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Blood Glucose Meter Program

Preferred Test Strips

Ascensia and Abbott products are the preferred brands of test strips for all of our prescription drug programs. Both of these brands offer your patients simple and accurate test strips and monitoring systems. For Abbott monitors, the preferred test strips include FreeStyle®, FreeStyle Lite®, and Precision Xtra®. For Ascensia monitors, the preferred test strips include Contour®, Contour®NEXT, and Breeze®2.

Prior Authorization Required

If your patient chooses to use a test strip that is not FreeStyle, FreeStyle Lite, Precision Xtra, Contour, Contour®NEXT, or Breeze 2, you will need to complete a prior authorization form on your patient’s behalf. If the prior authorization is not approved, the non-preferred test strips will not be a covered pharmacy benefit for your patient, and he or she will be responsible for the entire cost of the test strips. If the request for the non-preferred test strips is approved, your patient will be charged the highest level of cost-sharing.

Free Blood Glucose Meters

Both Abbott and Ascensia blood glucose meters are available at no cost to our members. Below is a comparison chart of important features of the blood glucose meters and corresponding test strips. The preferred brands rank high in patient satisfaction and can be used in several test sites, as listed below.


Abbott Diabetes Care
Blood Glucose Meter FreeStyle FreeStyle Freedom Lite Precision Xtra
Sample size (uL) 0.3 0.3 0.6
Test time 5
seconds		 5
seconds		 5
seconds
Approved test sites Fingertip, hand, forearm, upper arm, thigh, calf Fingertip, hand, forearm, upper arm, thigh, calf Fingertip, palm, forearm, upper arm
Sample fill technique Side Side End or top
Calibration type No coding No coding SmartChip (process ketone data)
Height of read-out (mm) 10 20 19
Downloadable Software FreeStyle® Auto-Assist Software FreeStyle® Auto-Assist Software FreeStyle® Auto-Assist Software
Corresponding test strips FreeStyle Lite® FreeStyle Lite® Precision Xtra®

Ascensia Diabetes Care
Blood Glucose Meter Contour Breeze 2 Contour® Next One Contour® Next EZ Contour® Next Contour® Next Link 2.4 (with Medtronic MIniMed™ 630G & 670G insulin pump)
Sample size (uL) 0.6 1.0 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6
Test time 5
seconds		 5
seconds		 5
seconds		 5
seconds		 5
seconds		 5
seconds
Approved test sites Fingertip, palm, forearm Fingertip, palm Fingertip, palm Fingertip, palm Fingertip, palm Fingertip, palm
Sample fill technique End End End End End End
Calibration type Automatic Automatic Automatic Automatic Automatic Automatic
Height of read-out (mm) 12.5 11 10.6 12.5 10.6 16.5/7.2
Downloadable Software N/A N/A Contour® Diabetes app, Glucofacts software Glucofacts software Glucofacts software Carelink
Corresponding test strips Contour® Breeze®2, Autodisc Contour® Next test strips Contour® Next test strips Contour® Next test strips Contour® Next test strips

To order a free meter from Abbott or Ascensia, you or your patient should contact the manufacturer directly using the information below.

For More Information

If you have questions about our preferred diabetic test strips and corresponding meters, please contact FutureScripts®*, our pharmacy benefits management company, at 1-888-678-7012.

* FutureScripts® serves as the Pharmacy Benefits Manager for AmeriHealth.

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