Since Dexcom stopped fulfilling supply orders and my insurance switched me to Edge Park for distribution, I continue to have difficulty getting sufficient supplies of sensors and transmitters. When I placed my first order for a 90 day supply, I received exactly that. If I have a failed sensor or if I make a mistake inserting a new sensor, it is ok when it it in the middle of a 90 day supply. I can call Dexcom tech support and get a replacement but it takes 5-10 days even in an emergency “overnight” shipment. If it happens towards the end of that supply, I get scared and worry about not having an overlap. I have pleaded with my insurance company and with EdgePark but have been unsuccessful in getting the policy changed. Honestly, this is the time I feel most vulnerable and overwhelmingly frustrated as a T1 Diabetic. It is a form of rationing and it makes me feel like a victim! It is curious that Tandem does not ration my pump supplies in the same manner. I get automated 90 day shipments well before my current supply runs out. I understand one is a distributor under a “managed care” model and the other is a direct ship from the manufacturer, but they are both “ durable goods” covered my the same part of my insurance. Neither the insurer nor the distributor will intervene. My endocrinologists office tried to force an override, but after two hours on the phone with EdgePark, they ran into the same brick wall. I used my last sensor on Monday and my shipment is due to arrive next Monday. I sure hope I don’t inadvertently knock off my sensor or for some reason, it fails. Not to mention, if the transmitter fails. Life as a diabetic should not be this hard.the integration of my pump to my CGM has provided me with such a good level of control that I am very worried when the supply chain rations the tools that keep me in control.
Does anyone have any thoughts?
Search for how to restart a Dexcom sensor.
If you have a sensor that is running well but reaches the 10-day time limit, restarting it even if only for a couple days will enable you to build up a safety surplus of sensors.
For the transmitter, it is warranted for 90 days but runs a few days longer before turning itself off; always be sure to order another transmitter 90 days after the previous order to slowly build up a surplus safety supply of transmitters.
Hi. I use Edgepark as well. I also use Libre 14 day, which I hate. I have to get replacements from the manufacturer. They also give you 7 sensors for 3 months. That gives you 1 spare. Edgepark will send diabetic supplies overnight if you ask them. I have them use FedEx. I never have to worry about getting my supplies. My doctor is also changing me to the Dexcom. She says it is more accurate. My insurance said that they will pay for Dexcom easier than the Libre 14 day. I have a HMO. They are very picky and will not budge from the amount of sensors they send. It is also impossible to get through to Abbott (makers of Libre). You can only message them and it takes hours to hear back from them. You stay on hold forever if you call and they don’t return calls. They also keep standard business hours so if you have an emergency with the sensor or PDM you are out of luck. Good luck with everything.
Thank you! I can get them delivered overnight but they will not ship ahead of the 90 day reorder date! Since Dexcom stopped shipping directly, I had to go to edge Park. Dexcom’s g6 has been wonderful for control. The cost went up over 40% form when I was getting directly from Dexcom. They can never get my copay correct, inaccurately charging it every time even though they refunded my last copay. Comparing that to Tandem which is the pump I use, they ship well ahead and I always have supplies on hand! They are both durable medical products, covered under the same insurance, and never have they failed to provide overlap in my supplies. It is so frustrating!
Great suggestion! I will try that! Thank you so much.
When Dexcom stopped shipping, they also increased number of insurance plans that would cover G6 under pharmacy formulary. I get mine from local Costco, and is ready for pickup each month at lower cost than mail order. I previously got dexcom from CCS Medical as dme.
Check your drug plan to see if covered, at lower cost.
It is the insurance. I’m having the same problem.
I haven’t used EdgePark for years but yes, certainly, when I was using them they resolutely insisted that Omnipod supplies (in my case) lasted a “month” and therefore they would supply 120 pods for a year; one box (of 10) a month. When challenged on their understanding of the Gregorian calendar they said, “It isn’t us it’s your insurance company” and when challenged my insurance company said, “You can refill a month supply after 25 days.”
In the past various FUD contributors, including me, have published rants on the subject of EdgePark. Praise is signally lacking.
Last week I received this update about my 2022 insurance (commas courtesy of my insurance company, neither should be there):
Diabetes supplies - in the 2021 plan, diabetes supplies were covered under the medical or pharmacy benefits. In the 2022 plan, most diabetes supplies are covered only under the pharmacy benefit.
Hoorah.
It’s easy to check; get your doc to write a prescription, proceed to a local pharmacy (Walmart does my Dexcom but I think Walgreens can too - Wal-anybody). See if they will fill it. Given that it is up for re-order and almost certainly within the period for reorder of a 3 month supply (80 days?) you may get a refill; then you can say sayonara to EdgePark.
