Over testing?? What the??

[2high]

I spoke to my DE on the phone today, and she asked how often I am testing currently. When I told her 8-10 times per day, I was told that I'm "over testing" and using too many supplies. Now, here in Aus, we just buy whatever supplies we need through the NDSS, no script required, just an order form, so I don't know how she can say I'm using too many supplies. Surely I'm just tryin to gain better control by keeping track of my bgs more frequently?? Especially considering that a year ago I was testing only once a day, if that, and my hbA1c was 13.9!!

Has anyone else had this problem??

[rzrbks]

Here in the US, Ins. companies try and make people cut back on their monitoring all the time.

Stoopid Bean Counters can't see the forrest for the trees.

The manual says, X number of times, so, X number of times it is..............period.

[2high]

Here in the US, Ins. companies try and make people cut back on their monitoring all the time.

Stoopid Bean Counters can't see the forrest for the trees.

The manual says, X number of times, so, X number of times it is..............period.

Fine... Rant time.

It's bloody ridiculous! Do these morons not realise that we HAVE to do this to stay healthy? It's not like we're testing for fun, this is a **** disease and we have to deal with it! Apparently, by testing so often, I am letting D rule my life. BULL S**T!! It takes about 10 seconds to set up my meter and test! Surely it's be much worse if I were testing only once a day again, having no idea of my bgs, my trends?

Sorry... had to get that out... **** textbooks think they know it all...mutter mutter...curse curse

[JediSkipdogg]

Keep in mind, strips are expensive. Like I say all the time, don't pin this 100% on the insurance companies. This is the strip makers fault and the insurance companies have to pay it. There is no control of negotiating prices when it comes to drug prices. Heck, in the US, Medicare Part D SPECIFICALLY states that the Federal Government MAY NOT negotiate prices for drugs on Medicare Part D.

SPike says he tests 18 times a day. In a year, at $80 a box of 100, that's $5256 in just strips. Add that he's a pumper, and you have him as a guaranteed loss for the insurance company.

It's all stupid, but someone needs to get into an office somewhere and starting forcing companies to lower prices. Then making billions in PROFITS a year is no excuse. They claim it's to cover research costs, however, if that's true, they would only make millions in profits, not billions.

[Cyborg]

This is the same DE that knows you are going on a pump? :banghead:

[2high]

This is the same DE that knows you are going on a pump? :banghead:

She sure is... yeh, I'm surprised too... She's also the person that told me to test frequently to get my A1c down...



SPike says he tests 18 times a day. In a year, at $80 a box of 100, that's $5256 in just strips. Add that he's a pumper, and you have him as a guaranteed loss for the insurance company.

You pay $80 for 100 strips?!?!?! OMG!!!
We pay $12.70 AUD for 100... I'm sorry, but that is NUTS!!

Go the Aussie NDSS!! (National Diabetes Supply Scheme)
All our needles are free, too...

[Funnygrl]

She sure is... yeh, I'm surprised too... She's also the person that told me to test frequently to get my A1c down...




You pay $80 for 100 strips?!?!?! OMG!!!
We pay $12.70 AUD for 100... I'm sorry, but that is NUTS!!

Go the Aussie NDSS!! (National Diabetes Supply Scheme)
All our needles are free, too...
You may pay $13, but that doesn't mean the strips COST $13.

[JediSkipdogg]

Well, we don't pay that. I pay $7 for 100. Our insurance pays the rest, which is why insurance rates are through the roof and if you don't have a job with insurance, you pretty much can't get it. Insurance companies won't cover diabetics because we are too high of a risk for them and we are an automatic loss for their company.

[lgvincent]

I have the same trouble with my doctor. He, and the one before him, both said 3 strips a day was plenty. The reason they say that is because they can be bought in boxes of 100 and divided by 30 days comes out to just over 3 strips a day. I asked for 5 a day and he said he would write a prescription for that but after I left, he sent in a prescription for 3 a day. I went back and had to get really nasty with the clown before I actually got the prescription for 5 strips a day. The sad thing is, I wanted to ask for 200 strips a month, or roughly 7 strips a day but considering how hard it was to get 5, I gave up for the time. I'm looking for a new doctor, one who actually knows something about the medical field.

[lilituc]

Well, some of us pay more. My insurance will only cover 5 times a day - and that's if I can get the doctor to write it on the prescription, so I end up buying about another 200 a month at $74 per 100.

