In the last few years, we’ve seen a few sleeker-looking glucose meters make it to market, along with more logging tools and apps than we can shake a stick at. But what’s still been lacking is some good assistance in taking all those numbers and actually knowing what to do with them — what changes do they call for in our diabetes management?
Unless you’re telephoning your CDE or endo every time you spot some wacky results (and that’s only if you’re logging diligently and can spot the trends) you’re pretty much on your own trying to identify and fix the problems that naturally crop up from time to time.
That’s why we were enthusiastic to hear about Lifescan’s new meter, the VerioIQ, “the first meter ever that automatically alerts you to patterns you might not even know where there.” It appears to be the first of many new “smart glucose meters” in the works that aims to alert patients when they’re trending high or low. As you may have guessed, this meter isn’t yet available in the U.S. (of course…), but was just released on the market for its world premiere in Canada.
You can take a little “tour” of the meter, and learn about the OneTouch Verio Gold test strips it uses on the company’s Canadian website. The key new feature, called PatternAlert, analyzes blood sugar readings within the meter’s memory, and alerts you when it notices a recurring pattern.
The press release announcing VerioIQ claims that the meter even takes the next step, actually providing “guidance on what actions can be taken to enhance glucose control” through something called the “Test Smart Pattern Guide, a quick reference tool to help people living with diabetes interpret and resolve high and low patterns” — although whether this was a built-in feature was not clear.
We spoke with Lindsay Kalaw, Brand Marketing Director of Lifescan Canada, yesterday to get some details. Turns out the Pattern Guide is a paper booklet that VerioIQ customers can request by calling the company’s 800-number. You look up your “pattern” by category (high trend/low trend and time of day), and then choose from pull-out tabs that suggest possible reasons for your troubles (low before breakfast? probably too much insulin before bed), and some actions to remedy the situation (reduce evening/overnight insulin dosing). A paper-based guide is not particularly high-tech, but it still offers more help interpreting your numbers than any other meter has done to date.
The problem is that this Guide does not ship with the product directly, and apparently it’s not obvious that you need to place a special phone order to get it.
This became clear to us when we reached out to Pearlsa, a type 1 PWD living in Vancouver, British Columbia, to get some real-life feedback on using this thing. On the positive side, Pearlsa says that just a week into using her new meter, it has already helped her identify trends.
“It alerted me to my evening blood sugars always being above my target range,” Pearlsa says. “This prompted me to take a closer look and I noticed that the raise in my blood sugar happens when I disconnect at night to take my long hot showers (which I refuse to give up to diabetes). I guess what makes this important is that in the past, I would have tweaked my evening basal or insulin-to-carb ratio. However, seeing this distinct pattern I now just replace the missed insulin (as a correction bolus), something I never did in my almost 6 years of pumping.”
However, Pearlsa seemed disappointed when looking to the Verio product for guidance on actions to take. “There are no instructions that I have seen. It just says, ‘looks like your glucose has been running HIGH around this time.’”
Also, as an Animas Ping pumper, Pearlsa is disappointed about the lack of product integration. “The fact that (the VerioIQ) does not transmit its results to my pump is a minus. It uses a different test strip, too. I loved that all my OneTouch meters use the same strip. With this, I have to buy two kinds of strips or forgo the Ping’s meter and just use this one.”
Medtronic Minimed’s insulin pump also wirelessly communicates with a OneTouch UltraLink meter, but not the new VerioIQ either, so people using these integrated systems would have to give up the wireless connection advantage if they opt for the new smart meter.
Also, as much as we’d love to have a meter that helps lift some of the heavy mental burden of diabetes, we wonder about the likelihood of FDA approving this kind of “therapeutic decision-support” function any time soon. The fear is that the algorithms may lead patients astray.
The VerioIQ also offers a couple of other interesting features, including a rechargeable battery that lasts up to 2 weeks and can be juiced up by plugging in the AC adaptor or a mini USB cable (both are included — yay for not having to search for those camera batteries!); a test strip slot that automatically lights up for easy viewing in the dark; a larger screen with a scrollable menu; and it comes with the tiny OneTouch Delica lancing device, which I personally highly recommend (Team Delica!).
The Verio Gold test strips feature a side-fill design similar to FreeStyle test strips that lets you add blood to a tab on either side of the strip. They’re supposed to be ultra-accurate because they analyze each blood sample 500 times to account for common inaccuracies (interferences such as acetaminophen and Vitamin C). Pearlsa did her own comparison, and found the VerioIQ to be slightly more accurate than the Ping meter.
Pricing in Canadian dollars is set at $44.99 suggested retail for the meter, and $79.99 for a box of 100 Verio Gold strips, same as the MSRP for their current OneTouch Ultra Blue test strips, Lindsay tells me. We’re still waiting to hear when this product might come under review by the FDA.
Have any of our Canadian readers had a chance to check out the VerioIQ? We’d love to hear your thoughts! Are you finding the PatternAlert really helpful? Or are you still at a loss as to what to do with all that data?
