iPump, Inc.

Posts Tagged ‘insulin pump supplies’

Legal and Ethical Concerns Over Medtronic’s Business Practices

Medtronic has a court-documented track record of failing to properly notify its customers in a timely fashion of known product defects. Product failure has resulted in deaths, hospitalizations, and both individual and class action lawsuits against the company. Their inexcusable behavior has even prompted new proposed legislation because legal rights for patients who died or were injured by Medtronic products were substantially limited when it came to suing for tort damages.

. ..”Following the 2008 Supreme Court decision Riegel v. Medtronic, (.pdf) patients and families have been prevented from having the right to file a viable Medtronics lawsuit to help cover medical bills, lost wages and pain and suffering based on FDA preemption.

For more information about Medtronic’s legal battles, see the Medtronic Recall Center.

Why We Are Not Accepting Medtronic Insulin Pump Supplies At This Time

Medtronic has most recently recalled another three million infusion sets from their two top-selling product lines. We have received well-intended donations of supplies that have been recalled and may be defective. In order to ensure the safety of our clients we are no longer accepting Medtronic insulin pump supplies. Unfortunately, we do not have the funds to hire staff – iPump is run by one full-time volunteer and we simply do not have the resources to manually track all Medtronic products at this time. Additionally, Medtronic has not returned our calls or letters about exchanging donated items that were recalled.

Why We Are No Longer Accepting Medtronic Insulin Pumps

Medtronic frequently refers their call-in customers to iPump as a place to donate their used insulin pumps. Instead of allowing Medtronic customers to turn them in for a $500 credit towards a new pump, several people have told us that Medtronic suggests they can donate old pumps to iPump and get a tax deduction for several thousand dollars instead of just a $500 credit as their insurance will pay for the pump anyhow.

This may sound like a nice gesture, but Medtronic is diverting pumps that they know are so old they will not upgrade them so really have no value at all. In simplest terms, Medtronic appears to be using iPump as a medical device dumpster. We have contacted Medtronic multiple time via phone, emails and letters – including to Medtronic’s president and board of directors and have not had the courtesy of a reply.

We hope to have a better, more reciprocal business relationship with Medtronic someday, but until such time, we are no longer accepting any Medtronic MiniMed insulin pumps or insulin pump supplies.