[poodlebone]

My insurance doesn't limit my strips. Before I started pumping I was getting 200/month. Then I asked my CDE for 300/month once I got my pump. I was having a lot of trouble getting my numbers straight and ended up buying some strips myself from eBay. So, this past summer I asked my CDE for a new prescription for 400/month. She wrote it, I mailed it away, I got my strips (1,200 at once, a 3 months supply). I pay $20 for the 3 months worth.

My CDE does sometimes tell me that I test too much and might want to cut back a test or two each day but lately my numbers have been so unpredictable I don't dare go more than 2 hours without testing while I'm awake.

[FrankDr]

Another insurance game that my mailorder (Medco) will do is if you have more than 600 on a 3 month script (~ 6.7 / day) , they shorten the 3 months to whatever it takes to keep it under 600. So for example if you have 12 a day, they would change the 90 days to 50 days, so you would actually have 2 copays in the 3 month period instead of one.

But it's still a heck of a savings over list price. I would like to know their actual price though . . .

I'm sure some of the problem is fraud from people over-ordering and selling online. Messes it up for those of us who actually need it.

Later-

[Twister212]

I spoke to my DE on the phone today, and she asked how often I am testing currently. When I told her 8-10 times per day, I was told that I'm "over testing" and using too many supplies. Now, here in Aus, we just buy whatever supplies we need through the NDSS, no script required, just an order form, so I don't know how she can say I'm using too many supplies. Surely I'm just tryin to gain better control by keeping track of my bgs more frequently?? Especially considering that a year ago I was testing only once a day, if that, and my hbA1c was 13.9!!

Has anyone else had this problem??
Don't walk....run...away from this DE. Get a new one! I have burned through a number of endo's...Many in the medical profession are idiots.

Two examples: One endo, Robert Bernstein, Endo in NYC, who said he wouldn't use the Medtronic CGMS Gold (few years ago) because he didn't get compensated well enough by insurance.

Second endo, Jeanine Albu, fancies herself a hotshot researcher at St Lukes in NYC. First available appointment was three months out. When appointment arrived, she kept me waiting for 1.5 hours with no apology or comment at all about it, she actually laughs when I tell her I have been taking Benfotiamine, and says there is no evidence regarding its efficacy. Benfotiamine has a long history of repairing/preventing diabetes complications in Germany, and solid research here from Dr Brownlee of Einstein Medical Center. After I mention Dr Brownlee's research, she simply went on to other topics. When I tried to set up a follow up, again, three months delay.

When I asked her about a script for the new Dexcom, she had never heard of it.

This woman was: 1. not up to date on current products or research, 2. rude, 3. clearly a researcher who just saw an appointment here or there to pad her pocketbook.

Anyway, get a new DE!

[Tokyo Cate]

Apparently, by testing so often, I am letting D rule my life. BULL S**T!! It takes about 10 seconds to set up my meter and test! Surely it's be much worse if I were testing only once a day again, having no idea of my bgs, my trends?

I got the same argument from my Doctor in Japan. On one visit she hadn't given me enough supplies so I had to go back to her between appointments to get more strips (they are only available through the hospital) and she told me I didn't need to test because I had a good A1C. I cried and got my way.

[spike]

I spoke to my DE on the phone today, and she asked how often I am testing currently. When I told her 8-10 times per day, I was told that I'm "over testing" and using too many supplies. Now, here in Aus, we just buy whatever supplies we need through the NDSS, no script required, just an order form, so I don't know how she can say I'm using too many supplies. Surely I'm just tryin to gain better control by keeping track of my bgs more frequently?? Especially considering that a year ago I was testing only once a day, if that, and my hbA1c was 13.9!!

Has anyone else had this problem??

My endos have all recognized the usefulness of frequent testing so I get my 600# strips each month with no static.

Kit, your DE is clueless, to say the least. Keep testing often.

Dad

[trunkles]

It does seem ludicrous that people are prevented from remain in control of their DM and therefore, hopefully, reducing the cost of problems later. I have no idea what the cost of leg amputation and the lifestyle changes after it would be, but I suspect it is well into 6 or 7 figures.

My vote is test as much as you feel you need to.

