News Releases
Dexcom G5 Continuous Glucose Monitoring System Now Available on Mobile, Smart Devices for Medicare Patients with Diabetes
June 12, 2018 08:00 AM PDT
Dexcom 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.
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.
References
- 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.
- 2014 National Diabetes Statistics Report. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/pubs/statsreport14/national-diabetes-report-web.pdf Accessed March 31, 2015.
- Hyperglycemia (High blood glucose). American Diabetes Association Web site. https://diabetes.org/healthy-living/medication-treatments/blood-glucose-testing-and-control/hyperglycemia Updated August 5, 2013. Accessed December 3, 2013.
- Hypoglycemia (Low blood glucose). American Diabetes Association Web site. https://diabetes.org/healthy-living/medication-treatments/blood-glucose-testing-and-control/hypoglycemia Updated July 16, 2013. Accessed December 3, 2013.