Are you an Animas user trying to figure out what your next year(s) might look like? Or just a fellow Canadian in the market for an insulin pump?
We’ve sat down the team at Omnipod to learn more about what they have to offer to Animas users and pump users in general.
I’M JUST GETTING TO KNOW OMNIPOD. CAN YOU TELL ME A BIT MORE ABOUT THE COMPANY?
Omnipod is a tubeless insulin pump made by Insulet, a company whose mission is to make the lives of people with diabetes easier. Last summer, they were ranked #4 on Forbes’s 2017 Most Innovative Growth Companies list!) Insulet was founded in Massachusetts back in 2000 and officially brought to Canada in 2011. Interested in learning more about how the Omnipod came to be? Read more about what inspired Insulet’s co-founder to create the product – one that is now used by 140,000 adults and youth around the world today.
GIVE ME THE BASICS. WHAT DO I NEED TO KNOW ABOUT OMNIPOD?
There are two parts of the Omnipod System: The Pod and the PDM.
The Pod and Personal Diabetes Manager (PDM) communicate wirelessly to deliver continuous insulin based on your personal settings—giving you what you ask for, when you ask for it. You’ll need to keep the PDM within 5 feet of the Pod to program a bolus or make a change to your settings, otherwise, you don’t need the PDM with you at all times. Check out the details on both the Pod and PDM below.
WHAT HAVE YOU GUYS HEARD OF AS BEING ON THE HORIZON FOR OMNIPOD? WHAT MIGHT WE HAVE TO LOOK FORWARD TO?
Disclaimer time. Omnipod is NOT able to share this information. We’re doing this all on our own. We’ve collected intel from presentations we’ve been to, from rumblings we’ve heard, and, of course, from our good friend, Adam Brown.
Things to check out:
Omnipod Dash Touch Screen – Submitted to FDA earlier this month (still no word on Health Canada submissions), this technology will allow the Pod to be managed via a handheld bluetooth device (think, Android phone without the cell-phone pieces.) Read more, here.
Omnipod Horizon – With closed-loop, hybrid systems seeming to be the next evolution in insulin therapy, it’s great to see Omnipod’s innovation with Horizon. Read Beyond Type 1’s update, here.
THE DETAILS – POD
- Reservoir Size: Can hold 200 units of Rapid-Acting Insulin
- Site Specifics: Angled infusion set/insertion
- ‘Serter: Automatic, built-in inserter (you never see or handle the needle!)
- Weight: Light-weight (it weighs just 25g without insulin)
- Adhesive: Strong medical-grade adhesive to keep the Pod in place for up to 3 days
- Durable & Waterproof: 7.6 meters for up to 60 minutes (IPX8). The PDM is not waterproof.
- No Tubes: Having no tubes means you can wear your pump in many convenient places.
THE DETAILS – PDM
The PDM is the ‘brain’ of your pump system. It’s what tells your Pod to give you insulin, houses your basal rates and also has a built-in BG tester!
- BG Meter: Has a built-in Freestyle BG meter with a test-strip light
- Screen: Large and in-colour
- Bolus Calculator: Provides you with suggestions for your bolus based on BG, carb intake, and Insulin-on-board
- Reports: Data is downloadable so you can analyze reports about your BGs and insulin regime
- NOT WATERPROOF: Although you can shower and swim with your Pod attached, don’t take this thing in the water. Leave it pool-side with your phone!
I’M AN ANIMAS PUMP USER AND MY PUMP IS STILL UNDER WARRANTY. DOES OMNIPOD HAVE ANY OPTIONS FOR ME?
YES! The Omnipod Welcome Program was basically made for you. It’s set up to give you the chance and choice to give Podding a try, no strings (aka tubes, get it?) attached. AND IT’S FREE!
The Basics: As a current Animas user, you can request your no charge PDM when you buy your first box of Pods to get started (as you would anyway with your infusion sets) and that’s it, Free and Podding! And don’t forget, the PDM is the expensive part – It’s like the pump part of the tubed pump when we’re considering it from an insurance/ADP/reimbursement point of view.
Without sounding too much like a commercial: YOU BETTER ACT FAST! This offer expires on June 30, 2018. In fact, it was set to expire on December 31, 2017 but was receiving rave reviews from new customers and so Insulet decided to extend. it.
For more details, request your free demo kit (click here) to learn more.
I’M AN ANIMAS PUMP USER AND MY PUMP IS NOT UNDER WARRANTY ANYMORE. DOES OMNIPOD HAVE ANY OPTIONS FOR ME?
The simple answer is – Yes!
If this is you, you can move forward just as you would in the past. If you’ve never been through a full 5-year warranty period with your insurer or reimbursement agency, here’s what you need to know.
1. Your warranty can’t just be up, your pump has to be broken and in a state of non-repair. You can call tech support on the back of your Animas insulin pump to find out what counts as non-repair (broken buttons, dimmer screen, etc).
2. Check out the options that are out there and find out what you might want to try.
3. Want to give Omnipod a try? Great! You can give them a call directly to explore your options at 1.844.207.9982. If you’re still unsure, you can order a free demo kit here.
If you’re ready to get started, read the Get Started guide, here.
I AM IN THE MARKET FOR A NEW PUMP THIS YEAR. WHAT OPTIONS ARE THERE FOR ME FROM OMNIPOD?
You can follow the same steps as an Animas Pumper who is NOT under warranty.
Yep. Those ones we just outlined.
Over there.
And if you really won’t read that, we’ll tell you again:
Learn more about requesting a demo kit, here.
If you’re ready to get started, read the Get Started guide, here.
HOW IS OMNIPOD ENGAGING WITH THE TYPE 1 DIABETES COMMUNITY?
The team at Omnipod are actively supporting their rapidly growing group of Podders™ experiencing the freedom of their Omnipod System. You can check out a few of their success stories here.
They’re also actively involved in a number of research projects, clinical trials, and innovative ventures to further support the Type 1 community across the globe including right here in Canada.
Omnipod is working with many of our other friends and partners across the community. We’re excited to have them involved in the BT1xCIM Ontario Slipstream and CWD Friends for Life Conference. You can also find them involved with:
Disclaimer: Although this is not paid content, Medtronic, Omnipod, Tandem and Dexcom are national partners of Connected in Motion. Our views may be biased because of these partnerships, but we still thought this information was helpful for the community.
