John has lived with type 1 diabetes since he was 16. The active 47-year old knows what it’s like to manage his disease with multiple insulin injections throughout the day. He also knows what it’s like to have the help of technology like the MiniMed™ 670G system with SmartGuard™. The world’s first hybrid closed system automatically adjusts* insulin delivery to keep his glucose in check.

"I can live my life the way I want to,” says the father of two. “I have fewer highs and lows, and my family can worry less about my nighttime levels when I travel for work or go backpacking.  Waking up after a great night’s sleep with a normal blood glucose was something I’d given up on until now. My wife, Cheryl, has consistently shared that she is less worried about me with the MiniMed™ 670G system watching over me."

John, along with thousands of others in the U.S. living with type 1 diabetes are benefiting from SmartGuard technology offered by Medtronic. In fact, recent one-year data of 6,000 UnitedHealthcare (UHC) members on Medtronic insulin pumps featuring SmartGuard technology showed a 27 percent decline in the rate of preventable hospital admissions, compared to members on multiple daily injections of insulin. 

“These positive results provide further evidence of the benefits of both automated insulin delivery and of value-based healthcare models,” said Hooman Hakami, executive vice president and president of the Diabetes Group at Medtronic. “Medtronic and UnitedHealthcare have demonstrated a commitment by both organizations to prioritize innovation that improves health outcomes and lowers healthcare costs.”

With costs related to disease management soaring, the UHC numbers are encouraging to patients, payers and hospital systems, alike. And with the launch of the MiniMed™ 670G system last year, the data is only expected to improve in the years ahead.^†

Latest Technology Offers “Performance Guarantee"

Beyond its partnerships with payers like UHC and Aetna, Medtronic is taking yet another big step towards value-based care, announcing this July its MiniMed™ 670G Performance Guarantee Program. An outcomes-based offering for payers and employers, the program is designed to mitigate costs for diabetes-related complications. It provides flat-fee reimbursements of up to $25,000 per Medtronic pump over four years for qualifying diabetes-related inpatient hospitalization and emergency room admissions for patients that meet eligibility criteria.

"This new program demonstrates the strong confidence we have in our ability to deliver improved clinical outcomes with our MiniMed™ 670G system and our commitment to value-based healthcare,” said Alejandro Galindo, president of the Advanced Insulin Management business unit within the Diabetes Group at Medtronic.

Working with payer and employer partners, Medtronic aims to help identify patients who would benefit from the MiniMed™ 670G system, including those who may be most at-risk for diabetes-related adverse events.

The goal is to help reduce preventable hospital admissions for patients through better disease control.  That could lead to significant savings for individual hospital systems, and more success stories like John’s.

"Medtronic is committed to working with new partners, in new ways, to create a paradigm shift in healthcare so that incentives are based on delivering better outcomes and quality of care for our patients," said Galindo.

Some interaction required.

^†First year results included members on the previous generation MiniMed™ 630G system featuring SmartGuard™ technology as the latest system was not yet commercially available. Real world commercial results on the MiniMed™ 670G system mirror those observed in the pivotal trial, demonstrating remarkable improvement in Time in Range (the percentage of time people with type 1 diabetes spend in the optimal glycemic range of 70-180 mg/dL).

Important Safety Information: MiniMed™ 670G System

The Medtronic MiniMed™ 670G system is intended for continuous delivery of basal insulin (at user selectable rates) and administration of insulin boluses (in user selectable amounts) for the management of type 1 diabetes mellitus in persons, seven years of age and older, requiring insulin as well as for the continuous monitoring and trending of glucose levels in the fluid under the skin. The MiniMed™ 670G system includes SmartGuard™ technology, which can be programmed to automatically adjust delivery of basal insulin based on continuous glucose monitor sensor glucose values, and can suspend delivery of insulin when the sensor glucose value falls below or is predicted to fall below predefined threshold values. The system requires a prescription. The Guardian Sensor (3) glucose values are not intended to be used directly for making therapy adjustments, but rather to provide an indication of when a fingerstick may be required. A confirmatory finger stick test via the CONTOUR®NEXT LINK 2.4 blood glucose meter is required prior to making adjustments to diabetes therapy. All therapy adjustments should be based on measurements obtained using the CONTOUR®NEXT LINK 2.4 blood glucose meter and not on values provided by the Guardian Sensor (3). Always check the pump display to ensure the glucose result shown agrees with the glucose results shown on the CONTOUR®NEXT LINK 2.4 blood glucose meter. Do not calibrate your CGM device or calculate a bolus using a blood glucose meter result taken from an alternative site (palm) or from a control solution test. It is not recommended to calibrate your CGM device when sensor or blood glucose values are changing rapidly, e.g., following a meal or physical exercise. If a control solution test is out of range, please note that the result may be transmitted to your pump when in the “Always” send mode.

