Diabetes care

Here's something good to know ... A benefit of choosing MediSense Optium Blood Glucose Test Strips is that they are designed to reduce the effects of interference from metabolites and common medicines such as Vitamin C and aspirin for glucose specific results.



This blog is associated with Simplex MD (simplexmd.com) and the Diabetes Care Club (diabetescareclub.com), sponsored by Simplex Healthcare.

Important Notice: Information provided is for general background purposes and is not intended as a substitute for medical diagnosis or treatment by a trained professional. You should always consult your physician about any health care questions you may have, especially before trying a new medication, diet, fitness program, or approach to health care issues.

To get your Medicare diabetic supplies and equipment, you need a prescription from your doctor. The prescription should say:

    * You have been diagnosed with diabetes.
    * What kind of blood sugar monitor you need. If, for instance, you need a special meter because of vision problems, your doctor must explain that.
    * Whether you use insulin.
    * How often you should test your blood sugar.
    * How many test strips and lancets you need for one month.

Points to remember:

    * Ask your doctor or health care provider if regular blood sugar testing is right for you.
    * You need a prescription from your doctor to get your diabetes equipment and supplies under Medicare.
    * Learn the correct way to use your blood sugar meter properly. Your pharmacist, doctor, diabetes educator, or another health care provider can help you.
    * Keep track of your blood sugar readings and share them with your doctor or health care provider at regular visits.
    * Do not accept shipments of diabetes equipment and supplies that you did not ask for.

If you would like more information about Medicare diabetic supplies and services, you may download a PDF brochure: www.medicare.gov/Publications/Pubs/pdf/11022.pdf

The Diabetic Care Club (DCC) is also a good source if you have questions about coverage. To find out if you qualify for a free DCC membership, just fill out and submit the form on the right side of this page and a DCC Diabetic Care Coordinator will call you back promptly. Or call directly, toll-free, at 1-800-840-7711. When you become a member, DCC files all Medicare claim forms for you -- and you'll never have to make an upfront payment. If you don't have secondary coverage, you may qualify for DCC's Financial Waiver Program, which waives the 20% not covered by Medicare.


This blog is associated with Simplex MD (simplexmd.com) and the Diabetes Care Club (diabetescareclub.com), sponsored by Simplex Healthcare.

If you are enrolled in Medicare, but do not have secondary coverage such as Medicaid and/or private insurance, you may qualify for the Diabetes Care Club (DCC) Financial Waiver Program for Medicare diabetic supplies. This program waives the cost of your diabetes testing supplies not covered by Medicare, typically 20%.

To find out more about DCC's Financial Waiver Program, just fill out and submit the form on the right side of this page and one of DCC's Diabetic Care Coordinators will call you back promptly. Or call directly, toll-free, at 1-800-840-7711.

During the initial conversation, DCC will obtain additional information from you, to:

    * See if you qualify for free membership in the Diabetes Care Club
    * Make sure you are taking full advantage of the coverage you have
    * Determine the maximum amount your current coverage will pay toward your diabetes testing supplies ... and
    * See if you might qualify for the DCC Financial Waiver Program

The Financial Waiver Program is a valuable benefit enjoyed by many members, enabling them to receive their diabetes testing supplies at no cost. If you are in financial need, find out more about DCC's Financial Waiver Program. Even the call is free.


This blog is associated with Simplex MD (simplexmd.com) and the Diabetes Care Club (diabetescareclub.com), sponsored by Simplex Healthcare.

That's a great big YES!

When you order your Medicare diabetic supplies online -- or by toll-free phone -- from the Diabetes Care Club (DCC), we handle all the paperwork. DCC processes thousands of Medicare diabetic supply claims for our members every month.

To find out if you qualify for a free Diabetes Care Club membership, just fill out and submit the form on the right side of this page and one of our Diabetic Care Coordinators will call you back promptly. Or call us directly, toll-free, at 1-800-840-7711. When you become a member, we'll file all Medicare claim forms for you -- and you'll never have to make an upfront payment. If you don't have secondary coverage, you may qualify for our Financial Waiver Program, which waives the 20% not covered by Medicare.

Medicare covers a glucose meter, meter strips, lancets, lancet devices, batteries and control solution for diabetic patients -- and typically pays 80% of the cost. Co-pays and deductibles apply. If you have secondary insurance, it may cover the remaining 20%, so you could receive your supplies at no cost to you. Any out-of-pocket cost you may incur will depend on your insurance coverage and the state in which you live.

