For someone who is quite low-dose in my insulin usage, every single time I use an Omnipod Dash
(available in Canada now) and change my Omnipod, I end up tossing about 45 units of insulin every 3 days. That seems to be quite a waste to me. Is there any developments on creating an Omnipod for low-dose insulin users?
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The minimum to get the magic beep is about 80IU and, with care, it should be possible to slowly squirt the stuff in until the beep happens then put the remainder back into the vial. That strikes me as a good approach to the problem.
I toss away the same amount as you, except for those odd occasions when the pod expires because it is empty; it’s not the amount of insulin used that matters, it’s the fact that it has to be prepaid into the pod. I use 30-50IU per day. The solution for that is to suck it out of the pod after expiry; this has been mentioned before but no one has suggested a way of doing it safely to avoid accrued contamination of foreign bodies.
I’ve not tried because I don’t think insulin wastage, which occurs with MDI too because of the air shots, is something I need to worry about. The environmental costs of non-reusable electronics concern me much more and that’s much more challenging. It’s like the vegetarian I knew many years ago who wore leather shoes; it’s a big thing to deal with.
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I haven’t heard anything about low-dose omnipods, but if you really don’t want to throw away the excess insulin I have a somewhat wild suggestion.
Dilute your insulin 50% (with the Lilly insulin dilutent, which I think may even be available free on request.) You would have to change all your pump settings to deliver twice as much liquid, but this way you’d have almost none left over.
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Thanks so much for your response jbowler. Will review it again and see if I understand what you’re doing.
And you’re right, I did some calculations and it ended up being about $2 worth of insulin every 3 days.
So definitely nothing to be worried about but I am aware of some in the USA not being able to afford the insulin costs.
Things like that bother me to no end.
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Wow - that’s a very interesting idea. Hmmm. Thank you!
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I don’t know where you are, but I’m in the US and a month supply of Omnipods costs me $529.41 (well, that’s 30 days.) That would be $6445.57 for the year but my insurance kicks in at $6900 so the maximum everything else could cost me is $454.43.
In practice I use 150IU in each pod and I’m currently buying it myself (not going through the insurance, because that makes stuff more expensive), so I currently pay $3.73 for the insulin (it costs me $24.88 for a 10ml vial). That’s about what you pay - $3.73 for 150IU as opposed to $2 for 80IU.
The issues in the US are complex. For one thing insurance is expensive but then it is also very expensive to actually use it. But this is all irrelevant in the real world; when I was in the UK the prescription payment might have been an issue but since I had T1 I didn’t have to pay it (for anything, not just T1 stuff!) Each country has different issues.
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Thank you again for the info, I do appreciate it.
My brother currently lives in the USA and cares for my mother who has dementia. He’s my only source of info regarding these things. Thanks again for your message, it is appreciated.
S.
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Apologies for the late response but I do agree, things are different with T1D insulin and supplies everywhere. It’s different in every province in Canada! And we have a Cruz like leader in Alberta (the province where I live) who has just cut all funding for diabetic pumps. It’s craziness but what you can only do your best.
I hope to be working again quite soon as there is a strong demand for work here again. So that may help things along.
Take care,
Sheryl
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I just got the “mass mailing” from Insulet saying that the O5 is now available on prescription. The email comes with a link to their web site to get them to verify insurance coverage.
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I guess it’s not that “mass”, cuz I didn’t get it. 
It’s fine though. I don’t want that thing.
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It was necessary to sign up for it; i.e. it is an email sent out to those of us who signed up after the original announcement. I suspect they are very much aware that many people find the Dash, and for that matter, Eros, pods just fine and aren’t going to fix something that isn’t broken. I assume they will continue supplying all three variants; there is no reason not to.
For those who didn’t sign up and are interested here is the undecorated text:
Thank you for signing up on the Interest List–we are excited to let you know that the Omnipod® 5 Automated Insulin Delivery System can now be prescribed by your doctor. Virtual high five! We are thrilled this day has arrived and we can begin to inform you of this new milestone. It will take us about a week to notify everyone who signed up on the Interest List.
Do I have insurance coverage for Omnipod 5?
Start the upgrade process today with the new Omnipod® Benefits Portal.
Create or log in to your Omnipod Account using the same credentials as PodderCentral®. Validate or update your insurance and diabetes doctor information, and the online portal will get to work. Once complete, you’ll receive an auto-generated email notification with a link to your results and next step instructions.
