How Can I Pay For Diabetes Medications And Care?
A run-down on insurance and other payment assistance programs for medical services and prescription medicines By Ava Runge and Lynn Kennedy This article is part of a series focused on helping people with diabetes navigate health insurance in the United States. What should we write about in our next segment? Email [email protected] with insurance questions you would like us to address! Navigating the complex insurance world can be frustrating and overwhelming, particularly for people with diabetes who interact with the healthcare system often. For this segment, diaTribe answers a commonly asked question from our readers: How Can I Pay for Diabetes Medications and Care? A background section with additional information on understanding health insurance can be found at the bottom. How Can I Pay for Diabetes Medications and Care? The primary way to pay for healthcare supplies and services is through health insurance, which can be obtained independently, through an employer, or from the government (e.g., Medicare, Medicaid, and VA). Covered services and supplies – as well as the type of cost sharing between the insurer and the person insured – can differ considerably from plan to plan (click here for more on different types of health insurance options and here for information on decoding insurance language). While health insurance typically won’t cover 100% of medical expenses, it can go a long way in making treatment accessible. However, co-pays and premiums can add up quickly and make care difficult to afford. This is especially true for people with diabetes, who tend to use healthcare services frequently and often use multiple devices and medications to manage their diabetes. The good news is that where insurance doesn’t cover health expenses, there are many oth Continue reading >>
Raleigh General Hospital To Offer Free Diabetes Education Classes
Raleigh General Hospital to offer free diabetes education classes Free diabetes education classes will be held on select Thursdays in January and February at Raleigh General Hospital. The classes are being provided through a partnership withQuality Insights Quality Innovation Networks Everyone with Diabetes Counts (EDC) program. The EDC program, a national initiative of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), offers free classes that are open to people with diabetes, their family membersandcaregivers. The classes are designed to help participants take control of their diabetes and change their life. Individuals with pre-diabetes can also benefit from these classes. Classes will be held Jan. 11, 18, 25, and Feb. 1, 8 and 15 from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Raleigh General Education Building, located at 1710 Harper Road in Beckley. For more information or to register, call Susie Sims at -304-346-9864, ext. 3221 or email [email protected] . Email: [email protected] ; follow on Twitter @WendyHoldren Continue reading >>
Today Is The Day
Do not share your Levemir® FlexTouch® with other people, even if the needle has been changed. You may give other people a serious infection, or get a serious infection from them. Who should not take Levemir®? Do not take Levemir® if: you have an allergy to Levemir® or any of the ingredients in Levemir®. How should I take Levemir®? Read the Instructions for Use and take exactly as directed. Know the type and strength of your insulin. Do not change your insulin type unless your health care provider tells you to. Check your blood sugar levels. Ask your health care provider what your blood sugar levels should be and when you should check them. Do not reuse or share your needles with other people. You may give other people a serious infection, or get a serious infection from them. Never inject Levemir® into a vein or muscle. Do not share your Levemir FlexTouch with other people, even if the needle has been changed. You may give other people a serious infection, or get a serious infection from them. Who should not take Levemir®? Do not take Levemir® if: you have an allergy to Levemir® or any of the ingredients in Levemir®. Before taking Levemir®, tell your health care provider about all your medical conditions including, if you are: pregnant, plan to become pregnant, or are breastfeeding. taking new prescription or over-the-counter medicines, including supplements. Talk to your health care provider about how to manage low blood sugar. How should I take Levemir®? Read the Instructions for Use and take exactly as directed. Know the type and strength of your insulin. Do not change your insulin type unless your health care provider tells you to. Check your blood sugar levels. Ask your health care provider what your blood sugar levels should be and when you should ch Continue reading >>
Paintsville Hospital Receives Diabetes Education Accreditation
