Laura-
All I can say is that I feel your pain! My Animas IR-1200 is on the shelf and I’m unhooked because of repeatedly dealing with infusion site malfunctions, unpredicatability, inexplicable high-BG readings and just general stress and frustration. I’ve been off the pump for 9 months now and could not be happier back on Lantus, the “poor-man’s pump”.
My initial reason for unhooking was that I accidentally stripped the threads off the battery cap on my 4-yr old IR-1200 just before a 10-day business trip. Had no spare, and my doctor, pharmacy, and insurance company all cooperated beautifully to get me set up with a “temporary” supply of Lantus for basal insulin. I am so happy to be free of all the unpredictability of infusion sites, tangled tubing, pump malfunctions.
I know Lantus just does not do the job for many folks, but for me, it is just a huge improvement. My A1-C is better. I’ve learned to adjust for days of heavy activity, including 100-mile days on a bicycle and a half-marathon or two.
Like you, I rarely had an infusion set work flawlessly for more than 48 hours. Frankly, finding a BG at 280+ is not my idea of good feedback for knowing that something’s gone wrong. I experienced those multiple times per week while on the pump and my poor wife had to hear me cuss and shout through every one of them! On Lantus, I’ve not had a reading over 200 in 9 months that did not have a good explanation. The mystery factor has dropped by a couple of orders of magnitude!
Enough of this I suppose.
Best of luck to you. I’m no doctor, but Lantus rocks for me!
-Tom Gohl
Thank you Tom. I wish I could be more successful on MDI.
I may find out one day soon.
I appreciate your reply and am so glad you are doing so very well.
Pick or choose the answer you like:
a. The doctor changed your prescription to three boxes. He did not.
b. The government will shut us down if we do not comply and send less. Really? according to another pump company rep, no they are not involved. Maybe someday but no, not now.
c. Your Health Care Plan has to authorize five boxes (or whatever). They did.
I would bet that this stems from Medicare. Medicare basically states if our rules state x then how can you be more generous to people without insurance or with different insurance? If you do it is considered fraud. If the person needs more than the Medicare determined x then their Doc needs to state so and fill out some paperwork attesting to your need. The government comes in a say “Why does Laura S. get 5 boxes when Medicare guidlines allow only 3 boxes. She must go through the rigamarole of getting the paperwork that states she needs 5 boxes every three months”…
I do not know that the above is what happened but I see these types of things with other DM supplies and also DM education billing. I do not think Animas cares one whit what you order. Like I said yesterday I would think they have a vested interest in you ordering and consuming more of their product so I can’t think of a legitimate reason for them wanting you to decrease your supply. I do think Carecentrix was totally out of line and you should raise a fuss there and complain for the way you were treated.
I would ask Animas to forward your doc a Certificate of Medical Necessity in which the prescribed change frequency of every 2 days and make sure you stress this. If it reads every 2-3 it gives them the freedom to choose 2 or 3 or in the middle if they so choose.
Kelly WPA- Heard the same story a hundred times from Animas, Medtronic, and OmniPod. Dosen’t matter what company you choose I would put a good deal of money on a high probability of chance that over the life of wearing a pump you will go through a mess similar to this for one reason or another. Toio many hands in the pot not to get things jumbled up…
You SHOULD have a big mouth about these kinds of things. They should tell people what the problem is EXACTLY so the customers can take the appropriate action to find a work around. If they don’t you spin your wheel for 2 weeks with a whole lot of work put in for 0 results. It would make anyone frustrated and mad. Sorry for what you are going through Laura S.
User and Mechanical error is one reason you need extra. The simple fact that it is a catheter inserted for 3 days infusing a substance that is known to occasionally have absorption and clogging issues when this method of delivery is used. Seems pretty straight forward why more than one set would be needed for every three days…
I know Animas is JCAHO accredited. I do not believe Medtronic is (I could be wrong on this). Perhaps this is the difference between what another pump company rep said vs this one? I don’t know Laura. I am trying to make sense of what you have been told. As you can tell I am an excellent conspiracy theorist
I am waiting for a nurse to call regarding Carecentrix and their shameful behavior.
