07-03-2025
Finding Dexcom monitors amid shortages
(COLORADO SPRINGS)– FOX21 News has learned alternative ways people are getting around the shortage of the medical device called the Dexcom, a glucose monitor for diabetes. Some diabetics are now turning away from pharmacies to get the device.
'Anybody can find a wheelchair somewhere, right? But where are you going to always find this kind of technology that's going to help you this much?' said Rodney Scurry, the regional manager of Specialty Medical Equipment.
Scurry said his job is to help bypass red tape for both doctors and patients across Colorado.
'I bridge that gap for them. We are a durable medical equipment supplier, which falls under CGM (continuous glucose monitoring),' he said.
FOX21's Carolynn Felling, a Type One Diabetic herself, said since she last covered the shortage, she has been able to get her Dexcom through Walgreens, but said she is now thinking about switching to Durable Medical Equipment, or DME. It's a way for people to gain access to devices like the Dexcom that is intended to skip that rep tape often seen with pharmacies.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Dexcom diabetes monitoring device facing national shortage
Scurry said his goal is to help with the supply shortage thousands of people are struggling with.
'My job is to educate our physicians in why using a DME versus a pharmacy is so beneficial, not just for them and make their life easier, but more importantly for the patient and making their life easier and making sure that they get what they need,' Scurry said.
When a device is ordered by a physician for everyday or extended use, like the Dexcom, there are other options like using a DME that many people are now turning to in order to skip the long process of waiting through pharmacies, which can result in a lot of pain for patients with unmonitored blood glucose levels or BGL.
When diabetics have to go through lengthy waiting periods without a CGM, they are forced to go back to the old-school method of pricking their fingers, which can lead to permanent nerve damage from all the scar tissue.
'I have a friend of mine that, she got pregnant and she was doing 30 finger pricks a day, which means she had to wake up every hour throughout the night to prick her fingers,' he said. '[The Dexcom] is life changing for her, she can sleep. This is so meaningful and it's so impactful to people's lives.'
Scurry said those long periods of waiting for the medical device is due to a limit on how much supplies pharmacies can get.
'When I went to the pharmacy, the pharmacy informed us that they only get 24 FreeStyle Libre's (another brand of glucose monitor) and they only get 18 Dexcom until their next shipment comes in,' he said.
If anyone is struggling with the shortage of Dexcom devices, Scurry said he has more than enough currently available. To contact him, call at (719) 306-6169.
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