Sponsored content.
Pricking fingertips and checking blood sugar levels is a pillar of good diabetes self-management. Those blood sugar data points are powerful tools in dosing medications, making sense of exercise, and maintaining a healthy diet. But there are several hurdles that prevent people with diabetes from checking their blood sugar regularly, like jumping through all the hoops that insurance companies require for supply orders. (We’ve all sat on hold with insurance companies, haven’t we? No one likes that at all.)
This is where Diathrive comes in. Diathrive doesn’t work with insurance companies; they work for people with diabetes.
Diathrive is a blood glucose testing subscription service that takes the guess work out of insurance coverage, copays, and supplies so that you can focus on your health. No more ordering supplies and wondering when they’ll arrive or what the cost will be. No more shuffling through paperwork to see if your deductible has been met. No more time wasted on phone calls with payers to see if you can use more than three blood glucose test strips per day. Haggling over coverage, pricing, and delivery becomes a thing of the past.
Diabetes management is not a one-size-fits all sort of enterprise, which is what makes the Diathrive model so effective. Our team had a chance to check out the Diathrive way of doing things, receiving one of their starter kits for review purposes.
The blood glucose meter we received feels familiar to our long-term PWD staffers but was also easy enough for even the newbies to set up. The kick off kit comes with a glucose meter, lancing device, lancets, test strips, and control solution so that you can open the box and hit the ground running with reliable data and confidence. Setting up the meter took only a few seconds – once we confirmed the date and time, we were good to check our first BG. Number displays on the meter are nice and big, making it easy to use, and the meter also alerts for things like ketone checks and provides 7, 14, 30, 60 and 90-day blood sugar averages so you can have a sense of how your data is mapping. You can download your data to your computer using a USB cable, too.
The lancing device was comfortable to use, with five depth options and a package of lancets at the ready for switching out as needed. The Diathrive phone number is printed on the base of the lancing device, which is a really nice touch in case you need to reach out to their team – no need to scramble to find the number. (Small things make a big difference!) And checking BGs only took a few seconds, with the results matching up to the meters that our team were using previously, offering a nice boost of confidence in the technology that’s offered by Diathrive. (And if you need a spare meter or lancing device, you’re able to conveniently order one from their online store – nice perk.)
The pricing models for subscriptions are affordable – if you’re checking once a day, you’ll receive 100 test strips to last you three months, costing $8 per month. The prices go up as you check more – see the graphic below for costs per plan. Each plan delivers a three-month supply and you’re billed quarterly, so if you need to make changes, you can pause the service or add more at your convenience. The option to pause or increase is a great one because it keeps you from paying for supplies you don’t need and also making sure you always have enough! Having a subscription plan makes supply budgeting more predictable, adding peace of mind to your diabetes management.
It’s strange how piercing the tip of your finger can be one of the most reassuring moments in a life with diabetes, but that data is necessary. A big thank you to the team at Diathrive for making blood sugar checks easier, more accessible, and more empowering for people with diabetes everywhere.