Durable Medical Equipment (DME) is a class of devices intended for repeated use by a patient or their nonprofessional caregiver. Some examples of DME include canes, walkers, wheelchairs and diabetes treatment supplies. Devices that fall under the category of DME are appropriate for use in a home or other private facility.

Sixty eight percent of DME distributed by pharmacists deals with diabetes treatment supplies such as blood-testing strips and blood glucose monitors. DME constitutes six to eight percent of gross sales overall for the pharmacies that make these products available. This is a relatively small part of the services and products that these pharmacies supply but they provide critical access for patients suffering from diabetes.

Impact of Diabetes in the United States

Prevalence of diagnosed and undiagnosed diabetes in the United States, all ages, 2007
Total: 23.6 million people or 7.8% of the population have diabetes.
Diagnosed: 17.9 million people
Undiagnosed: 5.7 million people

Blindness

• Diabetes is the leading cause of new cases of blindness among adults aged 20–74 years.

Kidney disease

• Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure, accounting for 44% of new cases in 2005.

Amputations

• More than 60% of nontraumatic lower-limb amputations occur in people with diabetes.

Heart Disease

• Adults with diabetes have heart disease death rates about 2 to 4 times higher than adults without diabetes.

Mortality

• Overall, the risk for death among people with diabetes is about twice that of people without diabetes of similar age.

Further information provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is suggesting that the disease could conceivably double by 2050. The problems that diabetes presents are largely avoidable because the disease in its various forms is treatable and can be managed with proper care. In order to correctly manage diabetes and curb this growing problem, patients need all the access they can get to diabetes treatment supplies. Community pharmacy is a vital source for these products for many patients.

However, the federal government wants to require pharmacies to go through a lengthy and costly "accreditation" process, which could force many pharmacies to stop selling these important products. Almost every other provider of these supplies are exempt from the government requirements, except pharmacies!

H.R. 616, introduced by Representative Marion Berry (D-AR) and Jerry Moran (R-KS) would exempt pharmacies from this burdensome accreditation process.

Please go online (http://www.fight4rx.org/index.php/legislative-action-center) to send an email to your Representative asking them to co-sponsor H.R. 616 and allow pharmacies to continue providing our nation's seniors access to these vital supplies.

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