68-LB: Use of Real-Time CGM Is Associated with Fewer Hospitalizations Compared with SMBG in the Insulin-Treated Medicare Population

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) only allows coverage of CGM for beneficiaries with diabetes who are treated with insulin, (insulin injections ≥3/day or insulin pumps) and is currently performing SMBG ≥4/day. We used data from CMS to assess the clinical impact of using real-time CGM (Dexcom G5) by comparing a cohort of Medicare beneficiaries who acquired a CGM device from July 2017 thru January 2018 (n=841) with a cohort of beneficiaries (n=224,484) who continued SMBG during the same period. This cohort includes beneficiaries identified as insulin-treated in 2009 and survived through 2017. Overall, SMBG was associated with 35% more hospitalizations than CGM (35.5% vs. 26.2%) and 52% more inpatient visits (0.70 vs. 0.46) over 6 months (both p