Tuesday, July 17, 2012

T:Slim an update

So last week I posted my review of the t:slim, yet when I was done with the review, I personally had some questions that were left unanswered. So I sent an e-mail off to one of the people I happened to have a chance to talk to about the pump, both during the demo period, but also when I was"gambling" away all of my "millions", at the adult casino night. He was able to answer some of the questions/concerns that I had brought up, for which I am glad.

A few weeks ago, right after the ADA scientific sessions, word had leaked that there would be no 30 day return policy for the pump if one did not like it nor was there an availability for one to trial the pump before one invested in it. Mind you this is only one link of many complaints that had come out. Bernard Farrell over at Diabetes Daily had this one follow up to the controversy, that I had found later last week. If nothing else, this promise left me feeling happier. My contact over at Tandem had this follow up comment as well. It is a long quote, but ehh... Nothing like filling space right?

" Regarding your question about the return policy.  Tandem stands behind its product and we want to make sure that it meets our customers’ needs.  In the event t:slim does not meet someone’s needs they should be aware of the therapy and insurance implications.   t:slim is a medical  device that requires a prescription and is usually paid for by an insurance company.  If the t:slim pump does not meet  one’s needs, they are welcome to return the pump within 30 days of purchase.  However they may have to revert to multiple daily injections if they do not have another pump since it may take some time for the insurance company to approve another pump, something that is completely out of Tandem’s control.
We wanted to bring that to people’s attention since as consumers were are used to running back to Costco or Best Buy and to getting our money back on the spot so we can go get something else off the shelf.
I believe that the confusion arose because most people have not had a chance to try t:slim.  Our goal is to make sure people have the chance to see and play with t:slim before making their purchase decision the way you were able to at CWD."

So basically between what I have here and what Bernard had to say, it makes sense for the policy. I mean I was happy to hear this.

One of the random questions I had, was in looking over at Tandems page is that included in the package is a USB memory card. I was confused/intrigued about that since I had not seen any sort of slots on the pump to play with. So I asked. Here's the answer.... 
"Regarding the USB card, each t:slim Pump comes with a Reference Guide that highlights the key features of the pumps. You received a copy of that Reference Guide during the trial at CWD.  On the USB card we will include an electronic version of the User Guide which is a more lengthy document with more regulatory language and information about t:slim.
This is the same User Guide that is currently posted online.  This electronic version is searchable so it is more user friendly than a printed 150 page document.  We will also have some drivers of the USB card for t:slim to charge from a computer USB drive and in the future we will also have the t:connect uploader for our Therapy Management System once it is approved."

I coulda summed that up into smaller phrases and words, yet today is my day off. The only day I have off all week, so I am a little bit country, a little bit rock and roll, and a lotta bit lazy. 

The last question, that I had raised was about the integration with Dexcom's next generation sensor. The answer I got was pretty much what I was expecting to hear. They are working on the integration with their product, but at the same time taking what Dexcom has to offer and making it a friendly user experience across the board with their system, not just dumping the sensor software into the product and connecting the dots. (My words not theirs.) Anyway, I was glad to hear about this as well. Now, for me it comes down to making the decision about what to do since my pump is dying. the pro/con list is interesting for the 4 pumps I was considering. 

Disclosure: Once again, I state that the previous review and this update were provided by me. I was not asked to talk about the t:slim, nor was I asked to update the comments I had. I did this because I wanted to but I also felt it was important for those who read my first post to see the continuation of my inquiries here.  

3 comments:

  1. Very cool to get these answers about the t:slim. I'm at present, waiting to hear from my doctor and insurance, but this screen and visibility of the pump is important to me. I forward many of these blogs about the t:slim to my insurance case worker as well.

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  2. Hmm... I can't figure out which pump you are leaning towards...

    I think we should put money on which pump integrates with Dexcom first -

    Animas
    Omnipod
    t:slim

    How many times have we heard soon?! We need those next generation sensors NOW!

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  3. Its great to ask question whenever you are not sure about something. Its also great to hear that you had an answer to your inquiry.

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