My pump warrenty expires 12/16.2025 and there is a software update available that allows the pump to work with Libre 3. I tried back in October to do it but no connection to my Mac Book Pro of my wife’s Mac.
The Wednesday before Thanksgiving I was at our son’s house and tried his PC running windows 11 - no good. All this with the Tandem cable and cables known to pass data.
This morning I went by my endo’s office and they tried - no good.
I called support back in October and went through all their troubleshooting. This morning with the confirmation of my endo’s office I knew that the trouble was in the USB port on the pump.
If I remember correctly there are 4 wires/contact - 2 for power (5vdc) and 2 for data. The pump charged OK but not data. I ended up speaking with 3 support people today. The last one knew I found the trouble, but the are required to go through every step.
She is sending out a replacement pump that should arrive tomorrow.
@CarlosLuis First, congrats for sticking it out, finding the issue, and finding someone at Tandem that cared to help out (even if you had jump thru all the hoops!). From a technical point, I have to ask how you determined the data wasn’t flowing (other than it didn’t seem to work)? Did you use some device connected to the cable that determined the number of bits/bytes flowing? The answer may help some others with similar and even different issues.
I don’t jhave any test equipment capable of actually showing data. It was the normal troubleshooting method, process of elimination.
4 different computers (2 Mac, 2 PCs) using cables known topass data. One was my endo’s computer. I tested the Tandem supplied cable by updating 2 Garmin devices, OK.
Eliminated the computers, operating systems and browsers.
Eliminated the cable and proved the cable passes data.
All that is left is the pump. The problem could be in the connecter, the wiring or the circuitry involved in data transfer.
@CarlosLuis Thanks! It makes sense. Probably not worth the investment given your actions and need. I know devices exist to put between a cable and connection to detect wattage/aperage and data flow. I’ve got one of the former (used to troubleshoot a hard drive a couple of years ago), but haven’t used or had the need as yet for data detector. Your (probably most peoples) process works just fine!
The new refurbished pump arrived yesterday. It was fully charged and at the current update. Wonder of wonders, it was time for a cartridge change. I did the set up just fine but woke up with BG at 69mg/dl.
I did not turn on C-IQ or set up sleep mode schedule. Normally at night basal is well below the setting.
I was hoping to have a working pump when the warranty expirese 12/16/2025. Reading @mohe0001 ‘s post on the Medicare Competitive Bidding thread about pump rent fees this pump may not be a backup.
@CarlosLuis your settings are available from the last time you uploaded in your t: connect account. The last tab over has you last available upload settings from your pump. If you have made changes since then, they won’t be reflected there.
No one agrees on what Competitive Bidding for pumps on Medicare means. We need details. I’m still asking around.
The whole point of competitive bidding is that it is supposed to make stuff cheaper. But in software, when we do monthly charges, the goal is to increase the cost. None of this makes intuitive sense to me.
I don’t even think they start bidding for a long time…Contracts are awarded in 2027.
In my military career, and I’m sure it’s applicable in most environs, this sounds like the “Trust me, I’m from the Government” course of action. I notice “Beneficiary education begins” a little late in the process and too late for effective input to the process being developed. While I’m sure some of the folks have the customer in mind, I’m equally sure most have the “bottom line” more in mind. While I understand some may be better off with the “new” system, I’m not convinced a “one size” or “one type” fits all is going to work for me…and the education of “me” is too late to issue a concern. At the risk of inserting politics, it seems tantamount to passing a Congressional bill so we can find out what’s in it! Always a bad idea!!!
I was unable to write anything to CMS re: an opinion on the proposed changes because there was so little information/details provided. It’s a total gamble without the details. That’s where the devil hides.
They mean for the beneficiaries who weren’t informed and/or involved at the start of the process. The bidding changes the suppliers with the best prices and, indeed, may change the suppliers. So beneficiary education means, I believe, “Dude, your crutch supplier lost the bid and you need to choose a new one.”
So far as I can tell at this point the “what” has been decided; all the stuff over the last year about what the CMS will ask bids for is a done deal because the process is at the 12/25 step, from @mohe0001 's link:
o CMS begins pre-bidding supplier awareness program
They can’t do that unless the things to bid for have been settled. I won’t bet my life, or my insulin, on this but I believe the pump (and CGM?) bids will be for a full rental model. I’m not sure what the current model is, the Google AI says the model is 13-month rental then ownership. This is what I call (from the UK terminology) “hire purchase”; similar to a US car loan. The apparent new model is rental (like renting a car).
The cycle is 2 years; a new bidding process and, possibly, new things to bid for every two years. So if people care about the things being bid for now is the time to start organising to change that. The next bidding process will, COVID/major war/politcal stuff notwithstanding, start in December 2028 and, so far as I can tell, the things to be bid for will be decided.
I would like to see all insulin pumps, regardless of implementation, covered under Part B. I think that is a viable thing to go for over the next two years. The “rental” model is, to my mind, completely consistent with the “disposable” model
I would say that nearly nothing is decided on this. I think it’s pretty uncertain if it ever materializes at all.
That’s pretty far off. A lot can happen in 2 years.
I think we will see a lot of challenges from diabetes advocacy organizations who are pretty scared from the last time competitive bidding occurred on glucometers. In general, they do not believe that the following is possible:
That’s their primary concern, but they also have concerns about continuous access when pumps fail and if the distributors have the capability to perform with increased responsibility in this role. We all know that some are better than others. We’ll see how things develop. A lot of unknowns.
One of my questions (as a Omnipod dash user) is this - the Durable medical side doesn’t even really exist anymore. I am not a sold a durable piece of medical equipment. It’s a $25 piece of garbage cell phone hardware out of China. What exactly would I be renting? The right to purchase nondurable medical equipment? Of course, that’s different on the MDT side.
This is how Insulet got cut out of the Medicare market; the pump was not durable and there was no “code” for a pump controller. Fingersticks aren’t durable either; they are supplies for a cheap piece of very reliable (in my experience) electronics, but they have a code.
I would like to see all insulin pumps, regardless of implementation, covered under Part B because I do not see any device that delivers insulin subcutaneously materially different from a health care point of view. I also would like to pay a royal privilege lot less for my insulin pump so I’m biased.
I don’t see this in the current CMS bidding. Maybe Omnipods will be covered on Part B in 2008 but I’ve not seen any suggestion of that though it clearly would be reasonable.
