What Does Levels Cgm Track
People who sign up for the Levels Health CGM program will be able to track their biometric data, or glucose levels, measured by the device. Like other CGMs, the Levels program allows you to track glucose levels as you eat, exercise, sleep, and go about your day.
This program also comes with two CGM optionsâreal-time streaming or manual upload. While both CGMs are able to track the same information, the manual device needs to be scanned every few hours using your phone while the real-time streaming option sends the information via bluetooth.
Levels members also have the option to track additional health data through lab testing, however this comes at an extra fee after the membership costs.
Abbott Freestyle Libre 2
The Abbott FreeStyle Libre Flash Glucose Monitoring system is growing in popularity, especially now that the latest Abbott FreeStyle Libre 2 model offers optional real-time alerts that can notify users about high and low glucose levels.
As of mid-2021, the Abbott FreeStyle Libre 2 still requires a separate hand-held reader to scan the circular sensor you wear on your upper arm for up to 14 days.
Abbott FreeStyle Libre 2 launched in late 2017 and is available through national pharmacies like Costco, CVS, Kroger, Walgreens, and Rite Aid. Abbott tells DiabetesMine that most Abbott FreeStyle Libre 2 users in the United States are getting their sensors through retail pharmacies.
Notably, Abbott says the FreeStyle Libre 2 costs 70 percent less than the list price of other CGM systems currently available in part because it doesnt require a separate transmitter with each sensor like the competing products do.
Here are the approximate prices for the Abbott FreeStyle Libre 2 system in pharmacies:
- sensors: list price of $54 per 14-day sensor, according to Abbott generally $58 to $69 at retail pharmacies like Costco and Walgreens
- with commercial insurance, most people pay between $10 and $75 per month for the Abbott Libre 14-day sensors at participating pharmacies
- hand-held reader: $70
Read Also: 2 Hour After Eating Blood Sugar
How Does A Continuous Glucose Monitor Work
A CGM works through a tiny sensor inserted under your skin, usually on your belly or arm. The sensor measures your interstitial glucose level, which is the glucose found in the fluid between the cells. The sensor tests glucose every few minutes. A transmitter wirelessly sends the information to a monitor.
The monitor may be part of an insulin pump or a separate device, which you might carry in a pocket or purse. Some CGMs send information directly to a smartphone or tablet. Several models are available and are listed in the American Diabetes Associations product guide.
Recommended Reading: What’s The Best Diet For Type 2 Diabetes
Special Requirements Needed To Use A Cgm
Twice a day, you may need to check the CGM itself. Youll test a drop of blood on a standard glucose meter. The glucose reading should be similar on both devices.
Youll also need to replace the CGM sensor every 3 to 7 days, depending on the model.
For safety its important to take action when a CGM alarm sounds about high or low blood glucose. You should follow your treatment plan to bring your glucose into the target range, or get help.
Continuous Glucose Monitoring Overview: Features And Evidence
Supplements and Featured Publications
Introduction
Epidemiology
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that in 2019, 11.3% of the US population had diabetes, including 8.5 million Americans who were undiagnosed.8 By 2050, 1 in 3 Americans will be diagnosed with diabetes during their life-time.9 Significant racial and ethnic disparities still exist, with the prevalence of diagnosed diabetes in 2019 having been the highest in American Indian/Alaskan Native , non-Hispanic Black , and Hispanic individuals compared with non-Hispanic Asian and non-Hispanic White individuals.10 An estimated 96 million adults 18 years or older had prediabetes in 2019, and 48.8% of that population is over the age of 65.8
Diabetes-Related Complications
Risk Factors
Because diabetes is a complex, chronic illness, multiple strategies are necessary to decrease risks in addition to glycemic control.1 Approximately 90% of all persons with diabetes in the United States have insulin resistance in which modifiable risk factors exist, whereas the remaining 10% have autoimmune or type 1 diabetes .1,11 For example, smoking, weight, physical inactivity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and A1C can be modified to delay or prevent the progression of diabetes-related complications.1,11
Comorbidities and Complications
Macrovascular Complications
Microvascular Complications
Limitations of Blood Glucose Monitoring and A1C for Glycemic Monitoring
Limitations of Blood Glucose Monitoring
Also Check: How Do You Treat Diabetes 2
How Much Do Cgms Cost
The cost can vary all over the place but it depends on a few factors.
