Whether you need blood glucose test strips, blood glucose meters, lancets, insulin pumps, or other testing supplies for diabetes, let us handle the details. We can bill your insurance or Medicare directly and manage the document collection process, saving you precious time. We also send you convenient reminders when it’s time to reorder, so you never have to worry about running out of supplies.
Get answers to frequently asked diabetes testing supply questions here.
Glucose Meters
lancets
control solutions
The Benefits of Diabetes Testing Supplies
Why is home glucose testing necessary?
If you have any form of diabetes - including gestational diabetes, type 1 diabetes, or type 2 diabetes - having some way to manage your condition on your own is essential. To accomplish this goal, you’ll need access to a glucose meter and the testing supplies that go with it.
Most people haven’t tested their own blood before being diagnosed with diabetes, but there’s nothing to worry about. Your diabetes healthcare team will walk you through the self-testing process and advise you on how and when to test your blood glucose. That schedule will include tests every morning before breakfast at a minimum. It’s also common to test before other meals, at bedtime, and an hour after meals.
The testing process shouldn’t be too complicated once you get the hang of it. The basic steps are as follows:
- Puncture your fingertip with a lancet
- Put the resulting blood drop on a test strip
- Place the test strip in your glucose meter
- Wait for your blood glucose results to appear on the meter’s screen
By following these steps while sticking to your healthcare team’s recommended schedule, you can avoid excessively high or low blood sugar levels throughout the day.
What diabetes supplies do I need?
There are several different products everyone with diabetes needs to manage this disease. These include:
- Glucose meters
- Test strips
- Lancets
- Control solutions
- Glucose tablets (or another source of fast-acting carbs)
These are the basics, but you may also need or want to stock up on other products. For example, continuous glucose monitoring systems can help reduce your reliance on finger prick tests.
What is a glucose meter?
Traditional glucose meters are battery-operated, portable devices used to analyze your blood sugar levels. To use them, you’ll apply a blood sample to a test strip and place it in the meter’s slot. In no more than 15 seconds, your meter will give you a readout of your current blood glucose measurement. From there, you can make treatment decisions like adjusting your diet, getting physical activity, or changing your medication schedule.
There are many different glucose meters on the market today, all of which have unique pros and cons. Everything from minimum blood sample size to accuracy to visibility might affect your purchase decision, depending on your highest priorities. All of the glucose meters sold by US MED® are high in quality - when you buy from us, you’ll only need to worry about finding the right fit for your situation.
What are test strips and why do I need them?
There’s no denying the importance of glucose meters, but they wouldn’t be able to do their job without test strips. These small pieces of plastic are covered in chemicals that power the testing process by converting blood glucose to gluconic acid, creating an electrical current in the process.
Test strips aren’t reusable, so you’ll need to make sure you have a steady supply of these strips. At the same time, not all test strips are compatible with all meters - check to ensure you’re ordering test strips that work with your device.
What are lancets and lancing devices?
Essentially, lancets are a type of small needle used to collect blood samples from your fingertip. These needles are good for a single use and should be safely disposed of after collecting the sample.
Lancets are often used along with lancing devices to simplify the collection process. When you apply one of these devices to your fingertip, it will automatically perform the finger prick process. Some lancet devices hold more than one lancet, allowing you to reuse the device (but not the lancet itself).
What are control solutions for diabetes blood glucose testing?
Sometimes, you may have reason to question your glucose meter’s accuracy. In these situations, the best way to determine whether or not your device is acting up is by using a control solution.
It may be easiest to think of control solution as “fake blood.” This product can be measured by glucose meters just like the real thing, but it contains a predetermined amount of glucose. That means your results when testing control solutions should fall into a known range; if your numbers are under or over that amount, something may be wrong with your meter.
Like test strips, it’s crucial to ensure you’re using the correct type of control solution for your meter. US MED® offers multiple control solution brands, so there’s a good chase we have the one that’s right for you.
Does my insurance cover diabetes supplies?
There’s a solid chance that your insurance provider will cover diabetes testing supplies - Medicare and Medicaid often do. You can check your eligibility for diabetes supply reimbursements online if you are on either one. Meanwhile, 46 out of 50 U.S. states require insurers to cover diabetes supplies, medicine, and equipment.
Why choose US MED® for your diabetes supplies?
US MED® is America’s top destination for diabetic testing supplies and other diabetes-related products. We provide countless benefits to our customers, such as automatic reorder reminders, direct insurance billing, and free priority shipping. On top of all that, we have an A+ Better Business Bureau rating and accreditations from the ACHC, URAC, and NABP.
Frequently Asked Questions - Diabetes Testing
You’ll pay $15 in cash or credit at US MED® for a box of 50 diabetic test strips, regardless of brand. Additionally, these products may be covered by your insurance.
Original Medicare Part B covers diabetes testing supplies such as blood sugar test strips, glucose meters, lancets, control solutions, lancing devices, and a battery (every six months).
Diabetes patients use test strips along with traditional glucose meters to check their blood sugar. You can only use these strips for a single reading each, so it’s important to make sure you’re not at risk of running out.
Essential testing supplies for people with diabetes include a traditional glucose meter and testing strips (and, in some cases, a continuous glucose monitoring system), lancets, a lancing device, and control solutions.
While accuracy levels can vary from brand to brand, any commercially available glucose meter and testing strips will fall within 20 percent of ideal lab values.
You should test your blood sugar immediately upon waking up. That way, if your glucose levels are abnormal, you can take steps to fix this.
You can quickly and easily test your blood sugar at home by using a glucose meter or a continuous glucose monitoring system.
Yes, but you’ll need a continuous glucose monitoring system to do so. For more information, visit our page on CGM systems.
Inaccuracy rates can be higher than usual during a patient’s first day of using a CGM system or when taking certain medications, over-the-counter pain relievers, or supplements. These systems generally increase in accuracy when they have been worn for a while. Keep in mind that the latest CGM systems do not require calibration.
Medical Review by Shirley DeLeon, Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist
Why Choose US MED®
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For Healthcare Professionals
US MED® is America's primary choice for home delivery of quality medical supplies. Since 1996, over 1 million satisfied members have received disease state education and medical supplies from our highly trained customer service specialists. US MED®, the largest provider of Diabetic Supplies to the Medicare community, is licensed and accredited by Accreditation Commission for Health Care (ACHC) and maintains an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau. We provide all products necessary to treat the Diabetes disease state, including therapies for its associated comorbidities. Our product portfolio includes, but is not limited to, the following: Diabetic testing strips, Continuous Glucose Monitors or CGMs, Insulin Pumps, Sleep Apnea and CPAP supplies, and Nebulizers.