Create an Account or Log In
Great things take time
With all new products, building coverage can take time, and not all who apply for an Omnipod 5 benefits check will have coverage right away. Our team is working hard to get more insurance companies on board, and we’re thankful for your patience.
Anything else I can do?
If you would like, you can also call your insurance company and ask about the the Omnipod 5 G6 Intro Kit (Gen 5) (NDC 08508-3000-01) and Omnipod 5 G6 Pods (Gen 5) (NDC 08508-3000-21) to see if you have coverage.
If you are not covered at this time, keep in mind that we are adding insurance plans to Omnipod 5 every day. In addition, the Omnipod Benefits Portal is already set up to assist with prior authorizations and appeals should you require it.
Not covered and want to take action? Visit Advocacy for Access – Advocating for Diabetes Treatment Coverage for further support in accessing Omnipod 5.
Are you using the Dexcom G6 Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM)? In order to take full advantage of the Omnipod 5 Automated Insulin Delivery System, you need the Dexcom G6 CGM. Learn more here or speak to your health care provider about if the Dexcom CGM is right for you.
NEW! Omnipod 5 now has self-guided training: If you are already on Dexcom G6 you may be eligible for the Omnipod 5 eLearning modules. Talk to your doctor about the recommended initial pump settings and if the Omnipod 5 eLearning path is right for you.
Here for you at every step
Looking for more? Visit our Omnipod 5 FAQs. To reach our team, please call 1-800-591-3455 option 2.Sincerely,
Your Omnipod Team
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I received this, too, but I’m looping so will not switch.
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I received the same email this morning…maybe they went in alphabetical order (I am a Z…). Anyway, I am hoping the process moves along at a good pace to allow me to try the Omnipod 5 soon.
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I got it too today
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Just got off the phone with Insulet. They say they have finished the coverage check and I am covered (hooray). But they are running 1 to 2 weeks behind with their followups. The new news is there are a limited number of pharmacies providing the Omnipod 5 at this time. The list of pharmacies is on Insulet web site at Health Insurance Coverage for the Omnipod® 5 Automated Insulin Delivery (AID) System | Omnipod
The next step will be an email from Insulet to me stating which mail order pharmacy for the doc to send the prescrip to together with the prescribing NDC codes and instructions. They say they will also be contacting the doc with the same info. The rep seemed pretty confident the process will take 1 or 2 weeks to obtain the new pods and PDM.
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I just got this email:
Due to overwhelming demand, your request for coverage information might take longer than expected. The Omnipod team is working as quickly as we can. We appreciate your patience.
If you would prefer not to wait for us, you also have the option of calling the insurance company directly to check coverage. Just ask them if you’re covered for Omnipod 5d Intro Kit (Gen 5) . If they request more information, please reference the national drug code (NDC): 08508-3000-01 .
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Coincidentally I was contacted today by Gentry Health, one of the specialty pharmacies handling the Omnipod 5. They said everything is ready to ship the starter kit (PDM + 11 pods). They received the prescription from my endo via Insulet and had verified coverage with my Medicare Advantage. So far so good.
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I got a call from Gentry yesterday, similar to @John58 stating I had be referred by Insulet for Omnipod 5, they contacted by Endo and got a prescription from her (it’s a him, do they not read first names? Perhaps they thought Amish was a girls name…), they understood it would be covered by my insurance, and they needed my OK to proceed. Interestingly, my Endo and haven’t discussed it yet though I plan to at next appt (this coming Monday BTW). Also, now that I’m on Loop-dev using my iPhone as the controller/intermediary between the G6 and Omni Dash, I’m not terribly interested in going back to having to carry around a PDM, perhaps when they get a iPhone app released? Loop and Dash are doing fine, no PDM to carry (quite freeing!), numbers are better than Dash/PDM and G6 separately. Told the Gentry lady to call back next week after I talk with my Endo and have time to think thru.
Anybody using the 5’s yet? Anybody switch from Dash to 5? Comments on how its going? Other comments or considerations by anyone? I value my fellow FUDr’s opinions!!
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No but my starter kit shipped yesterday so I plan to start next week. Maybe will give it a try for a month and then switch back to Dash for a while to use up some stockpiled Dash pods. I will certainly keep you and FuD posted.
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Thanks! One advantage to being in Canada, where approvals generally come months if not years after the US, is that we get to read about the learning curve and troubleshooting way ahead of time.
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