Paintsville hospital receives diabetes education accreditation PAINTSVILLE Paul B. Hall Regional Medical Centers Outpatient Diabetes Department was recently named an accredited diabetes education program by the American Association of Diabetes Educators, a National Accredited Organization, certified by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The accreditation provides Johnson County residents with access to high quality diabetes education services. Instructed by trained diabetes educators, the program gives individuals with or at risk for diabetes the tools to modify behavior and self-manage the disease and its related conditions. Diabetes education is a huge asset to our community. People in the Big Sandy Area can now receive local training to help manage their condition. We are dedicated to helping our patients manage their diabetes so that the disease is not managing them. We hope that easier access to diabetes education will enhance the overall health of our community, said Diabetes Education Program coordinator Ashley Webb, RN, licensed diabetes educator. AADEs accreditation assures the program meets the National Standards for Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support. Programs meeting the criteria can improve the health of the individuals who embrace the education and can also help modify unhealthy behaviors. At the very least, the program provides local education to those with or at risk of diabetes, which was not previously available, said Leslie E. Kolb, RN, BSN, MBA, accreditation director for the Diabetes Education Accreditation Program. Paul B. Hall Regional Medical Centers Outpatient Diabetes Department is exactly the type of program we envisioned when we set up our accreditation in 2009. Paul B. Hall Regional Medical Centers Outpatient Diabetes Continue reading >>
- Macadamian’s My Diabetes Coach™ Receives Runner up and $15,000 in Novo Nordisk’s 2017 HITLAB World Cup of Voice-Activated Technology in Diabetes
- Mechanical Engineering Professor Receives $1.6 Million “Visionary Award” for Diabetes Research
- Clemson receives $2.66M for diabetes prevention, nurse practitioner diversity efforts
Ob Certification & Ultrasound Training | Professional Education Center
The 2018 Calendar is posted, though we are still finalizing details at a few sites, The 2018 calendar is available by clicking below. Professional Education Center has been offering quality continuing educationfor the health care professional since 1991. PEC is THE PLACE for focused OB education;The PEC seminar educators are THE EXPERTS in each field, PEC seminars include the complete spectrum of OB: AP- IP- PP- NSY- NICU PEC has also established atestingrelationshipwithNCC and havereviewcourses for five RNC exams withthe EXCLUSIVEoption for sitting the exam on site. Both the Didactic and the Clinical Competency education you need! Welcome to the team! Suzanne McMurtry Baird remains as a PEC instructor, and her reviews have been outstanding! She brings the return of High Risk to Critical Care OB to additional cities in 2018 Exclusive paper-pencil on site NCC Certification Testing continues! Las Vegas seminars will be at a SMOKE FREE conference site againin 2018: Embassy Suites, Conference Centerwith convenient hotel shuttle access to the strip! There is continued expanded access we are expanding the locations for seminars in the "New York City area" utilizing Staten Island, Flushing, and Nyack, New York Continued welcomed sitesfor 2018 AND these new sites : Providence, Rhode Island (for the Greater Boston area) Continue reading >>
Cvs Grant Allows Center To Expand Diabetes Services
CVS grant allows Center to expand diabetes services Grant allows Center to expand diabetes services PHOTO CONTRIBUTED Gil Prez, left, and Marbella Chavez provide direction and care in the Center for Healing & Hope Latino Diabetic Initiative. Prez, clinic manager, provides initial education at the time a patient is diagnosed with diabetes. If the patient is not able to be referred to a primary care physician, he oversees follow-up education and monitoring for the patient. Chavez, in addition to being the Centers patient advocate, will do the follow up communication to help patients monitor their health and be successful in making lifestyle changes. GOSHEN The Center for Healing & Hope has received a grant of $20,000 from CVS Health Foundation to help fund the expansion of the Centers services to uninsured patients diagnosed with diabetes. The grant was awarded to the Centers Latino Diabetic Initiative, begun in early 2017. In addition to diagnosis and on-site educational programs in Spanish, Center officials said that they are seeking to provide more one-to-one services for newly diagnosed patients. This grant, along with funding from local organizations, will expand the program to include a community health worker who will help patients monitor their health and make lifestyle changes. The goal of the Center for Healing & Hope is to refer patients to primary care physicians for ongoing care, officials said. However, they added, it is not always possible to find local physicians who can accept new patients. As a result, the Center is taking this step of expanding services, so that newly diagnosed patients can more immediately and effectively manage their health. Because at least three-fourths of the patients of the Center for Healing & Hope are Latino, this growing progr Continue reading >>
