I have used the Bayer A1C Now SelfCheck meter in the past with excellent results, as far as consistency with glucose meter averages and laboratory A1C results. I usually use one test right when I buy the meter, and the second with 4 months. However, I bought an A1C Now meter (expiration date 2011-08-11) sometime last summer/fall, and only just used it on Sunday evening, and obtained a result of 7.9. I was stunned by that result, as my most recent lab A1C was 6.4 and my glucose meter and continuous sensor averages are currently under 110 for the past month (ie, the result should have been close to or less that 6.4). I washed my hands and took the second test, just to double-check the result, and obtained a result of 8.1. I had serious doubts about the accuracy of that result. For comparison, I bought a new A1C Now test kit yesterday morning and obtained a result of 6.1.
I am concerned about the considerable (2.0 point) discrepancy between the test with the expiration date of 8-2011 and the newly purchased test. I called the customer support line this morning, as I think that Bayer should be aware of any potential QA/QC issues with the meter. However, the representative I spoke to only double-checked that I followed instructions properly, assured me that variation in results between tests is normal, and told me that glucose meter averages cannot be compared to A1C test results. I tried to reason with her – I do not think that a discrepancy of 2 entire percentage points is acceptable, even for a home monitoring device. And, while it is true that meter results do not correlate directly with A1C results for all cases, they are generally predictive of an A1C result (or else why would Bayer print a conversion chart on the meter box?). With a continuous sensor, I am pretty confident that I have a picture of my overall average glucose levels. She kept arguing that I had no reason to doubt the test kit results. Frustrated, I finally gave up.
Anyway, I just wanted to vent about my experience dealing with the Bayer customer support, and let others out there know that there might be issues with the A1C kits when kept around until near the expiration date.