The brand
The two main makers of CGMs are DEXCOM and Abbott FreeStyle. When paying cash, the FreeStyle Libre sensors can cost as little as $75/month . DEXCOM costs about four times that. Because of the price, most DEXCOM users have type 1 diabetes and have it covered by their insurance. Cash-pay folks typically go with the FreeStyle Libre products, so Ill be talking about that.
Your insurance and medical need:
If you have diabetes and are taking insulin multiple times per day, you will most likely get your CGM covered by insurance. Everything other than that is up in the air. I have one client whos doctor coded for pre-diabetes, obesity and metabolic syndrome and her private insurance covered 50% of her FreeStyle Libre sensors. Another client is prone to hypoglycemia. This was enough to get 50% coverage. But most people will not get insurance coverage.
Start without insurance then continue WITH insurance
Because the price is fairly reasonable, I recommend my clients pay cash for the first month to get started. If the glucose data clearly shows dysregulated blood sugar, we can share the data with their provider. This is sometimes enough evidence for them to code so insurance will pick up part of the bill to make it more accessible in the long-run. Since 1 in 3 adults in the U.S. has prediabetes, theres a good chance youll qualify.
Readers and smartphones
Nutrisense Vs Levels: Which Cgm Should You Choose
Now that weâve broken down the full offering that Levels Health provides for subscribed members, you may be wondering how it compares to competitive options like the NutriSense CGM program.
While there are similarities between NutriSenseâs CGM program and Levels Health CGM program, there are also key differences that are important to take into account before making the best decision for your health needs.
Letâs discuss the pros and cons of each program to highlight the main differences between the two.
You May Like: Diabetes Meter Without Pricking Finger
All About Continuous Glucose Monitors For People With Diabetes
Diabetes is a serious and growing problem in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, approximately 30.3 million Americans have diabetes, or about one in 10 people. Thats up from about 26 million people in 2010.
Diabetes is a broad term for a group of conditions in which the bodys blood glucose levels to rise higher than normal, known as hyperglycemia. In many cases, it can be effectively managed through diet, exercise, medication, and blood glucose monitoring. As a supplement to the traditional finger-prick technology that people with diabetes have relied upon for many years to check their blood glucose levels, continuous glucose monitors offer a more convenient and less painful way for people to track their blood sugar and make positive lifestyle choices.
What Are CGMs?
In 1991, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration approved the first continuous glucose monitoring system for home use by adults with diabetes. This technology offers an alternative to taking blood from the fingertips, where the sample is taken from tiny blood vessels called capillaries. According to Alison Wharton, MPH, RDN, CDE, LD, a diabetes and nutrition education specialist with UAB Medicine, CGMs track blood sugar levels 24 hours per day by measuring the amount of glucose in interstitial fluid, which is the fluid that surrounds blood vessels.
How CGMs Work
Benefits
Accuracy
Where to Buy CGMs and Differences among Models
Cost and Insurance Coverage
Training
Metabolic Blood Tests Cost
In addition to glucose data, Levels provides members with the option to order a metabolic health panel for an additional cost of $179 USD per panel. Through this option, Levels will send a phlebotomist to your home to collect your blood sample.This health panel measures:
- Fasting insulin
- High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein
Also Check: How To Get Fasting Numbers Under 90 For Gestational Diabetes
The Freestyle Libre Reader
-
Easy to hold and carry around¶¶
-
Easy-to-read graphs
Offers easy-to-understand graphs with a quick summary of glucose history
-
Backlit colour touchscreen
Enhances the user experience can be read in the dark
-
Complete glucose picture
Stores 90 days of glucose data to provide a complete glucose picture over 3 months
What About Health Insurance Coverage
Its helpful to know that the Dexcom G6, Abbott FreeStyle Libre 2, and Eversense implantable CGM are all covered by most private and public health insurance plans, including Medicare . Medtronics Guardian Connect, however, was not covered by Medicare as of December 2021.
