Diabetes Products

AF01, AF02, AF03, AF04, AF05

[Refer to RAP Schedule]

Diabetic products/equipment are provided to assist clients in the management of their diabetes and include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Glucose Monitor (Standard)
• Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM)
• Insulin pumps
• Diabetes Consumables and Accessories
  • Sharps containers
  • Lancets, needles and syringes
  • Test strips, alcohol wipes
  • Storage and travel cases
  • Isothermic bags
  • CGM Sensors

The DVA client must have an assessed clinical need and a:

• Gold Card; or
• White Card with an accepted condition relating to the clinical need for the prescribed products (diabetes).

Prescribing

Diabetes products must be prescribed by a suitably qualified health provider as follows:

• Diabetes Clinic (DC)
• General Practitioner (GP)
• Specialist (S)
  (may include Endocrinologist, Diabetologist, Paediatrician)
• Credentialled Diabetes Educator (CDE)
• Registered Nurse (RN)
  (may include Nurse Practitioner (Diabetes))

Important:

AF03 – Insulin Pumps - Initial prescriptions MUST be provided by an Endocrinologist. 

Subsequent/re-order/replacements requests for Insulin Pumps can be prescribed by a suitably qualified health provider (see list above).

An assessment needs to be conducted by a suitably qualified assessing health provider to determine the clinical need for the diabetes products and to determine the most suitable contracted product/s.

For more information on prescribing see Diabetes Australia’s best-practice guidelines.

As an assessing health provider, you should consider the range of products available through these supplier contracts. A list of national suppliers and their contact details is provided on the order form. The choice of supplier can be made by you and the client.

If requesting a product/s that is not covered under DVA contract arrangements see the section - Supporting Documentation for prior approval request below for more information.

Subscription Service – CGM sensors only

If the client does not wish to be placed on a subscription for CGMs, please mark this clearly on the form.

Clients placed on a CGM subscription do not require a new prescription every two years.  Supply of sensors will continue until DVA or the contracted supplier are advised that the items are no longer required or their clinical needs change.

Insulin pumps and other diabetes products

Prescriptions/forms are valid for two (2) years and enables clients to order up to three (3) months’ supply at a time by contacting the contracted provider directly.

After which time the client will be required to undertake an assessment by an assessing health provider and submit a new prescription/form for the next two (2) years.

The suitably qualified assessing health provider should complete the direct order form as an approved health provider – D9414 - Order Form Diabetes Products

1. Initial Orders – The prescriber is to determine the client’s eligibility.

2. Gold Card – Complete the D9414 - Order Form Diabetes Products and send it directly to one of the contracted suppliers detailed on the form.

   White Card – complete the D9414 - Order Form Diabetes Products and email to RAPGeneralEnquiries [at] dva.gov.au (RAPGeneralEnquiries[at]dva[dot]gov[dot]au) to check eligibility under the client’s accepted condition(s), DVA will forward to your nominated supplier.

3. For insulin pumps and other diabetes products– Provide the client with a copy of the completed D9414 - Order Form Diabetes Products for re-ordering purposes.
   Assessing health providers and clients can order up to three (3) months’ supply of products at one time.

   Ordering to avoid running out

   Place orders directly with your chosen supplier allowing two (2) weeks for the order to be processed.

Changing orders during the prescription period

If the client’s circumstances change, the assessing health provider, client or their nominated representative needs to inform the current DVA contracted supplier of the change in requirements as soon as possible.

These may include but are not limited to the following situations.

The client:

• needs additional items to the items on the current order form
• no longer needs items on the current order form
• has completely new requirements and a new order form is to be completed
• has moved to another address and the delivery address needs updating
• has deceased and the order needs to be cancelled.

Supporting documentation is only required when the:

• client has a White Card, the ‘clinical need’ must align with an accepted condition; or
• the item being requested is not on the RAP schedule.

If requesting a product/s not on the RAP schedule or covered under contract

The prescriber must show that the requested product is more suitable than products on the RAP Schedule. Information on contracted products trialled and why they are unsuitable must be included with the prior approval request.

If however, there is a product that is not on the list of contracted items, contact DVA via email RAPGeneralEnquiries [at] dva.gov.au (RAPGeneralEnquiries[at]dva[dot]gov[dot]au) to discuss this request. In these circumstances, you will need to provide clinical information to support your request.

Additional information

There is currently no Australian Standard for diabetes products.

Health devices must be registered with the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA).

DVA clients can also access a range of diabetes products through the NDSS through their community pharmacy if they prefer and if they are registered with the NDSS. DVA clients may continue to access products through this Government initiative if they choose to. DVA will continue to fund the co-payment for clients accessing products through the NDSS.

Registration is at: www.ndss.com.au