Cut and pasted from Laddie’s link above. See the bold text near the bottom of this block:
e. Continuous Subcutaneous Insulin Infusion (CSII) Pumps (Effective for Services Performed On or after December 17, 2004)
Continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) and related drugs/supplies are covered as medically reasonable and necessary in the home setting for the treatment of diabetic patients who: (1) either meet the updated fasting C-Peptide testing requirement, or, are beta cell autoantibody positive; and, (2) satisfy the remaining criteria for insulin pump therapy as described below. Patients must meet either Criterion A or B as follows:
Criterion A: The patient has completed a comprehensive diabetes education program, and has been on a program of multiple daily injections of insulin (i.e., at least 3 injections per day), with frequent self-adjustments of insulin doses for at least 6 months prior to initiation of the insulin pump, and has documented frequency of glucose self-testing an average of at least 4 times per day during the 2 months prior to initiation of the insulin pump, and meets one or more of the following criteria while on the multiple daily injection regimen:
• Glycosylated hemoglobin level (HbAlc) >7.0%;
• History of recurring hypoglycemia;
• Wide fluctuations in blood glucose before mealtime;
• Dawn phenomenon with fasting blood sugars frequently exceeding 200 mg/dl; or,
• History of severe glycemic excursions.
Criterion B: The patient with diabetes has been on a pump prior to enrollment in Medicare and has documented frequency of glucose self-testing an average of at least 4 times per day during the month prior to Medicare enrollment.
General CSII Criteria
In addition to meeting Criterion A or B above, the following general requirements must be met:
The patient with diabetes must be insulinopenic per the updated fasting C-peptide testing requirement, or, as an alternative, must be beta cell autoantibody positive.
Updated fasting C-peptide testing requirement:
• Insulinopenia is defined as a fasting C-peptide level that is less than or equal to 110% of the lower limit of normal of the laboratory’s measurement method.
• For patients with renal insufficiency and creatinine clearance (actual or calculated from age, gender, weight, and serum creatinine) ≤50 ml/minute, insulinopenia is defined as a fasting C-peptide level that is less than or equal to 200% of the lower limit of normal of the laboratory’s measurement method.
• Fasting C-peptide levels will only be considered valid with a concurrently obtained fasting glucose ≤225 mg/dL.
• Levels only need to be documented once in the medical records.
Continued coverage of the insulin pump would require that the patient be seen and
evaluated by the treating physician at least every 3 months.
The pump must be ordered by and follow-up care of the patient must be managed by a physician who manages multiple patients with CSII and who works closely with a team including nurses, diabetes educators, and dietitians who are knowledgeable in the use of CSII.
Emphasis is mine.
Medicare pays for my pump supplies under Part B since I use an insulin pump. Every three months the supplier calls me to see if I’m ready for another three month supply. They will not ship unless I give them a doctor visit date within the last three months. They appear to be working under this rule.