Membership in DCC is free ... and so are the phone calls.


This blog is associated with Simplex MD (simplexmd.com) and the Diabetes Care Club (diabetescareclub.com), sponsored by Simplex Healthcare.

I came across a great evergreen (still relevant) article in Diabetes Health Magazine with tips for choosing the right lancing device.

The article suggests one important criteria to consider is safety. The need to load and remove lancets for each individual use creates issues of safety, particularly for children.

The safest products allow safe ejection of the used lancet without handling. However, even some devices with an ejection mechanism do not work when used with hollow-back lancets. This problem will eventually be resolved with the advent of self-contained lancets in one disposable cartridge or disk.

THE FUTURE IS NOW: Since this article was originally published, technology caught up. The Accu-Chek Multiclix lancing device offered by the Diabetes Care Club is a world first in diabetes care. Safety and convenience are combined, since no handling of lancets is necessary.

Six lancets are preloaded in a drum making it easy to change.
The drum can simply be discarded in the household waste.

With no risk of accidental pricking and easy lancet change, the Accu-Chek Multiclix makes regular testing fast, safe and less painful.



This blog is associated with Simplex MD (simplexmd.com) and the Diabetes Care Club (diabetescareclub.com), sponsored by Simplex Healthcare.

Please note: Information provided is for general background purposes and is not intended as a substitute for medical diagnosis or treatment by a trained professional. You should always consult your physician about any health care questions you may have, especially before trying a new medication, diet, fitness program, or approach to health care issues.

I came across a great evergreen article in Diabetes Health Magazine with tips for choosing the right lancing device.

One of the best pieces of advice is to review lancing devices independently of meters in order to select the one best suited to your specific needs. The article also suggests that important criteria to consider are pain, safety and convenience. Here's what it says about the pain factor:

"Many people with diabetes acknowledge that callused fingers and frequent doses of sharp pain have become a normal part of everyday life. In addition to pain at the moment of lancing, people with diabetes also experience lingering pain and slow healing of the punctured sites.

"To help minimize pain, tissue damage and discomfort, choose a device that offers a smooth, well-controlled stick. Spring-driven devices with cam guidance tend to offer smoother control than those with linear guidance.

"Lancing to the right depth is another key consideration. A lancet should pierce the skin only to the depth necessary to get an adequate amount of blood. Lancing too deep causes increased pain, while not lancing deep enough requires re-lancing. For now, the best option is a device that features multiple depth settings. While these devices offer improvements over those lacking this feature, they often prove unreliable in reaching the intended depth. To compensate, the user dials the depth setting deeper than necessary to prevent having to re-lance."

UPDATE: Since this article initially appeared, the Accu-Chek Multiclix has been introduced and is a world first in diabetic medical supplies. Its comfort dial has 11 penetration depth settings, which lets you adjust to match skin type. This reduces pain by avoiding contact with deeper nerves. Once set, it stays in place.

As technologies continue to improve, next-generation devices will offer enhanced sophistication to ensure near 100 percent reliability in depth accuracy.



This blog is associated with Simplex MD (simplexmd.com) and the Diabetes Care Club (diabetescareclub.com), sponsored by Simplex Healthcare.

Please note: Information provided is for general background purposes and is not intended as a substitute for medical diagnosis or treatment by a trained professional. You should always consult your physician about any health care questions you may have, especially before trying a new medication, diet, fitness program, or approach to health care issues.

I came across a great older, but evergreen, article in Diabetes Health Magazine with tips for choosing the right lancing device.

"A common practice in selecting a lancing system is to rely on the device that comes with a particular blood glucose meter. This is like using an inferior razor simply because it came with your favorite shaving cream." (Do you love this analogy ... and it's so right.)

"Instead, review lancing devices independently of meters to select the one best suited to your specific needs." And in doing so, consider this important criteria: safety.

"People with diabetes are often advised to check their blood glucose several times per day,” says Jeff Hitchcock, president of the organization Children With Diabetes.

"Based on our most recent poll data, kids with diabetes are testing on average more than six times per day,” says Hitchcock. “Therefore, it is important that lancing systems be as simple and easy to use as possible.”

