Unfortunately, I’ve had to deal with Edgepark for my pump supplies. I’ve had enough!!! Can anyone direct me to a mail order supplier that deals with Medicare?
I appreciate any help. I’m out of pump supplies and they keep giving me a different ship date.
I’m supposed to get a call back from a Supervisor but I don’t think that will happen.
You don’t mention which brand of pump supplies you need. I use Medtronic and get my Medicare Part B infusion sets and cartridges directly from Medtronic.
I have a Meditronic also, Are you using Medicare to get your supplies?
Yes, I am using Medicare to get my Medtronic pump supplies. Medtronic has staff dedicated to this. They do make you and your doctor jump through hoops, especially in the beginning, but I find them dependable. Just call Medtronic and push the button dedicated to Medicare business.
CCS deals with medicare. that is who i go through :).
If you have a Medtronic pump you should get your supplies through Medtronic. It is so simple
Thanks Terry, It’s been a nightmare ever since I had to get Medicare. My
Insurance used to take care of everything before. I know I’m lucky but if I
have to change do to the infusion set being pulled out by accident then
that shortens the supply I have left. I’ll check on Meditronic tomorrow.
If you normally change every third day then they’ll likely only supply you with 30 for 90 days. But what happens when one pulls out like you experienced? I’ll also pull a site, sometimes immediately if there’s too much pain.
I think we should ask our doctors to order on the generous side so that you don’t have to live with your metabolic back up against the wall. Maybe have her/him write the order for “change every 2.5 days.” That’d get you at least 36 sets and they’d likely round up to 40.
1 Like
Not on medicare but that is what we asked our Doc to write and the “round up to 40” is effectively what we receive from the supplier. Four boxes with 10 per box.
When I open the last box is usually when I place the new order. So we don’t build up an excessive hoard from the prescription being written this way. But also we don’t run short. It seems to work out.
2 Likes
I am using a Medtronics Insulin Pump and my supplies come from Diabetic Management Supplies. I haven’t had any problems.
Blockquote
My orders are written to change infusion set every 2 days. I had heard that there might be problems in 2018 and in my December endo visit, I made sure that my chart notes contained the reasons for my need to change every two days.
For my February supply order my endo’s office twice submitted orders and chart notes for changing every 2 days. CCS has denied the needed 45 sets and will only send 3 boxes. My endo’s office spoke with whatever department makes the decision (they won’t talk to patients) and was told of a few other things that need to be in the chart notes, none of them having to do with frequency of set change.
On Facebook there are a lot of us having problems with CCS getting the supplies we need beyond what they say Medicare covers. I have used a pump for 15 years and not once have I ever ordered less than 4 boxes. If this does get worked out at my next order I will try a new supplier.
Right now with Medicare I can get more sensors than I need, more test strips than I need, and way more cartridges/reservoirs than I need. But I am struggling to get needed infusion sets. I wish that I could negotiate…
BTW in 2017 I was sent 4 boxes of infusion sets with no problems.
1 Like
Thanks for sharing this info, @Laddie. That’s frustrating. I use Medtronic for my Medicare Part B pump supply orders. My last order was placed in December 2017 and fulfilled in January 2018 and they sent the requested greater than 30 quantity. Have people on Facebook complained about Medtronic doing what you’ve experienced with CCS? I’ll head over there now to check for myself.
Why are some of you using CCS instead of Medtronic, when you are on Medicare?
When we switched to CCS from Sterling/McKesson - we did have problems with supplies. CCS immediately downgraded the number of infusion sets and test strips we receive. This obviously was with the doctor providing a prescription to CCS which stated the same number/frequency/whatever as what had been provided to Sterling/McKesson.
I was able to get the infusion sets back to the four boxes per 90 days (admittedly with some back and forth work with CCS and a bit of frustration) but have not been able to get the test strips back up. At this point, I am just picking up some extra Contour Next strips on Amazon to cover the difference - not a big deal.
I am going to give Sterling/McKesson another call and see if they are carrying Tandem products yet which I believe is the reason we were forced to switch over to CCS. At this point I am unsure of the reason but certainly it was a “force” move.
With the Tandem user base increasing, one would think the distributors carrying the Tandem supplies would also be increasing.
I discovered over on the Facebook Seniors with Sensors group that Laddie uses a Tandem pump; that’s why she doesn’t order from Medtronic.
im on the animas pump and uses CCS. i had an issue at the beginning but not having an issue with them now. they are good on my end. the issue i have with them is being able to get a new pump. according to CCS you have to wait until your warranty is up otherwise medicare wont cover it. CCS also will do how many days you are changing. i change mine every 3 days. sometimes two depending on how much insulin i use. but i havent had any issues with them.
The Apidra package insert says this about infusion set change frequecy when using an insulin pump.
In clinical use, the infusion sets and the APIDRA in the reservoir must be changed at least every 48 hours [See Warnings and Precautions (5.8) and How Supplied/Storage and Handling (16.2)].
This is part of the 5.8 Warning and Precautions:
5.8 Subcutaneous insulin infusion pumps
When used in an external insulin pump for subcutaneous infusion, APIDRA should not be diluted or mixed with any other insulin. APIDRA in the reservoir must be changed at least every 48 hours. APIDRA should not be exposed to temperatures greater than 98.6°F (37°C).
Here’s the 16.2 note:
Infusion sets:
Infusion sets (reservoirs, tubing, and catheters) and the APIDRA in the reservoir must be discarded after 48 hours of use or after exposure to temperatures that exceed 98.6°F (37°C).
An infusion set and cartridge change when using Apridra insulin is required by the FDA mandated rules as specified in the package insert.
I suspect that suppliers like CCS are the real source of this problem. They blame Medicare rules because they know the average person will not be able to negotiate the Medicare bureaucracy to refute CCS’s assertion.
1 Like
I forget - when is your Animas warranty up?
ah, I thought she was talking about Medtronic pumps. my bad.
sept of 2019…so i cant get the tandem. they are saying i have to wait for the medtronic. but medtronic says i can get the new pump now. but i like getting my supplies through CCS.