Dexcom and Ascensia Diabetes Care have struck a deal to provide the latter’s blood glucose meter as part of the former’s continuous glucose monitoring system for patients covered by Medicare.
The bundle, which comprises Ascensia’s Contour Next One blood glucose monitoring system and Dexcom’s G5 CGM system, is now available for patients under Medicare who are eligible for therapeutic glucose monitoring, according to a statement.
While glucose meters require a fingerprick to measure blood glucose, CGMs measure glucose levels in the interstitial fluid through a sensor inserted just under the skin. The Dexcom G5 system transmits glucose data to a smartphone or smartwatch every five minutes, where patients may view their glucose data trends.
Patients using the G5 system must calibrate it regularly to ensure the CGM sensor reading is “on track,” Ascensia said in the statement. Patients will use the Contour Next One system to calibrate the G5 system.
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While several CGMs are available on the market, including systems from Medtronic and Abbott, Dexcom’s G5 is the only one that is FDA-approved as a therapeutic device. The other systems are approved as adjunctive devices; the information they provide must be used alongside data from other devices, such as blood glucose monitors.
In March, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released coverage criteria for therapeutic CGMs. To be eligible for a therapeutic CGM, patients must have diabetes, use a home blood glucose monitor to test their glucose levels frequently, be treated with an insulin pump or multiple daily injections of insulin, and need to frequently adjust their insulin therapy based on data from a therapeutic CGM.