Historically, people with type 1 diabetes have had a much easier time qualifying for a CGM through insurance than those with type 2 diabetes because it was easier to establish medical necessity.
Still, if you have T2D and your doctor can make a case for medical necessity, you may qualify. But your insurance company may still want to confirm whether you actually need a CGM.
If you can prove youre experiencing both high blood sugars and low blood sugars regularly, you will likely qualify. This can be proven by providing blood glucose logs uploaded from your fingerstick meter. Generally, hyperglycemia is defined as a blood glucose level of 250 mg/dL or over, while hypoglycemia is a blood sugar 70 mg/dL or below.
If your insurance company denies your coverage for a CGM, talk with your doctors office about peer-to-peer reviews and appeals. Pushing your doctor to fight for you matters.
Manufacturers can have your back here, too. Dexcom, for instance, has an easy-to-complete patient information form you can submit along with your insurance information. The company will then contact your insurer to work on getting your device authorized and covered. Medtronic offers a similar service.
Recommended Reading: Latest Cure For Diabetes Type 2
Medtronic Minimed Guardian Connect
Many think that the Medtronic Minimed Guardian Connect CGM is only integrated into the companys Minimed insulin pumps, but there is also a stand-alone CGM available. The Medtronic Minimed CGM requires a separate seashell-shaped transmitter that connects to each sensor that is worn for 7 days.
Medtronic doesnt sell its CGM sensors and supplies at pharmacies, but you can find these at mail-order distribution companies and directly through Medtronics online store.
- a transmitter : $620
- Medtronic Minimed Guardian Connect CGM sensors : $345
- estimated total: $4,208 per year, or $351 per month
My Questions For The Levels Team
1. Will you ever offer the app to be used by existing Freestyle Libre 14 day sensor users?
It is possible that if CGM hardware becomes over-the-counter in the US that we would offer an app-only version of our product. For the time being, given that the sensors are prescription only and will be for the foreseeable future, our product will remain a package complete with a physician consultation, fulfillment of the sensors from our partner pharmacy, and access to the Levels app.
2. Can anyone sign up to buy the 1 month trial system now, and what is the price?
Anyone can sign up to join the waitlist at the moment. Currently were still in our beta testing phase so only a limited group have been able to purchase so far. We have had 6,000 people go through our beta program, and there are 100,000 people on the waitlist. Anyone can sign up and join the waitlist at
3. After the 1 month trial ends, how much does it cost to continue using the app and receiving sensors?
Levels starts off with a 28 day program helping members identify how their nutrition, exercise, sleep and stress decisions impact their metabolic fitness and understand how to develop a truly personalized lifestyle. For those who would like to continue using Levels past the first month, we offer ongoing sensor subscriptions for $199/mo to continue the journey. Our goal is to get the price down to $99/mo within two years. You can find out more in our Secret Master Plan.
You May Like: When Is The Best Time To Test Blood Sugar
What Is Metabolic Flexibility And Why Is It Important
As I discussed in my video about kids on keto and my review of Lumen a metabolic breath analyzer metabolic flexibility describes the bodys ability to efficiently switch back and forth between using glucose and ketones for fuel.
Related: Biosense Review Why This is the Best Ketone Monitor on the Market
Humans have been metabolically flexible throughout evolution. In fact, without such flexibility, we wouldnt have survived.