Yes, their math is ridiculous!
But if it comes down to it, you can run pods for 80 hours, and that would help cover some of the extra days if necessary.
The other thing is if you get a script for 2 day pod changes. Talk to your doctor about sites deteriorating and so forth.
Thank you. I see my endo in a few weeks. I am going to see what she can do.
Which I do, and, indeed, did then. The problem was analogous the one @suesa1c described; my refill was going to be due on December 29th, but I wanted to get it a few days earlier because, apparently, they don’t work at EdgePark on December 26th, or some of the following days, and my insurance company had discontinued my policy so I was changing to a new one on January 1, etc.
They never did get it done that year. Instead they did it the next year and I spent 6 months trying to deal with their billing incompetence because they did it as DME but, in the new policy, my insurance company wanted it billed as a pharmacy benefit (they said.)
The only problems I’ve had with Walgreens (who supply the Omnipod) are once they shipped me Eros pods instead of Dash ones and once when my wife initiated an order it ended up as an online order from somewhere the other side of the Rockies. Those guys shipped it express using an shipper that doesn’t ship here and in turn DHL gave it to USPS who also don’t deliver to my address…
With Walmart and the G6 the only issue I’ve seen is that they once gave me a three month supply of sensors on a one month prescription. That was a bit weird; I just ignored the reminders for a couple of months.
With Walmart my insurance company now seems to have swapped to 3 months, but the refill is possible after 80 days. It turns out that despite expressing things in Gregorian months the insurance companies actually use a day count for refills; so a 1 month supply can be refilled after 25 days and a 3 month supply after 80. There are two techniques for building an adequate safety supply of G6 sensors and transmitters:
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Pray for failures. If a G6 fails after a few days Dexcom send a replacement but that doesn’t count against the refill. After a few failures you have a buffer stock.
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Always order the refill ASAP. Ordering ahead a couple of days causes Walmart to fill on the magic day (most of the time), don’t use the Walmart auto-refill. Track every refill; unlike EdgePark a telephone call gets through to a responsible individual (this is particularly true of the “Community” Walgreen pharmacy in Portland - really really good service.) Refills are a slower but maybe more reliable algorithm; for G6 Sensors you get ahead by 5 days every 25 days, so you have a complete box in advance after 4.93 months.
My daughter’s Endo writes omnipods to be changed every two days. Insurance gives us 15 pods per month. But they let us refill the script after about 24 days, so we don’t have to worry about running out. United Healthcare.
I appreciate everyone who responded to me regarding EdgePark’ s rigidity in providing any overlap in obtaining Dexcom Supplies. I do have some updates to provide and how I was able to establish a buffer. It happened by chance but it has proved to be successful.
- I went on a spontaneous one week vacation and packed, in triplicate, the supplies I would need for my Tandem T-slim pump. I failed to pack an additional Dexcom Sensor.I went to a local Walgreens and they indicated that with a prescription from my endo, they could provide a sensor. The endo’s office faxed a prescription for one sensor. When I went to pick it up, they only had a 3 pack that I would have to buy. I bought it on the spot! It cost me $400 but I now have a 30 day buffer in my Dexcom Sensors. Fortunately we still had some $$in our HSA to soften the blow!
- I had a conversation with the local Rep for my pump and asked him how I can easily get a buffer in my pump supplies but not in the Dexcom supplies. He explained that individual skin sensitivity to the infusion sets allows for a 2-3 day RX from my doc per set where the Dexcom rarely does not last the full ten days. And that the pump supplies are lower cost compared to the Dexcom renewables. Insurance is less likely to approve a range when determining needed supplies and relying on Dexcom’s emergency replacement policy is reasonable. I totally disagree with that premise since getting any emergency replacement sensor or transmitter from Deccom takes at least 5-7 business days to receive but it was, at least, some explanation.
Truth be told, Deccom was no better than Edge Park in shipping supplies. It is just so stupidly frustrating when insurance assumptions prevent us from getting the supplies we need to reduce the stress in being a T.1 diabetic. Providing the tools we need to manage our own health is what helps us prevent complications that would cost them so much more in the long run.
In practice I find that insurers are running a couple of years behind what is actually going on. When we first started using Dexcom’s we were able to get a replacement in 1-2 business days when they failed. today that is no longer the case. So look forward to 5 years from now when the replacement takes 1-2 months and your insurance will account for a 5 day delivery in their system. In case you can’t tell, I love bureaucracies! /s
Edgepark can send it overnight if it is an emergency. You just have to ask them.
I understand and agree. The pain comes from doing your best and then the mfrs and insurance get in the middle of us reaching our goals!