Meeting on Draft Diabetes LCD

BALTIMORE — The DME MAC medical directors will hold a
public meeting tomorrow  (Oct. 26) in Baltimore to discuss the
draft glucose monitors local coverage determination. Comments
on the draft LCD, to be accepted through Nov. 8, can also be
made by e-mail to each jurisdiction’s DME MAC medical director.
Read the draft LCD and the medical directors’ letter about the draft
policy, which includes addresses for commenting, on the
Jurisdiction A website.

Clarification: In response to a news brief on
the draft LCD in HomeCare Monday (Oct. 25), Dr. Robert D.
Hoover, Jr., the medical director for Jurisdiction C, wrote in to
point out:

“Testing allowances for non-insulin treated patients is
unchanged.

Current Policy:
For a patient who is not currently being treated with insulin
injections, up to 100 test strips and up to 100 lancets or one lens
shield cartridge every 3 months are covered if criteria are
met.

Draft Proposal:
Up to 100 test strips and up to 100 lancets are covered every 3
months, corresponding to an average testing frequency of once per
day.

Insulin treated patients are now divided into two
groups:

• Insulin injecting once per day
• Insulin injecting multiple times per day or insulin
  pump

The insulin injecting once per day is a new category and the
policy proposes allowing testing twice per day. For the multiple
insulin injections and insulin pump patients, routine testing
allowances are 4x/day with up to 6x/day in patients who meet
certain additional criteria.”