"To this end, the devices should require the fewest possible number of steps for lancing in order to provide the best user experience. For example, the priming and firing of the lancing device should be simple. Some devices require two-handed operation to pull back the cocking mechanism, while others simplify the process to one-handed operation with the press of a button—just like a ballpoint pen.

"The next generation of devices will offer the added convenience of multiple self-contained lancets in a cartridge, thus eliminating the need for loading and unloading a new or used lancet. "

UPDATE: The future is now. The next generation Accu-Chek Multiclix lancing device (which you may get from the Diabetes Care Club if you order your diabetic supplies online) is a world first in diabetes self management. Safety and convenience are combined, since no handling of lancets is necessary.

Here's how the Multiclix works:

Six lancets are preloaded in a drum making it easy to change.
The drum can simply be discarded in the household waste.
This unique lancing device also minimizes tissue tearing and pain, allowing you to test as frequently as your healthcare team recommends.

An electronic lancing device has been available since 2008, but it is not in wide distribution.


This blog is associated with Simplex MD (simplexmd.com) and the Diabetes Care Club (diabetescareclub.com), sponsored by Simplex Healthcare.

Please note: Information provided is for general background purposes and is not intended as a substitute for medical diagnosis or treatment by a trained professional. You should always consult your physician about any health care questions you may have, especially before trying a new medication, diet, fitness program, or approach to health care issues.

The people at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) tell a very interesting story about the 11,000 Pima Indians of the Gila River Indian Reservation in Arizona and their unique part in helping scientists from NIDDK -- the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases arm of NIH -- and the international diabetes community learn the secrets of diabetes, obesity and their complications, over more than three decades.

The work begun in 1965 led to a worldwide clinical definition of diabetes and the universal diagnostic criteria used by doctors to identify and treat diabetes. Researchers currently are working on genetic implications. "We're optimistic we will find one or more genes ... It's still hard to predict how we might prevent diabetes, but we might, for example, be able eventually to correct the genetic difference that causes disease," said NIH scientist Dr. Bill Knowler. At minimum, Dr. Knowler points out, "identifying the diabetes genes would allow us to identify the people most likely to get the disease."

Read the full story: http://www.diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/pima/pathfind/pathfind.htm.

The peaceful Pima Indians have served the U.S. in many ways. Photo at right is Luis Morago, a Pima Indian and noted scout for the U.S. Army, 1872 (Smithsonian Institution).



This blog is associated with Simplex MD (simplexmd.com) and the Diabetes Care Club (diabetescareclub.com), sponsored by Simplex Healthcare.

Many people purchase their diabetic medical supplies online. But not all providers of diabetic testing supplies and Medicare diabetic supplies are created equal.

I'd like to talk up the Diabetes Care Club (DCC): As of February 2008, Diabetes Care Club provided an uninterrupted flow of diabetic testing supplies to over 175,000 patients. There are more than 50,000 Medicare diabetes suppliers in the United States ... can you imagine having 50,000 choices ... and Diabetes Care Club is now the 3rd largest ... and growing!

I am one of the members of the DCC team here in the Nashville, Tennessee area and I can honestly say that each time we serve you, we see it as an opportunity to demonstrate DCC's mission, "Your health is our passion."


This blog is associated with Simplex MD (simplexmd.com) and the Diabetes Care Club (diabetescareclub.com), sponsored by Simplex Healthcare.

Important Notice: Information provided is for general background purposes and is not intended as a substitute for medical diagnosis or treatment by a trained professional. You should always consult your physician about any health care questions you may have, especially before trying a new medication, diet, fitness program, or approach to health care issues.

I was thinking, as 2010 edges closer, that we've come a really long way in the past century in testing for diabetes and diagnosing and treating diabetes in all of its forms. Just think of the many tools and technologies the diabetes community has at its disposal.

But wait until you hear what's coming.

New application methods of insulin - inhaled and oral - are currently being tested in clinical trials, along with drugs with improved effectiveness and reduced side-effect profiles.

Scientists continue to look for genetic clues, but more important -- I think -- are preventive measures to tackle the worldwide increase in obesity and diabetes, especially in developing countries where most of the predicted new cases of diabetes will occur.

Happy New Year 2010!


This blog is associated with Simplex MD (simplexmd.com) and the Diabetes Care Club (diabetescareclub.com), sponsored by Simplex Healthcare.

