We’ve heard from Medicare patients who have a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) that they’ve run out of testing supplies before the end of the month. These patients can’t get traditional testing supplies because they have a CGM.
For example, if a patient gets 2 (14-day) CGM sensors for April, the patient won’t have enough to test on the 29th and 30th.
Here’s how to prevent this serious issue:
- Bill the supply allowance (code K0553) as 1 unit of service (UOS) per month. One UOS equals 1 month’s supply (31, 30, 29, or 28 days). You can only bill 1 UOS for code K0553 per month.
- Check regularly to see what supplies your patient needs.
- Send these supplies to meet the next month’s supply need.
The example below shows how to provide 14-day CGM supplies per calendar month to make sure your patient has enough:
- April – 30 calendar days: Provide 3 sensors (42-day supply)
- May – 31 calendar days: Provide 2 sensors (28-day supply) since the patient should have 12 days remaining from the previous month
- June – 30 calendar days: Provide 2 sensors (28-day supply) since the patient should have 9 days remaining from the previous month