Hi Amy,
My pharmacy has a deal. The meter is free with purchase of a box of 100 strips.
This meter has become “my test in low light meter”. It is nice to test in bed without turning on the lights.
I love it!
who is your pharmacy I think i should be switching as mine wants to charge me. I do 6 tests or more a day do they not make money off the test strips
Hi Dave,
I use London Drugs.
6 Tests a day? It is hard to get Medicare and other insurance co’s to cover even one test a day. They are really cracking down on allowing diabetics to test properly. This is not your provider, but the government systems charging. And test strips are expensive, companies like FreeStyle and other major manufacturers are charging the sellers an arm and a leg for their products.
This is how meter companies make their money. Just like printers – the hardware is cheap or free, but the supplies will suck your wallet dry. They key is to find a reliable meter (free or not) but base the purchase on the cost of the strips.
There is the True Test meter, which is not too expensive and many carriers will provide at no cost… and the strips are somewhat reasonable.
But to each his own — no government program will cover J&J or Lifescan strips because they charge 3x as much as other brands.
Discuss with pharmacist or do web search for strips costs. I am uninsured and unemployed — so this has been a major obsticle for me and my treatment.
Not sure if u are all looking for the Verio IQ but I bought mine brand new on EBay for $24.99…there are a lot of companies that give free testing supplies & meters or they charge a $5 or $10 copay…they ship your lancets & strips every month. Best one is Surepoint, they charge $5. I haven’t found anyone yet that has the strips for the Verio but as soon as I do, I will post it. Blessings!
I want one! Even better would be one that combined all the great features: connected to my pump, light for in the dark, tests ketones and interprets data.
Oh wow. I am going to go read about this meter. Need one of these! Thanks for the info!
@Diane – great, but where are you going? Can’t you read about it here?
Does vitamin C interfere with all meters? How? (Higher or lower reading?)
With breakfast my kids take a multi-vitamin, a vitamin C, and Omega-3. We count the carbs (9 carbs for the combo Q takes–kids vitamins are gummies), but could it be skewing her BG tests?
Hmmm…
Im a fan of test strips that take up the blood on the side. We have a lot of errors with strips that take up the blood on the end because most don’t like it if your finger gets touched. My 7yo is a moving target!
I haven’t used these strips, but we like the FreeStyle strips.
As a self employed person, I don’t have health insurance and I’m not covered by a Canadian government health plan.
What I need is a free meter that works and LOW COST (not close to expiry like some of the cons on E-bay) for my father who has to test himself 4 or 5 times a day. Thats all we need. We don’t need backlit, gimmicky meters who try to tell us our life history and who sell their strips at $85 for 100 strips. A toy who’s batteries soon run out becomes useless. Make it more affordable to do tests and that will lead to improved health management for diabetics.
I am just interested if you have tried one of the mail order pharmacies. They send a free meter, always there meter, and then the test strips have to come from them and they send like 6 months or so at one time, no shipping for you. Just so you know you need a meter, test strips, control solution (for each new bottle of test strips), lancets, and a sharps container,or some hard plastic bottle for you to put each lancet in. (Lancets are to be used only one time.) So this may be very remedial to you but I do not know how much of this you know. I just want you to be aware that there are other supplies that are needed. Have anymore questions email me at owensashly0420@aol.com
I don’t have one yet, but it’s top on my list when I get back home. In the end, meters are free in Canada, and the strips ARE the same price as ultra strips so why would I not try it out?
Thanks for the post, I will have to add this meter to our comparison website.
One thing I have noticed since I got this meter, is that my readings are always high-er. I have been testing with 3 other meters (onetouch mini, ultrasmart, and the Bayer usb) and every single time they all come in about 1 full mmol/L lower tha nthe verioIQ…my question, is it that the IQ is that much more acurate? OR is it a problem?
In general, you cant really compare meter to meter accuracy… Meters are allowed a 15% +/- , which at high levels can be a big difference.. The first three meters could all be on the low side and the new meter on the high side… The issue is that the difference isn’t so big that it leads to a change or medical decision that would have negative effects ( ie to much insulin)…. With that said if the other three meters are all in the same range, and the new meter is high, i would look at why it is high. It most likely isn’t more accurate, rather less accurate, or more likely interfering with something that is causing a high bias.
I just spotted this meter and it’s strips in Cincinnati, OH. FDA approved now?
Thank you. For the best information. I will have to add this meter to our comparison website.
Can you download your blood sugars to your computer?
this is a pretty sweet meter i just got mine today and its great
I don’t have insurance so I get my strips from a Idaho company called http://www.theotcstore.com. They sell me Ultras for $35 a box with free shipping – I just changed to another meter called Easy Touch and the strips are even cheaper – $16 a box and they work great. Free Meter and Strips for $16 a box.
