Product Solutions

Diabetes

Recent diabetes offerings on the market.

• By David Kopf
• Nov 01, 2016

The Diabetes market has presented a variety of obstacles for providers. Competitive bidding has turned the Medicare market upside down; reimbursement on the whole continues to fall; customer retention is challenging; and prices for testing equipment and supplies have been artificially reduced by an influx of lower-quality devices sold online. But there are ways to stay in the game.

While reimbursement is down, diabetes is still a sizable marketplace. The trick lies in capturing a piece of it. One of the ways providers can stay in the game, and also rise to the top is simply through engaging with their patients.

A key way to accomplish that is through customer education strategies. This can take the form of educational pieces, giveaways, newsletters, email marketing, social media and similar efforts. The powerful thing about customer education is that it comes at limited to no cost. In fact, many manufacturers will offer educational pieces and other collateral to providers to help them retain their providers in order to help them hang onto end users.

Another key is to offer quality products that address the full line of challenges and conditions that diabetes patients face. High-quality glucose monitors that offer a variety of top-tier features, as well as innovations that let patients flexibly manage their disease are critical. The same holds true with items so as compression wear and diabetic footwear. HMEs must offer products that match their patients’ lives, and fortunately manufacturers are helping providers accomplish that. Let’s take a look at some of the latest offerings:

Blood glucose monitor puts patients in the driver’s seat

GLUCOCARD Shine

• All data collected by the Shine can be downloaded to into a data management system for easy tracking and charting, which helps patients and health professionals monitor and manage performance.
• Meter supports alternate site testing, features indicators for strip expiration date and hypoglycemia, and pre- and post-meal averaging feedback helps users differentiate glucose monitors before and after meal.
• The backlit LCD screen large display digits clearly serve up information and make the glucose monitor easy to use.

Arkray USA Inc.
(800) 818-8877
www.arkrayusa.com

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Reduced friction, risk of infection for diabetes patients

Eversoft Diabetic Socks

• Patented drirelease yarns and an embedded FreshGuard technology treatment help wick away moisture and prevent odor, thus reducing friction against the skin and lowering the risk of infection.
• A SIGVARIS flat toe seam design minimizes irritation, and a stretchable top band further enhances wearing comfort.
• The socks can provide a light (8-15mmHg) or a moderate (18-25mmHg) compression therapy level, and the graduated compression helps improve circulation.

SIGVARIS Inc.
(800) 322-7744
www.sigvarisusa.com

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Glucometer plugs into smartphones

Dario Glucometer

• All-in-one smart glucose meter plugs directly to a smartphone’s headphone socket.
• Device has a cartridge that holds 25 disposable strips and features a lancing device for convenient testing.
• Users can view and share their results through the Dario WebPortal to record, track, analyze, manage, and share their data in one, cloud-based platform.

DarioHealth
(800) 895-5921
www.mydario.com

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Tie-less athletic shoes ensure comfort, protection

Men’s & Women’s Tie-Less Athletics Line

• Tie-Less Lacing System enables fastening the shoe without the need for tying laces, and a soft, seam-free lining ensures comfort and protection.
• A Heel-Strap enables adjusting the grip around the heel, eliminating slippage, and accommodating wide feet and braces.
• Extra-depth design along with soft, nonbinding upper ease pressure on the foot, and a lightweight, cushioning sole with Ergonomic-Stride design softens step, and helps propel the foot forward.

Orthofeet Inc.
(800) 524-2845
www.orthofeet.com

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Color coded results helps users manage care

OneTouch Verio Flex Glucometer

• Device’s ColorSure indicator simplifies testing via color-coded rest results to show if blood glucose readings are “low,” “in range,” or “high.”
• Bluetooth Smart Technology connectivity with the OneTouch Reveal mobile app on iOS and Android devices.
• Uses a single, coin-sized CR2032 lithium cell battery and has enough memory to store 500 test results with date and time.

LifeScan Inc.
(800) 227-8862
www.lifescan.com

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Audio-enabled monitor supports bilingual use

Glucocard Expression

• Audio-enabled, auto-code blood glucose monitoring system includes bilingual voice features for hearing a test result.
• Powered by two AAA batteries, the meter will perform 1,000 tests of continuous use.
• The downloadable memory holds 300 blood tests and the user can determine 7-, 14-, and 30-day averaging.

Arkray USA Inc.
(800) 818-8877
www.arkrayusa.com

This article originally appeared in the November 2016 issue of HME Business.