Getting a testdrive - why is it so DIFFICULT?
Sometimes I'm a bit of a perfectionist. I demand a lot of myself and expect it from others. I'm telling you this because maybe I just have unrealistic expectations.In September my current insulin pump (Minimed 512) will be 4 years old. At that stage it will be out of warranty and I can get a new pump and expect that insurance will cover most of it.
Insulin pumps are truly a marvel of technology. This is a small pager-sized device that I will wear 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. It helps me to keep my blood glucose levels close to normal and it's something that I'll probably actually use and interact with at least eight times a day, every day.
So why are pump companies making it so hard to try one out for a short while? Yes, I can read the instruction manual and get some feeling for how the pump will behave and feel. But that's not the same as wearing the thing and using it for a week or so.
My original plan was to contact a few pump makers and ask them for a one or two week loaner. I'd fill it with a saline solution and wear it together with my old pump for that period. That way I could gauge its accuracy and usability and see if it was right for me.
So far I've contacted three different companies. One (Cozmo) has told me they don't have a loaner program. And the other two claim to be working on it, but I'm not holding my breath.
Pump companies (Minimed, Animas, Cozmo, and others) - WAKE UP. These are complex devices that are essentially extension of our bodies and our brains. There is no way I'm going to purchase a new one without trying it out first.
I don't want a 30-day money-back guarantee. I want to be able to try out the pump, with its software for a week or two. I want to know how it will work for me.
Will I be able to use it when I'm exercising? What are the insulin on board calculations like? How easy is it to bolus? What do I need to do to set a temporary basal? Can I easily calculate meal requirements? What kind of extended bolus options are there, and can I use them?
Maybe I'm crazy. Maybe I should just look at the glossy brochures with pictures of happy people and just pick one at random?
What do you think?
Labels: Animas, Cozmo, diabetes, expectations, insulin pump, Minimed, usability
posted by Bernard @ 5:36 PM
14 Comments:
I think you're absolutely right Bernard.
Nothing says "Ignorant Corporate Entity" to me more than actions like these. I just wish they were more end-user and consumer focused (or atleast as much as all their websites and marketing copy seem to indicate).
Hopefully they will wise-up soon, also in regards to a standardized blood glucose format :-)
Simply put, it is FEAR that prevents them. Other than the OmniPod there's been NOTHING NEW in pumps for A LONG TIME and nothing new in software either. The fear is that if you tried a IR2500 and found it no better than what you were used to, Animas would have spent a fair amount of dough on you only to lose the sale. And what can they do with a used medical device? It has to go to the loaner program, which they see as LOSING the entire potential revenue of a sale, or get re-sterilized/refurbed (more cash) and sold as a refurb for much less.
Short-sighted, I know. But these CEOs are paid for short-term results.
Too bad Dell doesn't make pumps. They'd be ugly, sure, but at $350 or so you could afford to try one and toss it if you didn't like it.
Do you know anybody IRL wearing a pump who would let you see the buttons and options and stuff? That wouldn't be as useful as trying one out, but it ought to be more useful than the website alone.
The Friends For Life CWD conference has loaner pumps.
Bernard,
I was thinking about getting a pump so I called my employer health insurer to find out if it would be covered. I was told by the rep that she could not tell me without a "billing code". What?
Then I called DexCom to ask about software. I explained I had a Mac and was wondering when they might have a Mac version ready. I was told to borrow a friends Windows PC. Clueless.
Personally, I insisted on a "trial" (albeit only with saline) of each pump before I settled on my Animas pump (which I have since discontinued). This was about the time when the Minimed 507/508 were still the dominant pumps (the Paradigm came out afterwards), and I decided that Animas had an easier-to-use interface, and was the first patient at my endo's practice to get an Animas pump.
However, I do find they aren't really willing, and I had to meet with them personally and tell them that unless I got a trial, they were eliminated from consideration. Most begrudgingly complied, but it certainly wasn't easy.
Cozmo has a loaner program for vacations and such, so I don't understand why they wouldn't loan you one to sell you. Oh well.
I think you need to actually talk to reps and your CDE. They might need a script to let you test drive. My CDE had them all for me to button push and the rep for Animas offered me a saline trial. I've heard of people getting extended insulin trials from reps.
I guess I was lucky to find my local Animas rep willing to lend me a new Animas 2020 which had a scratched lens, which I buffed out. I ran it with and empty res. parallel with my Cozmo. Previous pumps were MM 505 & 507.
I like finding doctors and reps who wear pumps and are willing to share. I rebuild cars and take everything for a test drive.
Whit
Bernard, one solution may be to attend one of the Children with Diabetes conferences. When one comes to your area. I have noticed pump companies will let you try out a pump with saline during those events. You have to get a prescription from your endo and sign up in advance. I know you are not a child but adults go to these events also. P.S. There should be sites set up on the net where parents and/or people with Type 1 critique the pump companies. It is very hard to get information before hand, all advice will be "all the pumps are good."
The Animas rep in San Diego, CA area is Tom Schreiber and he went out of his way to lend me a 2020 to check it out, (760) 529-3263
Whit
Most Offices, endo, CDE and doctors have Demo Animas pumps for you to do a saline trial. If yours doesn't have them contact Animas and have a rep bring one to them, A saline trial needs to be done by a licensed professional. That is what I did and the rep was more than willing to get a pump to my CDE's office. In fact when my pump was stolen from my gym locker they brought a pump to me to use until my homeowners that is service! The new 2020 pump rocks! So much better than my minimed 515. I use a dexcom and looking forward to getting the new Dexcom 7 day!
I was in the same boat as you but my Dr's office had some Medtronic demo pumps and let me use one. Of all the ones I tried i liked it the best especially since I have problems with lows and intend to get the sensors as well. I tried Animas and Dexcom - the alarms were louder but it was a pain having to keep up with 2 devices. Also the Minimed allowed me to calibrate w/ my regular meter whereas the Dexcom I found cumbersome since you have to hardwire to calibrate. Have you sen the new sensor from Medtronic?? I think they call it the "Minilink" - it is awesome. Also check out their Carelink software - free to users - it is the most comprehensive software I have seen out there.
Don't get an Animas pump if you want Software… when I got my pump there was a letter in there saying I would receive the software in 5-7 weeks, 15 weeks later and I still have no software, and no one has contacted me to tell me the date has changed. I'd expect a letter, an email, a phone call, something. I called to check the status of it this week, they told me I’d get in 2 weeks, it wasn’t ready yet. Yet, my friends doctors office already has it, so it's obviously ready. I’m so angry they outright lied to me on the phone. So I called back again today, they told me, they are shipping back orders of people who have order pumps since March and people will be receiving them in 12-14 weeks Totally unacceptable, I told them I want to talk to a manager right away!!! Of course no manager was available, how convinient, so they sent me to voicemail! I’m returning my pump, which I should be able to do since part of the package was the software, and it wasn't in there.... so since I didn't receive the whole package, I don't want any of it.
Uh, who are the gatekeepers in the US medical system? They concentrate on getting DOCTORS familiar with the pumps and convincing them to prescribe one brand. Not that this is the right way to do things, but it explains the companies' relative indifference to end users.
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