Please note: Information provided is for general background purposes and is not intended as a substitute for medical diagnosis or treatment by a trained professional. You should always consult your physician about any health care questions you may have, especially before trying a new medication, diet, fitness program, or approach to health care issues.

Clinical studies indicate that leaving diabetes test strip vials uncapped can significantly affect the accuracy of results. Each Optium Test Strip is sealed in an individual foil packet to protect it from air and moisture. Studies show that foil wrapping individual test strips is important for ensuring the accuracy of glucose monitoring in the real world.


This blog is associated with Simplex MD (simplexmd.com) and the Diabetes Care Club (diabetescareclub.com), sponsored by Simplex Healthcare.


Please note: Information provided is for general background purposes and is not intended as a substitute for medical diagnosis or treatment by a trained professional. You should always consult your physician about any health care questions you may have, especially before trying a new medication, diet, fitness program, or approach to health care issues.

Do you ever wonder how people in the diabetes community lived before they had self management tools like Ascensia Contour monitors, Optium strips, modified diabetes recipes and the like?

Translated from ancient Greek, diabetes mellitus means 'honey sweet flow,' and stems from a time when tasting a patient's urine was still part of the physician's diagnostic repertoire. By the sweet taste of the urine, diabetes mellitus could be distinguished from diabetes insipidus, another disease with increased urinary output.

Diabetes mellitus appears to have been a death sentence in the ancient era. Hippocrates makes no mention of it, which may indicate that he felt the disease was incurable. The Greek physician Aretaeus did attempt to treat it, but could not give a good prognosis; he commented that "life (with diabetes) is short, disgusting and painful." The Indian Sushruta (written around 100 AD) identified diabetes and further identified it with obesity and sedentary lifestyle, advising exercises to help "cure" it.

The 20th Century was a time of scientific enlightenment in diabetes research, including a number of Nobel Prizes in medicine. The turning point came in 1921, when Sir Frederick Grant Banting and Charles Herbert Best demonstrated that they could reverse induced diabetes in dogs by giving them an extract (insulin) from the pancreatic islets of Langerhans of healthy dogs.

Banting, Best and colleagues went on to purify the hormone insulin from bovine pancreases at the University of Toronto, leading to the availability of an effective treatment -- insulin injections. The first patient was treated in 1922. For this achievement, Banting and laboratory director MacLeod received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1923 and shared their prize money with others on the team.

In an unprecedented gesture of generosity to humankind, Banting and Best made the patent available without charge and did not attempt to control commercial production. Insulin production and therapy rapidly spread around the world, largely as a result of this decision. Banting is honored by World Diabetes Day, which is held on his birthday, November 14.

In 1980, U.S. biotech company Genentech developed human insulin. The insulin is isolated from genetically altered bacteria (the bacteria contain the human gene for synthesizing human insulin), which produce large quantities of insulin. Scientists then purify the insulin and distribute it to pharmacies for use by diabetes patients. (The illustration above shows the scientific structure of insulin.)

And each year, our knowledge and diabetes self management knowledge and capabilities grow through further discoveries and vastly improved testing technologies.


This blog is associated with Simplex MD (simplexmd.com) and the Diabetes Care Club (diabetescareclub.com), sponsored by Simplex Healthcare.

Almost everyone knows someone who has diabetes. The diabetes community in the U.S. is estimated to be 23.6 million people -- 7.8 percent of the population. Of those, 17.9 million have been diagnosed, and about 5.7 million people have not yet been diagnosed. Each year, about 1.6 million people aged 20 or older are diagnosed with diabetes (WebMD).

As diverse as the population itself, celebrities in the diabetes community are high-profile examples of living with the condition, and thriving in spite of it.

Tween heartthrob Nick Jonas of the Jonas Brothers went public with his type 1 diabetes in 2007. Once called juvenile diabetes, type 1 diabetes is the most common type of diabetes among people younger than 20, but it can strike at any age.

Actress Mary Tyler Moore was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of 30. Now in her 70s, she has long been active in promoting diabetes research; she serves as the International Chairman of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

Actress Salma Hayek had gestational diabetes while pregnant with her daughter -- Hayek has a family history of diabetes. Gestational diabetes usually goes away after pregnancy, but it raises the risk of developing type 2 diabetes or getting gestational diabetes again.

Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 2008. Cutler now wears an insulin pump, monitors his blood sugar and has called his condition "manageable."

Singer Patti LaBelle has type 2 diabetes. On her web site, LaBelle recalls her diagnosis. "I passed out on stage ... and the doctor came back to me and said, 'Did you know you were type 2 diabetic?' and I said, 'I had no idea,'" states LaBelle, who has a family history of diabetes. LaBelle has since written healthy cookbooks and she exercises regularly.

This blog is associated with Simplex MD (simplexmd.com) and the Diabetes Care Club (diabetescareclub.com), sponsored by Simplex Healthcare.

Glucose control solutions are used by diabetics to see if their glucose monitors and diabetic testing strips are working properly. A glucose control test is performed exactly like a glucose blood test; however, you use the diabetic control solution instead of blood. Usually, the diabetic control solution contains enough glucose to react with the diabetic testing strip.

When should you perform a glucose control test?
    * When the glucose monitor is new (to confirm the glucose monitor is functioning properly).

* When you think your test results are not accurate, or if your test results are not consistent with how you feel.

* When your meter is dropped, damaged or exposed to liquids.

* When your health care provider advises you to do so.


This blog is associated with Simplex MD (simplexmd.com) and the Diabetes Care Club (diabetescareclub.com), sponsored by Simplex Healthcare.


Please note: Information provided is for general background purposes and is not intended as a substitute for medical diagnosis or treatment by a trained professional. You should always consult your physician about any health care questions you may have, especially before trying a new medication, diet, fitness program, or approach to health care issues.

Are you ready for this?

Vinegar!

Prior to hypoglycemic agents, diabetics used vinegar teas to control their symptoms.

Recently, small amounts of vinegar (two tablespoons of domestic vinegar) added to food, or taken along with a meal, have been shown by a number of medical trials to reduce the glycemic index of carbohydrate food for people with and without diabetes.


This blog is associated with Simplex MD (simplexmd.com) and the Diabetes Care Club (diabetescareclub.com), sponsored by Simplex Healthcare.

Lots of people use the Ascensia Contour meter ... sometimes several times a day. But did you ever wonder what your Optium strips actually do ... or why you need a new one every time you test?

I was curious, so I looked it up. Most of what I found is pretty technical, but basically diabetes test strips contain chemicals that react with glucose in the drop of blood that is used for measurement. One test, one fresh test strip. Today's diabetics can count themselves fortunate that the newer glucose meters require less blood for the Optium strips to react with. That means a lot fewer unproductive pricks!

This blog is associated with Simplex MD (simplexmd.com) and the Diabetes Care Club (diabetescareclub.com), sponsored by Simplex Healthcare.


Please note: Information provided is for general background purposes and is not intended as a substitute for medical diagnosis or treatment by a trained professional. You should always consult your physician about any health care questions you may have, especially before trying a new medication, diet, fitness program, or approach to health care issues.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, people with diabetes -- with their support networks and health care providers -- can reduce the occurence of diabetes complications by controlling the levels of blood glucose, blood pressure and blood lipids.

Studies in the United States and abroad have found that improved glycemic congrol benefits people with either type 1 or type 2 diabetes. In general, every percentage point in A1c blood test results (for instance, from 8% to 7%) can reduce the risk of microvascular complications (eye, kidney and nerve diseases) by 40%.

In patients with type 1 diabetes, intensive insulin therapy has long-term beneficial effects on the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Simplex Healthcare's Diabetes Care Club is your source for glucose control solution and other Medicare diabetic supplies. Frequently, if you have insurance or qualify for Medicare, you may order your diabetic supplies online or call the toll-free number for the Diabetes Care Club (DCC) ... and there's no charge to you. DCC will file all necessary paperwork while you sit back and receive everything the doctor ordered.

This blog is associated with Simplex MD (simplexmd.com) and the Diabetes Care Club (diabetescareclub.com), sponsored by Simplex Healthcare.


Please note: Information provided is for general background purposes and is not intended as a substitute for medical diagnosis or treatment by a trained professional. You should always consult your physician about any health care questions you may have, especially before trying a new medication, diet, fitness program, or approach to health care issues.

As we get ready to begin a new year, it seems a good time to take a look at what Medicare covers in diabetes supplies.

