October 27, 2009

Bayer Contour USB: First Look

The good folks at Bayer sent me a Contour USB. Here's a quick look.

(See the Update Here)

Bernard my friend, you will be impressed.

Bernard and I have "issues" with proprietary cables. Your Diabetes May Vary, your meter cables don't need to but they do. Except for this one - check it out - no cable. Standard USB plug built in.

Wait, wait, before I say anymore - the full disclosure: When Bayer announced this thing a few weeks ago, I thought it looked cool. So I call to asked about it. They were kind enough to send me one to test out. Wohoo!

No conditions on their part.
No promise other than to try it out on my part.

The full review will have to wait for some more actual use. I'm going to give it to the teen T1 and he'll do most of the BG tests and contribute to the comments. Unill he sheds some blood for the cause - here is the initial out of box experience.


Nice packaging and not too much of it. The meter is behind a little plastic bit. There is a sticker on the screen. BG at 93. Well at least it isn't 104 and some of the documentation shows the meter at a whopping 127 - LOL.

For those of you who have had little girls in you life you will be happy to hear there is no Barbie packaging. Barbie is lashed into her packaging by some freak with a bondage fetish and a heck of a lot of wire. The meter pops right out unencumbered by fasteners.

The Contour USB has rechargeable batteries. That is a first in my experience. It is real clear when you open the box you should charge the thing. The box flap says, "HELLO! - Charge me," or something there about.

USB - figuring out how to charge it isn't rocket science. Find an open USB port or use the charge in the box.

So far the out of box experience is a whole different class than your average crammed in folded cardboard for stable shipping packaging. Nice. Not clinically significant in any way but it is a clear expression of how they feel about their product and how they want you to feel about it.

You get one first impression. Score one for Bayer. Let see what else is in the box.















  • Meter
  • Charger
  • USB extension cable
  • Strips
  • Bulky Bayer lancing device
  • Lots of documentation
  • Quick Start guide in case you don't want to read the above mentioned documentation.
  • Paper logbook (as if)
  • Web Registration card
  • Wicked Cool Colored Lancets.

I didn't think Lancets could be cool.

I was wrong.

Colored lancets are cool. Don't take my word for it. Delaney spoke for the 'tweens of the world definitively claiming all the pink ones. The Tuesday Little Dude, speaking for the 4 year old PWD community, was also psyched choosing purple then blue for his 7:00 check. He was grabbing at them like they were Halloween candy when mom came to pick him up an hour later. Oh TLD you have no idea how much you amuse me.

Apparently Lancets can be cool. Who knew?

Having no actual experience with the meter we seized the moment and had TLD test drive the meter for his 7:00 check in. Both he and Mrs. YMDV made all kinds of happy sounds at the color screen. OK was new toy syndrome but what the heck! This is a first impressions bit and so far this thing is making friends with flashy first impressions.

As you can see the meter isn't large. Just a little bigger than a USB memory stick.

I lined it up against the usual suspects. A little smaller than a One Touch Ultra Mini. Longer but skinnier than a Jazz.















It is significantly smaller than the Ping meter that came with Connor's pump. (I noticed taking this picture he hadn't even bothered putting batteries in it.) I didn't put it in it's case but the case seems bigger than it needs to be and not gray as cool as the Jazz cases.

I did notice two things worth mentioning before I call it a day. The documentation I didn't read says the software runs on a Mac and while the box was about the size of a CD but look up there at that picture - there wasn't a software disk in the box.

D'OH! It is a USB stick!

October 26, 2009

This American Life

Two episodes on Health Care. Same team as Giant Pool of Money. What Reporting Should Be!

This American Life and their friends at Planet Money did the best reporting on the mortgage and finical crisis I saw, well heard. If you haven't had the opportunity to listen to the Giant Pool of Money and Another Frightening Show About the Economy you should. They are a brilliant job of reporting. It isn't what you expect even if you know what to expect.

The same team takes a look at health care. Yet again they manage to take complex maters and express them in easy to appreciate if unsettling ways. Well worth the token cost of a download.


More is Less
An hour explaining the American health care system, specifically, why it is that costs keep rising.

Someone Else’s Money
The dark side of prescription drug coupons, insurance company jargon, frighteningly decoded and more.

Those of you living with type 1 may be more than aware of a lot of this but I can't imagine you will not come away with a challenge to your thinking. In a media environment of trite sound bites where balance is pitting ranting partisans calm, thought provoking, well researched, journalism is a shot in the arm.

October 20, 2009

TLD and a Phaser

Kelley sent this laser gun down from NYU for TLD. It makes noise. Only a little. Brilliant.


Then he schooled me at Lego StarWars. The darkside wants to kill them "good and propper"




A Jedi

-Tues Little Dude, 2 err 5s forgot how much blood OneTouch uses Then 45 w/ Lego StarWars he could care less about BG.

That is the way it should be.

When you're 4 you shouldn't care about your blood. You should know your StarWars and your Lego.

Later TLD (Tuesday Little Dude or The Little Dude either works fine) told me he was brave. I was getting his Lantis shot ready. "Mom says I am brave." Not said with the emotional emphasis that "See the space bar makes it shoot guns." was said. As it should be.

He didn't bat an eye with the Lantis. I think letting me stick him while jabbering on about how to play Lego StarWars means he is a Jedi Knight.

Last week he kept saying, "According to my research." I think the Magic School bus was kicking in. I can just see his mom and Dad hearing that come out and wonder where that comes from.

Riot TLD is.