Hello my name is Lee Caballero heard of the Meter and I have no insurances and he meter cost $ 69.99 and the strips cost for a 100 in container $149.99 and the Lancet’s a cost of $ 12.99. I wonder if anyone out there knows as to where one can get them at a lower rate. Please contact me at leehoulee@aol.com Thank YOU
is there a program to get the Verio IQ free…im on a fixed income but really like all the IQ has to offer…Please get back to me…thanks
I believe North Coast Medical Supplies offers free meters if you look them up.
I got a phone call from OneTouch a few weeks ago (being a registered user of UltraSmart) offering me this meter at no charge. I’ve tried it once, seems to be OK but it does not keep track of my injections. It’s very strange cause they promote it as one for insulin users.
is there a way to get the one touch verio iq free
[...] is the Verio IQ meter from One Touch. A few of my friends had received the product for their own review however I saw it on the shelf when I was in CVS last week. I had a CVS coupon so decided to [...]
if anyone is interested there is a coupon for the new OneTouch VerioLQ Meter in Diabetes Forecast
Was surprised to get a free Vario IQ kit with all accesories today in the mail. I had filled in an online request for a coupon, whici I received. I had not acted on it because I could not find cost info for meter or strips. I’m happy to get the whole kit. I have paid over $1 a strip without insurance for other strips so these don’t seem unreasonable in US.
Where do I get supplies for my new meter. I have always gotten supplies sent to me. I am on medicare with Anthem Senior advantage plan.
The Verio IQ misses the mark on usability for the sight impaired diabetic.
1) The contrast on the strips is too light. For a sight impaired diabetic the difference between yellow and white is insufficient.
2) Taking the test from the ‘side’ of the stip, again this is difficult for the sight impaired diabetic.
3) Why in the world would you go to smaller read out numbers? Larger numbers with bolder contrast.
4) Finding the slot for a yellow strip in a white meter is very difficult. The light is nice but doesn’t overcome the need for contrast.
5) The notifications of highs and lows is a plus.
I’ll be returning my Verio IQ.
I just started using this meter. I LOVE the light, two LED’s *but* you cannot turn it on BEFORE you put the darn strip in. That’s when I really need it. And I seem to always take a looong time to get a good drop of blood, and when I finally do, it is reduced and I can’t see the darn strip!!! Why even have the light then? It does light up bright again *after* you apply blood… what good is that? I really wanted to use this meter at nighttime, without turning on a bright light or trying to use a flashlight. I’m bummed. I really wish there was an On/off toggle switch for the light. Oh yes, and a customer loyalty program. Not yet. “Too new” they said. Um… you guys have been around forever. And hurry up and mesh it with my Animas pump!!! I’m so bummed. At least with my OLD Freestyle Flash (not the new LITE style) I can light up the little window and see enough to get the strip in, in complete darkness. I really wish they’d come out with a super awesome meter, that had more than 4 buttons. Sheesh.
[...] new trend in visually appealing displays has sure been catching on! The new VerioIQ meter from OneTouch and the brand new DexCom G4 Continuous Glucose Monitor both have full-color, bright [...]
I have the verio iq and thank its a nise meter but can you cheep strips. or will any one touch work this is all new to me. i found out 3 weeks sugar levels was 320.
I recently got this meter and have found it highly inaccurate. Here are my numbers side by side comparing my old Contour and the Verio. At the top are the averages. Contour on the left, Verio on the right. The scary things are the lows. Contour said 58, Verio said 77. Not cool. Showing my DE and a full months recordings at our next session.
133.2777778 155.0882353
138 166
146 153
153 163
127 146
90 103
122 156
115 136
152 225
134 160
205 262
237 251
134 136
138 146
132 143
175 189
72 94
107 133
119 139
118 137
154 194
152 178
119 134
121 139
123 137
137 179
178 212
122 153
102 120
144 156
165 191
58 77
184
120
101 130
83 96
121 139
I found this meter is also highly inaccurate. Far more than 20% difference compare to my other Accu-chek aviva.
Accu-chek aviva one touch verio iq
18mmol/L (320) 15 mmol/L (270) 15% lower
19mmol/L (342) 13.5mmol/L (243) 29% lower
9.4mmil/L (170) 2.1mmol/L (39) 87% lower
This is really scary and also very often I got error messages on this one touch verio iq meter and wasted a lot of strips that cause me a lot of money. Once I even need to do go through 4 times error before I could get a blood test. 5 strips cause me $5 for a test plus I use my other meter too.
I also found my Verio IQ meter highly inaccurate, it shows 11.3mmol/L, my other 2 meters (both Ultra 2) show 8.9 and 9.0. IQ meters are not safe to use!
I also found my Verio IQ meter highly inaccurate, it shows 11.3mmol/L, my other 2 meters (both Ultra 2) show 8.9 and 9.0. IQ meters are not safe to use!
Hey I called the company and they ship out the meters to diabetics for free. I have three coming in the mail
If this meter is free and not accurate, it is waste of money to buy the test strips. I also noticed that once you open the bottle of strips, if you don’t use them up within a short time, the strips will show error messages even before the expiry date. I called the customer service and they just ignore customer rights and make excuses to avoid responsibility