ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Wegmans Food Markets Inc. has rolled out what the food and drug retailer said is its first store-brand blood glucose monitoring system.
The supermarket chain said the Wegmans TRUEresult home testing system and smaller TRUE2go meter, made by Nipro Diagnostics, hit store shelves starting in November for American Diabetes Month. Both devices can help those with diabetes and prediabetes track blood glucose levels more easily and at a lower cost versus comparable systems on the market, according to the retailer.
Brian Pompo, coordinator of wellness and clinical services for pharmacy at Wegmans, noted that for diabetes patients, regular testing is the key to keeping blood glucose levels in the targeted range. "Your daily measures of blood glucose let you know if you have your diabetes under control and give your health care providers the data they need to make therapy decisions," he said in a statement.
Wegmans said its TRUEresult system is easy to use and gives faster results than most other brands. Because the meter automatically calibrates itself to each test strip, users don’t need to enter a test strip code, which eliminates a common source of error. Users just stick a testing strip into the machine, prick their finger with the lancet to collect a drop of blood, and touch the finger to the strip, which absorbs the blood and activates the machine. A large-display readout appears in 4 seconds. The unit has four testing reminder alarms and a 500-test memory to see trends over time, and it alerts the user to test for ketones if blood glucose levels are high.
"These features help patients stay healthier by flagging any problems so they can be addressed in a timely way," according to Pompo. He added that the compact TRUE2go meter "is what we call the gym bag solution to testing; it’s the smallest device I’ve seen on the market — easy to carry when you’re on the go."
Wegmans said its store-brand TRUEresult and TRUE2go monitors are available in all of its pharmacies as well as in the diabetes supply areas of its health and beauty care departments.
The TRUEresult meter carries a retail price of $19.99, and the TRUE2go unit has a retail tag of $8.99. Test strips are $69.99 for a box of 100 strips. Many health plans offer patients a co-pay of only $15 for test strips, according to Wegmans pharmacy category manager Dave Perlman, but the store-brand TRUEresult system could save a patient up to $400 over one year.
Wegmans added that at its Woodmore, Md., store, the chain’s newest location, a Diabetes Solution Center in the bealth and beauty care area features the new meters, along with other products and supplies for people with diabetes.
"Between now and early 2011, all of our stores will feature Diabetes Solution Centers," Perlman stated.
Wegmans operates 77 supermarkets, all of which have pharmacies, in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia and Maryland.