Home Page - Diabetes Education Services
If you are interested in taking the CDE exam or are seeking a state of the art review of current diabetes care, this course is for you! Earn 32 CEs with our three-day live course this April in Carmel, CA! Beverly has custom designed this course bundle to prepare you for your CDE Exam. You can start studying now with 20 On Demand web courses and tests to build your diabetes education foundation and prepare for the CDE Exam. Put on your diabetes detective hat!March 27th is our opportunity to find people with undetected prediabetes and diabetes. You can prepare with our resource page! Diabetes Education Services offers education and training to diabetes educators in the areas of both Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes for the novice to the established professional. Whether you are training to be a Certified Diabetes Educator (CDE), practicing at an advanced level and interested in board certification, or a health care professional and/or Certified Diabetes Educator (CDE) who needs continuing education hours to renew your license or CDE, we have diabetes education information, resources and training; learning and teaching tools; and diabetes online courses available for continuing education (CE). Read our disclaimer for full disclosure. Continue reading >>
Special Offer
Are you ready to find out how AADE can make a difference for you and your patients? Join AADE through a limited-time offer of $135 membership dues ($30 off the regular price) by applying online and entering the source code: NM1702 More than 14,500 diabetes educators have turned to AADE to enhance their patient care. Why? Because AADE is the only multidisciplinary association devoted exclusively to meeting the needs of healthcare professionals who provide diabetes education, management and support Join today and start experiencing the value of AADE. You'll enjoy immediate access to these benefits and much more: Free patient education and practice resources Discounts on online courses, webinars, publications and in-person meetings Subscriptions to AADE in Practice and The Diabetes Educator Collaborate with your peers through state and local AADE events, and exclusive access to online Communities of Interest Prefer to join by mail or fax? Download and complete our membership application (enter the source code NM1702 to receive the discount). Note: This offer is only valid for new members for the first year of membership only. After the first year, regular dues of $165 apply. Offer expires March 31, 2017. You Have an Opportunity to Make a Difference Nearly 10% of our population has diabetes and 86 million have pre-diabetes numbers which are expected to continue to rise annually. Over the next 10 years, 14% of all health care spending will be attributed to diabetes & pre-diabetes. Research shows that effective diabetes education is linked to lower patient costs and improved clinical results. "Becoming a certified diabetes educator was overwhelming when I first began working. AADE helped me connect with CDEs on the local, state, and national levels who helped guide me in my Continue reading >>
How To Afford Really Expensive Diabetes Medication
This Diabetes Education UPDATE focuses on a patient advocacy area called, “how to afford REALLY expensive medication” For people with type 2 diabetes, metformin and sulfonyrea like glimepiride or glyburide are cheap meds ($4 list), however, after that the diabetes medication cost skyrockets. Oral pills like Januvia or Tradjenta can be $200-300 per month, injectable meds like bydureon, tanzeum, or trulicity are $500 a month, various insulins like lantus/levemir or humalog/novolog can be $300 or more per month EACH, recently a patient’s monthly insulin bill before insurance was $2000/month, after insurance it was “only” $648/month. These meds aren’t including the price for test strips that can often be $50-200 month depending on how often they test. Oh yeah, what about lab costs? Office visits? Education? and that many people with diabetes will also have other chronic illnesses they are treating such as cholesterol, blood pressure, mental health, and etc. My focus here is to help these people get the medication they need at an affordable price, most of the time we can figure something out. As diabetes educator, I make it a point to “be in the know” with various opportunities, some insurance companies cover other meds in the same class better, people with medicaid have specific covered meds to help with cost, same with medicare, and people with commercial insurance can utilize copay cards that suddenly take a $600 med bill down to $0-25 bill, which is ALOT easier, the patient will be less stressed, the patient will be more compliant, the patient will probably be more loyal to our facility, and the patient will most likely be better controlled and healthier. I urge any of you that hear of a patient with diabetes that is struggling to pay for the meds or take Continue reading >>