Apparently Animas called my doctor and his office confirmed five boxes should be sent.
Three different answers from three Animas reps.
And as you can see here, people receiving less amounts than normal and the same as normal.
And I dont even abuse the system by over-ordering.
I’m not old enough to be on Medicare…thankfully, no.
I got my authorization paper in the mail today, it said five boxes.
Animas called my doctor, they said send her five boxes.
And it is supposed to be that way every single order.
Animas for some odd reason came up with three, told me I needed authorization for more and I had that the entire time.
It could be that the government or someone is clamping down on excess orders, but my order was totally and fully approved and should never have been reduced down for any reason.
Just iron things out first, no matter what pump you buy.
My first MM pump, I had been quoted a pay off and when I paid my last payment they tried to change it for some reason.
But I had it in writing.
Have your doctor authorize and prescribe exactly what you need, no surprises that way.
The actual pump is not to blame, it’s the people who screw things up.
I emailed the rep at animas today concerning my issues with insets to see if that anything had been resolved prior to my reorder and I included both links to your posts. He said he forwarded to his supervisor. They are trying to work out my problem. I just thought you’d like to know. We will see what happens.
I hope you do.
I stil have no clue why they are cutting some orders down and some not.
But when an employee today Emailed me that I needed authorization for five, and I was holding the paper in my hand, well that was pretty much the icing on the cake for me.
Best wishes, keep us posted. You should be entitled to what your plan covers and what your doctor orders.
It could be that Animas just got a new batch of call center employees and you happen to get a few who did not know what the heck is going on.
I used to work at a call center like this back in college and believe me half the people you call at places like these do not know the first thing about really any of it. They are doing what they were taught and following a script on a computer. They put no rational thought into it like we do!
Uh, no.
I ordered eStore, that got screwed up.
Then I talked to a supply supervisor, and she told a fib.
Said my order had not gone incorrectly to Edgepark, but it had.
Then I sent three emails and got another supervisor (consumer affairs I think?).
She said, dont use the estore, it has issues…
Then I heard from an insurance dept person who also had the thing all messed up.
Then the Carecentrix people put me on a conference call with another guy, who also had everything messed up.
So, no, not a call center.
I want to put a follow-up to my own post because I realize what I posted above was inaccurate. I had thought I didn’t have any limits on sets because I started out when I got my pump just ordering small amounts at a time and they just sent them. But I’ve been gradually increasing my orders and today as it had been 2 weeks since I ordered on the e-store site and they hadn’t shipped I called. It turns out my original prescription from my doctor said “change every 3 days”. My doctor just followed Animas’ lead in this as they just gave him papers and he signed them. He would have no idea how often I change as I’m is only type 1 patient. The Animas person was very helpful and explained that when I order online the computer just responds to whatever forumula it has of amount that can be ordered and dates and doesn’t show any reason for delay, just “in process”. So if something seems amiss it is always good to call.
The Animas rep said to have my doctor change it to every two days and put as reason for the change either “site absorption problems” or “site irritation problems”. (neither one of which is true). She agreed that there are certainly times when a site fails for multiple reasons and that it is a flaw in the system but will work to get more if it’s changed to “change site every two days” with one of the above reasons. They are faxing the form to my doctor and I will need to call and explain the two day and justifications for her to fill out. She also acknowledged that some people’s insurance is limiting amounts sites can be changed more than previously.
I do think Laura’s case is unique, and I’m sorry you are going through all that, Laura. But I wanted to follow up with the info I did have from animas in case it is useful for anyone else.
This is about what MM rep told me yesterday (he wasnt going to bad mouth Animas, and he kept it very straight forward.) The every three day thing can throw you into a three box a month cycle. And they will change it, if the doctor requests more, using reasons like you stated.
Today though, a nurse called from my HMO and she is working on this situation.
She said it should not have happened.
I think if they needed his ok or a change in wording to get my five (which again I order every five to six months), they should have just done it. The authoriztion however was for five, and the paper Carecentrix used had five and they should have used that and just done it.
There was no reason to send three, which went against my estore order, and his office’s request.
They could have saved a lot of hassle for all of us involved.
I truly am leaning toward MM now if I ever manage to get that funding!