I visited the Medicare website and found that in Tennessee where I live, Medicare covers some diabetes supplies, including:

    * blood glucose test strips
    * blood glucose monitor
    * lancet devices and lancets, and
    * glucose control solutions for checking the accuracy of test strips and monitors. (See blood glucose monitor coverage under Durable Medicare Equipment for more information.)

There may be limits on how much or how often you get these supplies.

Here are some ways you can make sure your Medicare diabetes medical supplies are covered:

    * Only accept supplies you have ordered. Medicare won’t pay for supplies you didn’t request.
    * Make sure you request your supply refills. Medicare won’t pay for supplies sent from the supplier to you automatically.
    * All Medicare-enrolled pharmacies and suppliers must submit claims for diabetic testing supplies. You can’t send in the claim yourself.

Medicare doesn’t cover insulin (unless used with an insulin pump), insulin pens, syringes, needles, alcohol swabs, gauze, eye exams for glasses, and routine or yearly physical exams. If you use an external insulin pump, insulin and the pump could be covered as durable medical equipment. There may be some limits on covered supplies or how often you get them. Insulin and certain medical supplies used to inject insulin are covered under Medicare prescription drug coverage.

Note: Ask if the supplier is a participating supplier in the Medicare program before you get durable medical equipment. If the supplier is a participating supplier, they must accept assignment. If the supplier is enrolled in Medicare but isn’t “participating,” they have the option to accept assignment.

If the supplier isn’t enrolled in Medicare, Medicare won't pay your claim.

Here's the link to the main Medicare website. To find out what diabetic supplies are covered where you live, just select your state from the dropdown menu and search on "diabetic services." www.medicare.gov/Coverage/Home.asp

This blog is associated with Simplex MD (simplexmd.com) and the Diabetes Care Club (www.diabetescareclub.com), sponsored by Simplex Healthcare.

It is astounding, but according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, every 24 hours more than 4,000 adults are diagnosed with diabetes.

Diabetes is a major cause of heart disease and stroke and a leading cause of leg and foot amputations unrelated to injury, kidney failure, and new cases of blindness in adults. However, people can lower their risk of complications by following important diabetes self management steps to control the disease.

Here's what the CDC says:

    * Talk to your healthcare provider about how to manage your blood glucose (A1C), blood pressure, and cholesterol.

    * Get both the seasonal and H1N1 flu vaccines as soon as they are available. For those with diabetes, it is important to ask for the "shot" version of both vaccines. In addition, talk to your health care provider about a pneumonia (pneumococcal) shot. People with diabetes are more likely to die from pneumonia or influenza than people who do not have diabetes.

    * Stay at a healthy weight and engage in moderate physical activity for 2 hours and 30 minutes each week or vigorous physical activity for 1 hour and 15 minutes each week. Be sure to add muscle strengthening activities on 2 or more days each week. Physical activity can help you control your weight, blood glucose, and blood pressure, as well as raise your "good" cholesterol and lower your "bad" cholesterol.


This blog is associated with Simplex MD (simplexmd.com) and the Diabetes Care Club (http://www.diabetescareclub.com/), sponsored by Simplex Healthcare.

I recently visited the Medicare.gov website and while I was there, I did a quick check on what is covered for diabetes self management ... usually that occurs when a patient is recently diagnosed.

According to medicare.gov, "diabetes outpatient self-management training is a covered program to teach you to manage your diabetes. It includes education about self-monitoring of blood glucose, diet, exercise and insulin.

If you’ve been diagnosed with diabetes, Medicare may cover up to ten hours of initial diabetes self-management training. You may also qualify for up to two hours of follow-up training each year if

    * it is provided in a group of 2 to 20 people*,
    * it lasts for at least 30 minutes,
    * it takes place in a calendar year following the year you got your initial training, and
    * your doctor or a qualified non-physician practitioner ordered it as part of your plan of care.

*Some exceptions apply if no group session is available or if your doctors or qualified non-physician practitioner says you have special needs that prevent you from participating in group training."

You can check out diabetes self management training coverage in your area at: http://www.medicare.gov/Coverage/Home.asp. Just indicate the state where you live in the drop-down menu and search on "diabetic services."

This blog is associated with Simplex MD (simplexmd.com) and the Diabetes Care Club (http://www.diabetescareclub.com/), sponsored by Simplex Healthcare.