United Health Care has announced that on July 1, 2016 Medtronic will "become the preferred, in-network durable medical equipment (DME) provider of insulin pumps for UnitedHealthcare Community Plan and Commercial members".

Below is text taken from UnitedHealthCareOnline.com. I want to encourage you to share your story in the comments below about why your pump choice matters and then share one of the below images on your social media channels while tagging Medtronic and United Health Care. Greed can not be a driving factor in how you manage your type 1 diabetes. 

FIGHT BACK!

from United Health Care: "As part of our ongoing efforts to provide a better member experience, while increasing quality and lowering the overall cost of diabetes care in the United States, UnitedHealthcare has reached an agreement with Medtronic to become the preferred, in-network durable medical equipment (DME) provider of insulin pumps for UnitedHealthcare Community Plan and Commercial members, effective July 1, 2016. Medtronic is a global healthcare solutions company committed to improving the lives of people through its medical technologies, services, and solutions and has been a leader in diabetes care for more than 30 years.

The preferred relationship excludes UnitedHealthcare Sierra Health and Life Commercial members as well as all UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage members.

Our goal is to provide the opportunity for a better care experience by providing our members with access to advanced diabetes technology and comprehensive support services while learning how advanced technology can be applied to improve outcomes and reduce costs. We also aspire to nd new ways to analyze the total cost of care

for diabetes management, bring a value-based approach to diabetes care for UnitedHealthcare members and place greater focus on quality rather than the volume of care delivered.

As part of this agreement, UnitedHealthcare members with diabetes who meet the UnitedHealthcare medical policy criteria will be provided access to multiple models of Medtronic’s insulin pumps, including the MiniMed® 530G pump. The MiniMed 530G system includes safety features that pause insulin delivery when sensor glucose levels fall below a preset limit, helping the patient recover at a quicker rate.

Please note: UnitedHealthcare will continue to cover insulin pump supplies for all brands of insulin pumps that our members currently use while their insulin pumps are in- warranty and are still functioning properly. They do not need to make any immediate change to their pump and will not transition to a MiniMed pump until their pump is both out of warranty and not functioning properly.

What this means for you:

• There has been no change within our medical policy for coverage of insulin pumps; this only applies to the type of device prescribed.

• When UnitedHealthcare members need to obtain their prescribed pump, they can call Medtronic at 800-646-4633 or visit www.medtronicdiabetes.com/ preferred.

• UnitedHealthcare members who are 18 years old and younger may remain on their current insulin pump and are not required to use a MiniMed pump.

• If one of your patients is a UnitedHealthcare Sierra Health and Life Commercial member or a Medicare Advantage member, the preferred relationship does not apply. However, you may still prescribe them to a MiniMed insulin pump as you see t.

We thank you for all that you do as we strive to provide the best possible outcomes for our members with diabetes.

If you have questions, please call the number on the back of your patient’s member ID card. Thank you."

Medtronic is @MDT_Diabetes on Twitter. United is @myUHC.... Let them hear your voice!