One of the curious things with NZ is that you can actually check how much the government pays for Rx items. A pot of 50 AccuChek Advantage test strips, cost the government NZ$22 (strips for the optium meter are the same price), which is currently US$14-45. If you used a pot a week that would work out to US$751-40 a year. Hardly a high price to pay for good health. I can't help thinking that people in the US are being seriously ripped off!

[JediSkipdogg]

It does seem ludicrous that people are prevented from remain in control of their DM and therefore, hopefully, reducing the cost of problems later. I have no idea what the cost of leg amputation and the lifestyle changes after it would be, but I suspect it is well into 6 or 7 figures.

Keep in mind that there are people that were diagnosed in the 40s and 50s that are alive today still. And for the first 40 eyars of their diagnosis may have tested once a day. And those people still have no complications. So the insurance companies look at those people as the reasons for not spending good money. Also, there are no studies that show you have less chance of complications testing 20 times a day vs 10 times a day vs 5 times a day. Insurance companies have to save as much money on us as they can, and until they see a reason to spend more to save more later on, they don't care. Not to mention, many figure by the time you have complications, you are on Medicare, so they don't care what complications you have then cause you are outta their hair then.

Jedi done.

[Funnygrl]

Another insurance game that my mailorder (Medco) will do is if you have more than 600 on a 3 month script (~ 6.7 / day) , they shorten the 3 months to whatever it takes to keep it under 600. So for example if you have 12 a day, they would change the 90 days to 50 days, so you would actually have 2 copays in the 3 month period instead of one.

But it's still a heck of a savings over list price. I would like to know their actual price though . . .

I'm sure some of the problem is fraud from people over-ordering and selling online. Messes it up for those of us who actually need it.

Later-
I noticed this with Medco too. Now I need to ask my endo to be more specific now.

[2high]

Okay, I have an update...

I have had "big talks" with my DE, and she had me confused with another Katie when she said I was testing too much.
Apparently someone else she has is testing every 45 mins... crazy!
So yeh, she said my 10 tests a day are perfect, especially because I'm pumping soon... so I dont have to stress now, my Educator is wonderful after all!!

Kit.

[Stuboy]

my nurses dont seem to have a problem with me testing so much... if you ask me i wouldn't have the control i have if i didn't test as much as i do!

It has been mentioned that i try the urine glucose strips... but that was so that my fingers dont get soar... i just use my thumbs while my fingers recover now, i prefer to get a proper NUMBER for my BG, not just a shade of colour on a stick.

[CycloneKitty]

I think I need to test more. I just forget to sometimes. Bad bad me. And considering we get our strips for next to nothing - all is good. Can't believe what some ppl have to pay o/s.

[Lisa971]

When I changed my insurance plan, I read, and was told, that for prefered strips, one month supply would be $10. !-month, did that mean regardless the # of times you test, it is still covering the strips according to the time period, not the amount of product used, that's what they led me to believe.

Then, after the effective date of the new plan, I was told by insurance that there is a limit -150/month. When I exclaimed that I must test 8-10/day in order to stay in control, they said I just had to get approval from the pharmacy and the doc because I would be exceeding the manufacturer's daily recommended dosage. Okay. So I got the pharmacy and doc to communicate, got 300 strips for one month at $10!!!

The next day, insurance calls to inform me that the state of NC had just "posted a memo" stating that they will only cover 150 strips per month! So what?!!! My employer can just at any given time, make changes to the health plan?? I talked to the asst. director of the benefits office to find out whether they can just change around the coverage and limits and such without notice to the member, at any time. He said it sounded strange, coming from the insurance co., will find out about it, and call me back. That was about 3 1/2 weeks ago, and he has yet to get back to me on that such petty issue.

Oh, well...I'm not complaining that $10/150 strips/month is not right, it's great!! But it's just the idea that insurance tells me about my employer's sudden decisions. I would like to have consistency so that I can plan my $budget and my diabetes management accordingly.

I am curious to see what I will pay for the month of November...

[Stuboy]

it's crazy that you have to pay for supplies! This is one reason i do like the NHS in the UK

[barbarac]

I cannot understand some Dr.'s. You would think the money is coming from their pockets. I pay $35 for a 3 month supply of whatever from Caremark (mail order). So why wouldn't they write it for a few more. With all my prescriptions and meds it isn't like I am trying to cheat or anything. They should write it for whatever it would take to test the 6-8 times a day. It isn't like I want to stick myself extra. Yesterday I had to use more as I ran high all day and kept testing, finally changed set--should have done it sooner, but it was brand new. So if I use a few less one day, may use a few more another. Why are they so stingy about writing for enough. Plus, they don't figure in bad tests (not enough sample) or the fact that half the time I don't wait for the code thing and waste a strip.