Think about it! Our Paleolithic ancestors didnt always have access to food. If they didnt catch an animal or find wild fruits, seeds or veggies, they had to get their energy from stored body fat.
That means that the human body is genetically programmed to function as a walking pantry, allowing the liver to convert excess energy into fat and store it on the body for when there is no food available.
Related: How to Slow Down and Reverse Aging
The ability to access stored body fat means that metabolically healthy humans can go a long time without requiring food, without feeling hangry, and without suffering from any of the traditional symptoms of low blood sugar.
Unfortunately, thanks to modern diets that are high in carbs and industrial seed oils, most of us have lost that ability.
Instead, it demands more sugar because carbs are the only macronutrient it knows how to convert into energy.
How We Chose Glucose Monitors And Meters
Above all, we included glucose monitors that are reportedly the most accurate. Since home meters are designed to help you monitor your glucose in between laboratory work from your doctors visits, its important that your device provides the most accurate results possible.
While no home test will be as accurate as a lab version, getting as close as possible to the quality of such tests can help provide peace of mind as well as better diabetes management.
Other items we looked at include:
We included glucose meters across a variety of features and price points. The cost of CGMs and blood glucose meters can vary widely based on their features, your insurance coverage, and location. Cost is also subject to change over time based on the type of insurance you have, so be sure to check with your carrier for the most accurate price.
Don’t Miss: Blood Sugar 119 After Eating
Cultural Perceptions Of Cgms
Wendy Andrade says a continuous glucose monitor saved her dads life, not just because it could provide biological data on his blood sugar levels, but because of the cultural issues it helped address.
Andrade, a pharmacist and realtor whose family is originally from Morelia, Mexico, and who now lives in Chicago, said her father Dagoberto was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes while she was still in pharmacy school in St. Louis. When she came home to Chicago to visit him, she found his blood glucose test strips unused, still stapled in the package from the pharmacy.
Dagobertos doctor had asked him about his blood sugar levels, but Andrade says that her father had been telling the doctor that his numbers were good despite his hesitance to use the finger prick device, an issue compounded by his fear of needles.
He didn’t get the proper education, as he should have from a pharmacist, on how to use it. That led him to noncompliance,” Andrade said. “That led him to get dehydrated, to faint, to hospitalized.
So Andrade took matters into her own hands. She started researching continuous glucose monitors, and found that her dads private insurance would cover the device. Then she showed her dad how to interpret the blood sugar data. He started using a CGM in February 2020, and over the next year, she says the change was clear.
But Andrade said the CGM helped her dad make immediate connections between diabetes and his own health, as well as the health of his community.
Youre Now Leaving An Abbott Canada Website A Site Maintained By Abbott
You are now being redirected to a third-party website, operated by Bayshore Specialty Rx Ltd., where you can order sensors for the FreeStyle Libre system or FreeStyle Libre 2 system.
You can also purchase the FreeStyle Libre system and sensors at your local pharmacy.
* Data based on the number of users worldwide for the FreeStyle Libre system compared to the number of users for other leading personal-use sensor-based glucose monitoring systems.
60-minute warm-up required when applying the sensor.
Sensor is water-resistant in up to 1 metre of water. Do not immerse longer than 30 minutes. Not to be used above 10,000 feet.
¶ The LibreView website is only compatible with certain operating systems and browsers. Please check www.libreview.com for additional information.
** The LibreLinkUp app is only compatible with certain mobile devices and operating systems. Please check www.librelinkup.comfor more information about device compatibility before using the app. Use of LibreLinkUp and FreeStyle LibreLink requires registration with LibreView. The LibreLinkUp app is not intended to be a primary glucose monitor: home users must consult their primary device and consult a healthcare professional before making any medical interpretation and therapy adjustments from the information provided by the app.
Use of FreeStyle LibreLink requires registration with LibreView. Automatic upload requires a wireless internet connection or mobile data connection.
References:
Don’t Miss: Is Freshpet Good For Diabetic Dogs