suite 450

  Charlotte, NC 28269

  Phone: 704-285-6454   Fax: 704-285-6495

  Email: jerrym at prodigymeter.com

  Web: www.prodigymeter.com

  PRIVILEGED AND CONFIDENTIAL: The information contained in this electronic message and any attachments are confidential property of the sender. The information is intended only for the use of the person to whom it was addressed and should not be used in any manner not authorized by the sender. Any other interception, copying, accessing, or disclosure of this information is prohibited. The sender takes no responsibility for any unauthorized reliance on this information. If you have received this message in error, please immediately notify the sender and purge the message you received. Do not forward this message without permission.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  From: Ann Williams [mailto:asw13 at case.edu] 
  Sent: Monday, November 30, 2009 6:34 PM
  To: Martha Rinker
  Cc: Jerry Munden
  Subject: CMMS and payment for adaptive insulin measurement

  Hi Martha,

  I am writing to ask for advice for an effort to promote Medicare coverage for nonvisual insulin drawing devices.  Here is the background:

  Over the years, you and I have spoken several times about the need for Medicare payment for nonvisual insulin drawing devices, such as the Count-a-Dose.  You have said that AADE would support an effort to add such devices to CMMS's list of covered durable medical equipment if another organization spearheaded the effort.  However, a lot of years have gone by without another organization stepping forward to do just that.  In the meanwhile, the Count-a-Dose, one of the most-used nonvisual insulin drawing devices, went out of production because of low sales -- worsened by the lack of Medicare payment, and lack of sales to durable medical equipment companies.

  I have heard recently from Jerry Munden of Diagnostic Devices Inc. that DDI has purchased the Count-A-Dose molds, and is planning to bring the product back to market soon.  DDI has a good track record with products for the blind, since they make the only fully accessible talking meter.  The National Federation of the Blind, assisted by DDI, is now very interested in spearheading an effort to ensure Medicare coverage for the Count-a-Dose.  We believe that it can be covered as durable medical equipment, and does no (literally) require an Act of Congress, just the addition of a code number.

  This brings me to my request for today.  Do you have any advice about good people to work with at CMMS?  Who is in a position to make such a decision?  Who is likely to view diabetes self-management needs of blind people favorable?  If you cannot steer us to someone who might be directly helpful, can you advise us on who might be able to give us helpful information about navigating the CMMS system?

  We greatly appreciate any information you can give us.

  Ann Williams

  -- 
  Ann S. Williams, PhD, RN, CDE
  Postdoctoral Fellow
  Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing
  Case Western Reserve University
  10900 Euclid Avenue
  Cleveland, Ohio 44106
  Phone:    216-368-1704
  Fax:        216-368-3542
  Email:    asw13 at case.edu

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