[Diabetes-talk] medicare and test strips

Mon Jun 20 11:20:27 UTC 2011

First, we don't need to get so complicated that no one knows what others are talking about.

Being sighted and gone blind, I have always had to keep track of how many times of day I check my blood sugar, where in a book, or software program, so when I go to the doctor he can adjust my sugars where to see where I am going higher or lower and adjust appropriately, especially when I am sick, so if I run out of strips, he knows why.

The insurance companies because of fraud, and not because of anything else, is for us to keep track of how many times a day, so whether we get 30 days supply or 90 day supply that we don't run out, and that the doctors, and suppliers, have proof so that when they get audited that they have it on file.

And you don't' want to have to do this. hmmm.

We have to also be in control of our disease, yes that is correct, not only as a diabetic, but let's go to one of my complications that I still have even though I am a transplant recipient, meaning to is a treatment and not a cure, but so far so good with my kidney, that is why I have to get every three months to make sure just like my diabetes.

If I eat the wrong foods, like raw food (sushi, clams, or other foods I used to enjoy), I can't eat any more because it might bad, and could take away from me this gift of life.

Or right now my potassium is high from eating to many high potassium fruits I love and have to cut back again, might harm my kidney.

What I am trying to say that if we don't take care of ourselves and we need to be vigilant that, we will get sick and possibly die. It is called being compliant with our care.  No one else is going to take our medicine for us and eat the food, etc. We need to do this.

But lets see medicine is changing every day, and some diseases are not even in the country anymore. We need to work hand in hand with medicine, we may not like it, but it is the only thing we have now.

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  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Mike Freeman<mailto:k7uij at panix.com> 
  To: 'Diabetes Talk for the Blind'<mailto:diabetes-talk at nfbnet.org> 
  Sent: Sunday, June 19, 2011 5:57 PM
  Subject: Re: [Diabetes-talk] medicare and test strips

  Lynn et al:

  I understand. Although I have some philosophical problems with such an
  approach, I'd be willing to accept it *if* meter manufacturers would provide
  a way to exclude tagged testing results from calculations of averages etc.
  or, alternatively, would allow deletion of results while accumulating actual
  strip usage in a (perhaps hidden) variable that would be transferred in any
  meter download. Ultimately, however, this sort of thing angers me to the
  quick since doctors, CDEs, insurers and the like, appear to be wanting to
  have their cake and eat it, too. That is, on the one hand, we are told again
  and again and again that diabetes is primarily a disease of personal
  management with advice and support from medical personnel. Yet on the other
  hand, we are told we aren't responsible to handle our data ourselves in that
  we might cherry-pick results or might cheet, getting more strips and
  reselling them. I'm sorry but one can't have it both ways -- either we trust
  patients or we don't! I'm sorry but this bothers me in a lot of things going
  on these days in the world -- we all seem to want institutionalized
  hypocrisy -- being able to have it both ways -- being deemed responsible
  when it suits us and being declared incompetent when that suits us. I'm
  sorry but as Heinlein said: THERE AIN'T NO SUCH THING AS A FREE LUNCH!

  I guess it also bothers me that we are forced to turn in imperfect results
  when there appears to be very little work being done by meter manufacturers
  to ensure perfect readings *every* time with no mistakes. When was the last
  time you encountered a machine that always worked perfectly? And we -- the
  patients -- are the ones getting the shaft!

  Mike

  -----Original Message-----
  From: diabetes-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org<mailto:diabetes-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org>
  [mailto:diabetes-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Lynn Baillif
  Sent: Sunday, June 19, 2011 1:38 PM
  To: diabetes-talk at nfbnet.org<mailto:diabetes-talk at nfbnet.org>
  Subject: [Diabetes-talk] medicare and test strips

  Hi Everyone,
  just want to add my two cents.  Probably 7 years ago, the endocrinology
  practice I worked for, required the medical assistant to download meters
  whenever someone came to visit the endo.  Part of the reason for this was to
  document the number of times per day folks were testing so the appropriate
  amount of strips were perscribed.  In the event that Medicare audited the
  practice, this information was needed. 
  Lynn

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