SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dexcom, Inc. (NASDAQ:DXCM), the leader in continuous glucose monitoring for people with diabetes, announced today the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is updating its policy on mobile device compatibility for the Dexcom G5® CGM System. Available on iOS and Android, the Dexcom G5 is the first and only mobile-enabled CGM system for Medicare patients with diabetes that works to display and share real-time glucose activity.
The CMS announcement states:
Medicare’s published coverage policy for CGMs will be modified to support the use of CGMs in conjunction with a smartphone, including the important data sharing function they provide for patients and their families.
“On behalf of our Medicare population, Dexcom would like to recognize and thank CMS for this policy coverage update,” said Kevin Sayer, President and CEO of Dexcom. “This update allows patients to access the full functionality of the Dexcom G5 CGM system as approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). By doing what is right for the patient, CMS is creating value for the entire healthcare system.”
“We would also like to recognize the diabetes community for their efforts in voicing the necessity for this change. CMS listened and recognized the need to allow the sharing of glucose data in this population,” said Claudia Graham, SVP of Global Access.
As the first therapeutic CGM approved by CMS in January 2017, the Dexcom G5 Mobile System provides Medicare patients with highly-accurate glucose readings sent every five minutes from a sensor worn just underneath the skin to a compatible smart device or receiver. The Dexcom G5 Mobile System offers Medicare patients life-saving safety and privacy features that no other CGM product provides, including proactive alerts and alarms.
With nearly half of adults ages 65 and up using smartphones, Medicare diabetes patients are now able to use the Dexcom Share feature that allows users to share glucose information with up to five loved ones or caregivers.
HOW MOBILE WORKS
Current and eligible Medicare patients can
download the Dexcom G5 Mobile app to compatible iOS and Android devices
via iTunes
and Google
Play, and login into their Dexcom account. Dexcom G5 is compatible
with the iPhone X, 8, 7 and 6, in addition to 14 of the top 30 Android
phones. It’s also compatible with the Apple Watch and Android Wear
Watches. A current list of compatible devices can be found at dexcom.com/compatibility.
About CGM
CGM devices are considered the most
significant breakthrough in diabetes management in the past 40 years1 and Dexcom has
been a leader of those innovations. Diabetes affects nearly 30 million
Americans and is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States2.
The traditional standard-of-care for glucose monitoring has been a
fingerstick meter, which is painful as some patients needed to test
their blood up to 12 times a day. CGM is important because, in addition
to providing the glucose level, it provides the direction and rate of
glucose change with the push of a button and alerts users when glucose
levels are too low or too high. People with diabetes who take insulin
must monitor their blood glucose levels frequently. Uncontrolled glucose
can cause health complications and even death3,4. To learn
more about CGM, visit www.dexcom.com.
About Dexcom, Inc.
Dexcom, Inc., headquartered in San
Diego, CA, is dedicated to helping people better manage their diabetes
by developing and marketing continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) products
and tools for adult and pediatric patients. With exceptional
performance, patient comfort and lifestyle flexibility at the heart of
its technology, users have consistently ranked Dexcom highest in
customer satisfaction and loyalty. For more information on the Dexcom
CGM, visit www.dexcom.com.
References
1. Clarke SF and Foster JR. A
history of blood glucose meters and their role in self-monitoring of
diabetes mellitus. Br J Biomed Sci. 2012;(3)2:83-93.
2. 2014
National Diabetes Statistics Report. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/pubs/statsreport14/national-diabetes-report-web.pdf Accessed March
31, 2015.
3. Hyperglycemia (High blood
glucose). American Diabetes Association Web site. http://www.diabetes.org/living-with-diabetes/treatment-and-care/blood-glucose-control/hyperglycemia.html.
Updated August 5, 2013. Accessed December 3, 2013.
4. Hypoglycemia
(Low blood glucose). American Diabetes Association Web site. http://www.diabetes.org/living-with-diabetes/treatment-and-care/blood-glucose-control/hypoglycemia-low-blood.html.
Updated July 16, 2013. Accessed December 3, 2013.
