I just went into my sharps bin and checked my past 3 sensors! All wires accounted for! I just started the G6 and had never heard of this despite being on the G4 for years!
I will be checking all site from now on…this is scary!!
Glad I am on this site…and for the things I find out through this community!!
@Robr. Did your insurance cover your expenses even though the sensor was worn outside ‘label’. I have heard some insurance companies will not cover ‘broken sensor recovery’ if the CGM sensor is worn out side Dexcom approved sites…
Let us hear.
@Jay6
Yes they will. The insurance also covers any kind of cut that you have no matter what or who did it.
Dexcom is approved for buttocks and abdominal area here in the USA. In Europe it’s now a couple of months approved for the upper arm as well. My doc told me to wear it were ever I feel comfortable with the best readings. For me that is the back of my arm cause there is not enough fat on my abs lol and shooting that wire in a muscle ain’t fun haha. I’m fortunate with aetna insurance so for they haven’t given me any issues and I’m extremely happy with all they do for me! No other way to discribe it.
@Robr, thanks for the reply.
The reason I brought up the issue is because about 18 months ago, a person brought up the issue. In their post, they warned readers to avoid using ‘off label’ locations. They ‘lost a wire’ in an off label location and their insurance company declined coverage. If I remember correctly, the term ‘contributory negligence’ was used. The someone also alleged the doctor was negligent in failing to obtain off label authority according to the post. If the CGM patient were a child, child protective services could even be involved in the allegation of endangerment/harm for off label usage.
I am not a lawyer. I am only repeating a story about a tragedy related using a location lacking FDA approval in the USA.
I agree there are other countries approving arms and other locations. I am aware of New Zealand as one approving arms. A simple verbal instruction from a local doctor may not prevent a savvy insurance company from acting miserly.
Based on my reading, I would certainly want my doctor to write a letter to Dexcom requesting authority for off label sensor placement for you while in the USA. A copy of the reply correspondence to your doctor would protect you, your doctor, and others from allegations of negligence and malpractice which could be argued by your doctor’s licensing authority.
I am taking the effort to write this so others acting on their own volition related to CGM sensor placement will risk insurance denial of a claim for a sensor wire recovery in a location outside the Dexcom/FDA approved sites.
Hope this shines a positive light on this situation.
The idea of an insurance battle and denial is scary enough to want that… But how does a doctor go about doing that? My particular doctor isn’t very familiar with diabetes stuff (and I like it that way) and I have to request exactly what I want. In my experience, the DME provider just faxes over a form with check boxes or a completed prescription for the doctor to sign. At what point does a doctor write extra instructions? Is it a separate handwritten script handed directly you the patient?
Since I don’t have insurance coverage, my script just gets sent to the pharmacy… But it’s all computerized. They just select the name of the script and the quantity, They don’t normally type instructions for taking, in pretty sure they are generated by the software since the prescribing rules are well established. Maybe there’s a friend to add notes though?
Hi Rob,
I know this is an old post but my recent dexcom wire broke off and is still I. My arm. The doctors aren’t sure what to do and how to go about it and dexcom have been difficult to get any answers out of ! Can you tell me what happened and how you were treated ?
Many. Thanks !
It will come out on its own. It’s not reactive to your body which is why they chooses the metals they use.
Polly welcome to the club. After 10 years on Dexcom I’ve only had one broken wire. I ALWAYS were mine on my stomach were there is a higher fat content. In my case I was able to pull it out with tweezers. I now make it an effort not to rip the patch off but peal it off. And always check that the ware is still attached to the patch.
@PollyJ , A broke Dexcom wire in the arm caused a major ruckus in another group.
If you are in the USA, only limited locations are approved and your doctor saying it is approved by them is false. Only Dexcom can provide approval by letter of variance, requested by your doc, naming you, and the medical reason for alternate location.
The situation was the wire broke, the patient had surgery to remove the wire, the insurance company requested the hospital & surgeon notes as part of paying the claim and denied the claim because the patient should not have been wearing the CGM on their arm. The case was appealed on the grounds of local doctor’s approval. Insurance continued to deny the claim stating Dexcom’s fine print says only Dexcom can approve changes from the approved locations in writing.
This information was shared by my endo’s nurse pump & CGM trainer.
This is ridiculous example of insurance company acting in bad faith. If it were a nail that a person had driven into their foot, would they have denied the claim because the nail diver was not being used in an approved manner? This case would deserve to see the inside of a courthouse.
I get that dexcom won’t pay the bill in this case, but your insurance company should.
Really I’ve done some dumb things to myself the years broke a finger, cut my hand etc. none of those thing included proper use of the objects.
The reality though is you don’t need to have it removed at all.
It will eventually work itself out. Our bodies are good at that.
There are a lot of people who walk around with bullets in them or other foreign objects because it’s easier to leave in than to have a major surgery over.
Maybe acting in bad faith, but on the other hand, maybe acting in the best financial interest of the patient. Normally, you would think the insurance would love to pay such a small claim most likely under $500, and then jack up the patient’s insurance premiums by $1,000 the next year to handsomely recover their payout. The customer, in this case, patient always pays.
Robyn. It my not be as simple as writing Dexcom. I really don’t think Dexcom cares whwere you put it. It was Medicare 7th at deemed that it had to go on the abdomen.
I have always advocated checking the sensor on removal.
Still do. Vice of only having one broken wire in 7 years. Which I was able ti grab with a pair of tweezers
Thank you for the comment, but I have zero intention of pursuing that particular path. I’m team “my body, my business, nobody gets to tell me how to use my medical devices.”
I was simply trying to point out the same flaw in the argument that you spotted, that doctors can’t just change how big corporations choose to conduct business because they cast a note out into the ether. At the end of the day, those corporations are going to use lawyers to try and get out paying extra expenses, and we get stuck in the middle of the battle.
If you can prove somewhere your doctor let you use a device off-label, great. Good for you! That’s between you and your doctor, though. It might do you some good in potential legal proceedings. But that doesn’t suddenly mean the device manufacturer will assume liability for your off-label use of a product, unless a court of law and subsequent appeals tells them they have to. Same goes for the insurance companies.
The sensors were only tested on the abdomen when they applied for FDA approval. That’s why we can only officially use them on our abdomens. Of course everyone puts them other places. It’s costs too much money to file another FDA approval.
They are required by law to tell you to not put them on your arms.
The law protects them but only of they follow the rules
Same goes for individuals. If we break the rules we don’t get the protections.
It’s your body do what you want, but the legal system will require you to follow the rules that you agreed to when you bought the device.