How To Save Money On Insulin
Insulin is so expensive and required for people with type 1 diabetes. Skipping insulin isn’t an option. Insulin pricing and gouging has been in the news recently. Many people pay high dollar even with insurance. Our cost with insurance is about $100 a vial and between the two kids they use 5 vials a month. That’s insane! Here’s some ideas on how to save on insulin, including some we have personally done. 30 day versus 90 days Many plans have a 90 day discount rate. A 90 day prescription means you get 90 days worth of medicine instead of the one month supply. Usually these are mail order, but some retail pharmacies can also do 90 days. Call your insurance or log in online and see if your price is better with a 90 day prescription. Many people are concerned with insulin being shipped and the temperature. When we have done mail order, the insulin comes in a cooler with an ice pack and has been cold when received. Formulary A formulary is a preferred list of drugs from the insurance carriers. Each year these lists can change. Check each year and see which brands are preferred. The brands are similar enough that they can be exchanged. So for example, Humalog may be covered at the preferred rate. So if you take a prescription for Novolog to the pharmacy, you will pay a higher amount or it may not be covered at all. Ask your pharmacist if you need help. They are great at knowing what your prescription needs to be to be in order to be covered at the best rate. Coupons and CoPay Cards Most insulin manufactors have some type of copay card. Humalog has a coupon for a free vial, as well as free glucagon. Novolog has a $25 coupon card. Apidra was free for a while, but has a coupon card now. Ask your doctor’s nurse for a coupon card or go online to the drug companies and down Continue reading >>
(insulin Glargine Injection) 300 Units/ml
If you are a patient experiencing problems with a Sanofi US product, please contact Sanofi US at 1-800-633-1610. The health information contained herein is provided for general educational purposes only. Your healthcare professional is the single best source of information regarding your health. Please consult your healthcare professional if you have any questions about your health or treatment. Continue reading >>
Rmh Program Named An Accredited Diabetes Education Program
Submitted photoPictured are Rena Whichard, RN and Instructor and Dena Bills, Coordinator and Instructor of the program. RMH program named an accredited diabetes education program Submitted photoPictured are Rena Whichard, RN and Instructor and Dena Bills, Coordinator and Instructor of the program. Rush Memorial Hospital Diabetes Education program was recently named an accredited diabetes education program by the American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE), a National Accredited Organization (NAO), certified by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). This will allow the people with Diabetes in and around Rush County, increased access to high quality diabetes education services. Diabetes education is a collaborative process through which people with or at risk for diabetes gain the knowledge and skills needed to modify behavior and successfully self-manage the disease and its related conditions. The program is comprehensive and taught by diabetes educators who have extensive training. According to Rush Memorial Hospital President and CEO Brad Smith, We are very fortunate to have talented and educated staff members who are knowledgeable in diabetes education. This accreditation elevates our program and staff to the next level. He concluded, We are pleased to offer this great program to individuals in our community. AADEs accreditation assures that an accredited program meets the National Standards for Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support. Programs who meet this criteria are considered high quality and have been shown to improve the health status of the individuals who embrace the education and help to modify sometimes unhealthy behaviors, or simply provide the education that the person with diabetes has not previously received said Leslie E. Ko Continue reading >>
Diabetes Education - Med-world Pharmacy