October 15, 2009

FTNW: Continua on Android

Bluetooth Health Platform Demo on G1 Phone

From the News Wire Here after know as FTNW 'cause I love abreviations! Also then the Twitter link that spawns from the post may make sense - wait that isn't possible if I write the source is it? SNAFU


MindTree Introduces Bluetooth Health Device Solution on Android Platform

October 15, 2009 - Bangalore, INDIA: MindTree Ltd. (NSE: MINDTREE), a global IT Solutions Company and a leading provider of Bluetooth Intellectual Property (IP) solutions, today announced the launch of its Bluetooth health device solution on the Android platform. The solution, which was successfully demonstrated on the Google G1 Android Phone at the Continua Health Alliance Fall Summit held in Boston from October 5-9, 2009, is designed to provide seamless interoperability among personal healthcare devices, thereby empowering individuals to connect with their healthcare administrators real-time.

The Continua device solution consists of MindTree's qualified Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR stack including eL2CAP, Multi-Channel Adaptation Protocol (MCAP) and Health Device Profile (HDP), integrated with IEEE - 11073 layers ported onto the Android platform on a Google G1 developer phone. In the demonstration, the health device solution on Google G1 Android Phone interoperated with a Continua-Certified pulse oximeter from Nonin Medical. The oxygen saturation levels and heart beat readings gathered by the pulse oximeter are transferred wirelessly over Bluetooth to the G1 mobile phone which then displays these readings. The readings can be stored for future reference or as a further application can be uploaded onto the Internet to an Electronic Health Record (EHR).



More See:
http://www.equitybulls.com/admin/news2006/news_det.asp?id=61632

October 12, 2009

Back Online

Went to pick up iMac It wouldn't boot. Apple came through big and sent me home with a new iMac. Yippee!

Now to catch up.

I am way thrilled that Apple Care came through.

October 8, 2009

From The News Wire: Continua Demo

Eurotech Unveils New Diabetes Care Management Solution

COLUMBIA, Md., Oct. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Eurotech Group, a leading supplier of embedded technologies, products, and systems, announces today the Everyware(TM) Medical Gateway designed to help physicians remotely monitor and adjust the treatment of their diabetes patients. Based on the open standards promoted by the Continua Health Alliance, the Everyware Medical Gateway requires little patient involvement and helps eliminate many of the impediments typically associated with chronic care home monitoring.

The Everyware Medical Gateway is designed to provide robust and reliable data transmission across cellular connectivity from a patient's home to their physician. By receiving electronic readings electronically from patients, the physician has the ability to prescribe modifications in near real-time, a key factor when studies by Continua have shown 19 percent reduction in hospital admissions through home care programs.

"Remote patient monitoring is a key component of emerging smarter healthcare solutions that offer the potential to not only reduce overall health care costs but also to improve patient outcomes," said Karla Norsworthy, Vice President , Software Standards, IBM. "Working with our partners, including Eurotech, IBM is committed to provide complete, easy-to-use solutions that emphasize our commitment to open standards."
...

In conjunction with partners IBM, Roche, A&D Medical, and MDclick, Eurotech is participating in an end-end diabetes care management demonstration at the Continua Health Alliance Fall Summit & Plugfest, October 5(th) to 9(th) in Boston. The conference brings together leaders from across the industry to highlight the latest technologies in remote patient monitoring and open standards.

More at: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/eurotech-unveils-new-diabetes-care-management-solution-63745552.html


Start Editorial

a) Like a Doc has the time to be reading the incoming information.
b) The goal is empowering self care not taking the patient out of the picture.
c) "Leaders form accoss the industry..." Hello missing Patients there Dudes - see b) above, see the article in the Atlantic sited a little below this one and for that matter Amy's latest at Diabetes Mine.

End Editorial

Dear Carey Potash

I cant get into dLife comments. Crap. This would be my comment.

The meter at low,
whips about to say HI!
Just Bite it Betes.

Freaking FireWall.
So go there and joing his Diabets Vent Haiku Contest.
http://www.dlife.com/diabetes-blog/type-1/diabetes-vent-contest.html

October 7, 2009

Video for Manny

Manny has a video contest going. Yeah Manny. I put one of YDMV's bits up to be a part. Come Join in too.

(Kerri is not allowed to use professional screen writers. Is that a rule Manny? It should be a rule. I hear she is very close with a honest to god Hollywood Professional. Wink ,Wink, Say no more, say no more.)

Insulin Dependeds an Example of Power to the Patients!

The Atlantic: http://tiny.cc/qVVPD DOC lowers cost improves care! Rock On.

Pack away the guilt and stand proud. We are a freaking role model for health reform.

Once again my pal Mark's Wisdom rings true: ‘My wife and I are our daughter’s primary care team.”

Doing!


(Sorry about being AWOL from YDMV - My iMac iDied once again. I think it is iRubbish.)

October 2, 2009

J&J Day

If I had know it was J&J Day here at YDMV I would have done something to make y'all feel welcome. Coffee, Danish, mergers and acquisitions something you would like. Sadly I didn't get any warning but the user log was full of JNJ.com visitors. All seemed to be looking at the post about all the Ping Packing. Now I would think they know how much packing they use.

Apparently not.

From The News Wire: DexCom CE Mark

DexCom Receives CE Mark Approval for the SEVEN® PLUS Continuous Glucose Monitoring System


SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--DexCom, Inc. (NASDAQ: DXCM - News) today announced that it has received CE Mark (Conformité Européene) approval for the SEVEN® PLUS continuous glucose monitoring system, enabling commercialization of the system in the European Union and the countries in Asia and Latin America that recognize the CE Mark.

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