Washington, DC - Congressional Diabetes Caucus Co-Chairs Tom Reed (R-NY) and Diana DeGette (D-CO) today celebrated a policy change that the caucus had long advocated to modernize Medicare coverage: The federal government will now permit coverage of costs for Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) by patients who track their data using smartphones, tablets and other personal electronic devices.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced that coverage of CGM supplies would be allowed for people who link them to smartphones, tablets and other personal electronic devices to share data and alerts with other people.

"People with diabetes who keep their caregivers and loved ones up to speed via their cell phones and tablets now no longer have to worry that this convenience will cost them their Medicare coverage," DeGette and Reed said. "Continuous Glucose Monitoring shouldn't have to mean being connected to only one kind of device to transmit data and alerts. This welcome change in policy means freedom from needless worry for all involved."

Previously, the use of personal electronic devices such as smartphones with CGM system disqualified patients from receiving Medicare benefits for those systems because the devices are not considered to be Durable Medical Equipment. Today's policy change allows Medicare coverage for CGM supplies that are linked to non-DME devices, as well.

There are about 300,000 Medicare eligible individuals qualified to use CGM.

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