In an effort to help you manage both the daily and long term challenges of diabetes we offer convenient classes that: Explain diabetes & associated disease states Discuss the difference between type 1 and type 2 diabetes Review and explain any available lab data and test results One-on-One education allows us to target specific patients needs on your schedule. Classes take place at our patient education conference room, they are typically completely covered by the patients insurance (Medicare patients get 10 hours free!)! Small group education. Typically groups are comprised of 6-8 patients, that have been specifically grouped together based on our findings in the one-on-one education. Classes take place at our patient education conference room, they are typically completely covered by the patients insurance (Medicare patients get 10 hours free!). Free large group class at St. Johns Sapulpa Campus once a month. We teach a different topic every month, in a one hour class, such as foot care, different types of neuropathy, carb counting, etc. We encourage patients to bring their families to this class. It is held the third Friday of every month at 3pm at St. Johns Sapulpa Hospital. Continue reading >>
Byetta, Victoza, Bydureon: Diabetes Drugs And Weight Loss
Tell me about the diabetes drugs Byetta, Victoza and Bydureon. Can they really help people who have diabetes lose weight? Are there side effects? Answers from M. Regina Castro, M.D. Exenatide (Byetta, Bydureon) and liraglutide (Victoza) are taken by injection, similar to insulin, but they're not insulin. These medications are in a class of drugs called incretin mimetics, which improve blood sugar control by mimicking the action of a hormone called glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1). Among other things, these drugs stimulate insulin secretion in response to rising blood sugar levels after a meal, which results in lowering of the blood sugar. Byetta, Bydureon and Victoza not only improve blood sugar control, but may also lead to weight loss. There are many proposed ways in which these medications cause weight loss. They appear to help suppress appetite. But the most prominent effect of these drugs is that they delay the movement of food from the stomach into the small intestine. As a result, you may feel "full" faster and longer, so you eat less. Byetta is injected twice daily, and Victoza is injected once a day. Bydureon, a newer formulation, is injected once a week. These drugs do have different effects and side effects to consider. Exenatide (Byetta, Bydureon). The most common side effect of exenatide is mild to moderate nausea, which improves with time in most people. Several cases of kidney problems, including kidney failure, have been reported in people who have taken exenatide. Rarely, exenatide may cause harmful inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis). Liraglutide (Victoza). Some studies have found that liraglutide reduces systolic blood pressure and triglycerides, in addition to improving blood sugar control. The most common side effects are headache, nausea and Continue reading >>
- The Latest in Diabetes Drugs: Less Hypoglycemia, More Weight Loss
- Weight Watchers Jumps Eight Spots To #3 Best Diabetes Diet And Retains Top Spot As Best Fast Weight Loss Diet In 2018 Best Diets Report
- Can Diabetes Be Reversed? Study Claims Weight Loss And Cutting Calories Cure Condition, Even In Long-Term Patients
Do You Know Your Diabetes Numbers?
When it comes to diabetes, numbers count. By monitoring certain aspects of your health, you can stay in control of your diabetes and help prevent future problems. Here’s a guide to three numbers that everyone with diabetes should know. 1. A1c is a blood test that tells you how well your blood sugar is controlled. While a blood sugar test measures a moment in time, the A1c gives a big-picture view of your blood sugar control during the last two to three months, so you know if your treatment plan is working. The details: An A1c below 7 percent is a common goal. Your doctor may set your goal above or below this. Be sure to get tested at least twice a year. 2. Blood pressure is an indication of your blood vessel health. High blood pressure makes your heart work harderaises the risk for heart attack, stroke, and kidney disease, so controlling your blood pressure is important. The details: A healthy blood pressure is 120/80 (“120 over 80”) or lower. High blood pressure is 140/90 or higher. Blood pressure between 120/80 and 140/90 is “early high blood pressure.” Get your blood pressure checked at every health care visit. 3.Cholesterol and triglyceride tests tell you if these blood fats are in the healthy range. Abnormal levels lead to fatty deposits in the arteries and increase the risk for heart attack and stroke. The details: Get tested every five years or as often as your doctor recommends. The American Diabetes Association says most people with diabetes should aim for these numbers: LDL (“bad”) cholesterol: below 100 mg/dl HDL (“good”) cholesterol: above 40 mg/dl for men and above 50 mg/dl for women Triglycerides: below 150 mg/dl “A1C and eAG.” American Diabetes Association, www.diabetes.org/living-with-diabetes/treatment-and-care/blood-glucose-contro Continue reading >>