[seacomp]

Don't forget that the Doctors are under intense pressure from the insurance companies to keep costs down; blame HMOs etc. rather than the Doctors.

[JediSkipdogg]

blame HMOs etc. rather than the Doctors.

Blame the strip makers rather than the insurance company. It's just a funnelling down effect, so one has to start at the source and not in between

[seacomp]

Blame the strip makers rather than the insurance company. It's just a funnelling down effect, so one has to start at the source and not in between

Are you saying that the manufactures of testing strips put pressure on doctors to prescribe less of them.
Certainly the retail price of the strips is outrageous, but I expect that the insurance companies pay the manufactures far less than what you'd expect from the retail price.

[dkev]

My insurance company gives me a 200 strip monthly cap. But once I called them . they bumped it up to 300 no problem.

[Cyborg]

Does it really cost nearly a dollar per strip to manufacture?

[Lisa971]

The manufacturers make the bulk of their profit from the strips rather than the meters. They (Lifescan -One Touch) send free meters (Ultra, Ultra-Smart, Ultra-2) to anybody without insurance info, nothing paid to them from insurance (or so the customer service rep said. She also said that there is absolutley NO "mauf's limit" on the #used/day which is what my insurance told me...Why can't the insurance co. be truthful and just admit to me that they jjust don't want to pay out more $$$ (but save it, we all -with business and personal finances- want to not have to spend more than what we have to) for my health because they know that I could potentially become pretty expensive.....

[Miss Jade]

I was just about to mail in my new Rx for a three month supply of strips to Medco. Then I read this thread and realised that if my doctor has only listed 400 strips for a three month period that means testing only 4 times a day - NO WAY! Especially when I am about to go on a pump.
I think I will forget about sending the Rx in for now, and ask for a new more appropriate one.

[poodlebone]

Don't forget that the Doctors are under intense pressure from the insurance companies to keep costs down; blame HMOs etc. rather than the Doctors.

My HMO has no limit on strips. I get 400/month, 3 months at a time, for 2 months co-pay if I go through caremark. So, every 3 months I can get 1,200 strips for $20. My HMO covered my pump and supplies 100%. Any other diabetes scripst are also $10/month and it doesn't matter what brand they are.
I can also see specialists whenever I need to, no referral.

I was nervous when we switched from a "premium" Oxford plan to our current HMO but I'd never go back. Oxford was worthless.

[belyro]

I'm in Manitoba, Canada. We have Pharmacare coverage here, but the limit is 4000 test strips per year. That works out to about 11 tests/day. I don't always test 11 times per day, but sometimes I do and sometimes I test more. In the last few years I have been less able to feel changes in my bloodsugar, so I test more often. For the last two years I have ended up going over the limit. I'm thankful that I have a good benefits provider at work, so any money I spend after the 400 strips (plus also the deductible before the Pharmacare kicks in) is covered.

However....I absolutely detest being questioned at the pharmacy by pharmacy assistants barely out of high school who have been alive for less time than I've had diabetes. I know my limits, I know my doctor supports my frequent testing, and I will deal with it. So, if I'm trying to buy strips too soon after my last test strip purchase, and they try to convince me I'm testing too often I can get pretty testy (pardon the pun). I know it's what they're trained to do, but I feel like I'm being made to sing for my supper and I just haaaaaate it. :mad: (This subject gets me very worked up.)

My worst pharmacist experience was a few years ago when I had the stomach flu and an older pharmacist tried to convince me that a) I was testing too often, b) even though I was sick (and puking) I shouldn't be testing once every hour, c) she knew what was a reasonable frequency to test because her husband was diabetic (likely type 2 - i'm type 1...plus every diabetic is different), and d) that she couldn't sell me any strips. In my fevered state, I phoned my then-boyfriend (now husband) completely hysterical and begged him to go down to the pharmacy and just try to buy them instead of getting them through pharmacare. He was able to get some, but my doctor had me tell my experience to a diabetes advocate in town, and she wrote a letter to the pharmacy. The manager wrote me a formal apology. I still cringe when I think about the ignorance of this woman.

Sorry. Getting a little rantish here.