My first pump was a Medtronic and I used their glucose monitors. I was very dissatified with the glucose monitors, They were very inaccurate in my experience. I did like that they were integrated and also with the Contour Next glucose monitor. I became so dissatisfied with Medtronics glucose monitor that I switched to Dexcom. Very satisfied. When the Medtronic pump’s warranty ran out, I switched to the Tandem pump. It integrates with the Dexcom sensors but not Contour Next meter. No big deal. I think the Tandem is a little more complicated to load as youi have to fill a syringe with inskulin and then insert into a cartridge. Medtronic uses a cartridge that’s fill directly. Look online at the “how-to-use” for both.
Mostly I wanted to stop doing business with Medtronics because they moved their headquarters to Ireland to avoid US taxes, what is know as an inversion. Enjoy all the benefits of the US and not pay your fair share.
I’m looking forward to the G6 sensors next month and the Basal IQ feature. Something to keep in mind is the software for the Tandem and be upgraded.
Excerpt from this article: [ http://www.startribune.com/medtronic-now-based-in-ireland-still-reaps-u-s-benefits/392895471/]
"…The move, lambasted by critics as unpatriotic, has saved Medtronic more than $3 billion in taxes and helped the company fund an acquisition spree as it emerged as the world’s largest medical device maker, overtaking Johnson & Johnson in that market. By moving its headquarters, which did not require company executives to decamp from their offices in Fridley outside Minneapolis, the firm has turned a corner that it says will help it compete in the rapidly evolving health-care market.
What Medtronic hasn’t done is give up many perks of being a U.S. company. In addition to attending U.S. trade missions, which can help it find customers, Medtronic still holds dozens of government contracts. Since its inversion, it has been awarded more than $40 million in contracts, according to federal procurement data.
“We should be, shareholders should be, angry that Medtronic has access to as much of the benefits of U.S. citizenship as they do,” said Matt Gardner, executive director of the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, a nonpartisan think tank.