Pump therapy is not recommended for people whose vision or hearing does not allow recognition of pump signals and alarms. Pump therapy is not recommended for people who are unwilling or unable to maintain contact with their healthcare professional. The safety of the MiniMed™ 670G system has not been studied in pregnant women. For complete details of the system, including product and important safety information such as indications, contraindications, warnings and precautions associated with system and its components, please consult http://www.medtronicdiabetes.com/important-safety-information#minimed-670g and the appropriate user guide at http://www.medtronicdiabetes.com/download-library.

WARNING: Medtronic performed an evaluation of the MiniMed™ 670G system and determined that it may not be safe for use in children under the age of 7 because of the way that the system is designed and the daily insulin requirements. Therefore this device should not be used in anyone under the age of 7 years old. This device should also not be used in patients who require less than a total daily insulin dose of 8 units per day because the device requires a minimum of 8 units per day to operate safely.

Important Safety Information: MiniMed™ 630G System with SmartGuard™ technology

The MiniMed™ 530G and MiniMed™ 630G systems with SmartGuard™ technology are intended for the delivery of insulin and continuous glucose monitoring for the management of diabetes mellitus in persons 16 years of age or older who require insulin. Insulin infusion pumps and associated components of insulin infusion systems are limited to sale by or on the order of a physician and should only be used under the direction of a healthcare professional familiar with the risks of insulin pump therapy. Pump therapy is not recommended for people who are unwilling or unable to perform a minimum of four blood glucose tests per day. Pump therapy is not recommended for people who are unwilling or unable to maintain contact with their healthcare professional. Pump therapy is not recommended for people whose vision or hearing does not allow recognition of pump signals and alarms. Insulin pumps use rapid-acting insulin. If your insulin delivery is interrupted for any reason, you must be prepared to replace the missed insulin immediately. Replace the infusion set every 48–72 hours, or more frequently per your healthcare professional’s instructions. Insertion of a glucose sensor may cause bleeding or irritation at the insertion site. Consult a physician immediately if you experience significant pain or if you suspect that the site is infected. The information provided by CGM systems is intended to supplement, not replace, blood glucose information obtained using a blood glucose meter. A confirmatory fingerstick using a CONTOUR®NEXT LINK portfolio meter* is required prior to making adjustments to diabetes therapy. Always check the pump display when using a CONTOUR®NEXT LINK portfolio meter*, to ensure the glucose result shown agrees with the glucose results shown on the meter. Do not calibrate your CGM device or calculate a bolus using a blood glucose meter result taken from an Alternative Site (palm) or from a control solution test. It is not recommended to calibrate your CGM device when sensor or blood glucose values are changing rapidly, e.g., following a meal or physical exercise. If a control solution test is out of range, please note that the result may be transmitted to your pump when in the “Always” send mode. The MiniMed™ 530G and 630G systems are not intended to be used directly for preventing or treating hypoglycemia but to suspend insulin delivery when the user is unable to respond to the Suspend on low alarm and take measures to prevent or treat hypoglycemia themselves. Therapy to prevent or treat hypoglycemia should be administered according to the recommendations of the user’s healthcare provider.

WARNING: The SmartGuard™ Suspend on low feature will cause the pump to temporarily suspend insulin delivery for two hours when the sensor glucose reaches a set threshold. Under some conditions of use the pump can suspend again, resulting in very limited insulin delivery. Prolonged suspension can increase the risk of serious hyperglycemia, ketosis, and ketoacidosis. Before using the SmartGuard™ Suspend on low feature, it is important to read the SmartGuard™ Suspend on low feature information in the User Guide and discuss proper use of the feature with your healthcare provider.

See www.medtronicdiabetes.com/importantsafetyinformation and the appropriate user guides for additional important details.