Liberty Medical

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Liberty Medical Supply, Inc. ("Liberty Medical") is an American home delivery service that sells diabetes testing supplies, prescription drugs, urology supplies, and ostomy supplies directly to consumers. [1] The company was a subsidiary of Medco Health Solutions, Inc., which purchased Liberty Medical and its parent company, PolyMedica, in 2007. [2] After Express Scripts acquired Medco, they sold Liberty Medical in December 2012 to members of its management team, and it now operates again as an independent company. [3] Liberty Medical's corporate headquarters is located in Port St. Lucie, Florida. The company was one of the city's largest employers, with as many as 2,432 employees in 2012. [4] By the end of 2013, the company headquarters employed as few as 940 employees, adding to the community's jobless rate of over 9%, and implemented 20% pay cuts for all employees. [5] [6] [7] [8]

Contents

Liberty Medical Services

Liberty Medical provides services to hundreds of thousands of patients through home delivery of their diabetes testing supplies, prescription medications, and other healthcare products that they need to manage their diabetes and related conditions. [9] Since Liberty Medical offers free shipping, a free meter, and files insurance claims on the patient's behalf, in many cases the service results in no charge to the patient.

Liberty Medical has been expanding its product lines, offering a number of medical services and supplies in addition to diabetes testing supplies, such as prescription drugs, a personal emergency response system, sleep apnea equipment including CPAP masks, and ostomy and incontinence diabetes testing supplies. [10]

Advertising

Liberty Medical television commercials air frequently during the CBS TV Show The Price is Right and other daytime TV programs in the United States. [11] They have featured veteran character actor Wilford Brimley, who had been the spokesman since 1999 (and a diabetic since 1979). Wilford Brimley was famously known for the slogan "Call Liberty, they can help you live a better life", as well as telling diabetics to "check your blood sugar, and check it often". [12] Other celebrity diabetics who have done at least one commercial for the company include Nell Carter, Phylicia Rashad, and Delta Burke.[ citation needed ]

Liberty Medical TV commercials have been parodied on Family Guy and Saturday Night Live . Since those parodies, YouTube users have created "mash-ups" of Liberty TV commercials featuring Wilford Brimley, garnering hundreds of thousands of views and creating an internet meme. Internet users have also posted pictures captioned "Diabeetus" in reference to Brimley's pronunciation of diabetes.

American Diabetes Association

Liberty Medical is a major contributor and National Strategic Partner [13] of the American Diabetes Association (ADA), supporting the organization and its mission, "to prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of all people affected by diabetes."

The company and the ADA collaborate in providing educational information to patients, including a campaign and series of articles called "I decide" that are published in Liberty's Health Matters magazine. [14]

On December 19, 2008, Liberty Medical spokesman Wilford Brimley was recognized by the ADA for his advocacy efforts on behalf of diabetes awareness and education. The actor received the ADA's "Lifetime of Service" award during a ceremony at Liberty Medical headquarters in Port St. Lucie, Florida. [15]

Awards

Liberty Medical's former parent company, PolyMedica, was ranked sixth in the Boston Globe's "Globe 100" (Best of Massachusetts' Business) in May 2006. [14]

Regulatory Affairs and Compliance

In 2001–2003, Polymedica Corp. and its subsidiary Liberty Medical Supply agreed to pay $35 million to resolve allegations that they submitted improper claims to Medicare for various diabetic and nebulizer products. Claims were allegedly submitted without a required doctor's order or prescription, and the companies failed to obtain and maintain documentation verifying the necessity of the level of treatment rendered. Under terms of the settlement, Polymedica agreed to comply with a corporate integrity agreement negotiated by HHS/OIG.

Bankruptcy & Layoffs

On February 15, 2013, it was announced that Liberty Medical Supply had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, citing assets and liabilities of between $100 million and $500 million in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware. [16] In 2017, Liberty Medical laid off 263 employees from their Port St. Lucie Office. [17]

Related Research Articles

Intensive insulin therapy or flexible insulin therapy is a therapeutic regimen for diabetes mellitus treatment. This newer approach contrasts with conventional insulin therapy. Rather than minimize the number of insulin injections per day, the intensive approach favors flexible meal times with variable carbohydrate as well as flexible physical activities. The trade-off is the increase from 2 or 3 injections per day to 4 or more injections per day, which was considered "intensive" relative to the older approach. In North America in 2004, many endocrinologists prefer the term "flexible insulin therapy" (FIT) to "intensive therapy" and use it to refer to any method of replacing insulin that attempts to mimic the pattern of small continuous basal insulin secretion of a working pancreas combined with larger insulin secretions at mealtimes. The semantic distinction reflects changing treatment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blood glucose monitoring</span> Use of a glucose monitor for testing the concentration of glucose in the blood

Blood glucose monitoring is the use of a glucose meter for testing the concentration of glucose in the blood (glycemia). Particularly important in diabetes management, a blood glucose test is typically performed by piercing the skin to draw blood, then applying the blood to a chemically active disposable 'test-strip'. The other main option is continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). Different manufacturers use different technology, but most systems measure an electrical characteristic and use this to determine the glucose level in the blood. Skin-prick methods measure capillary blood glucose, whereas CGM correlates interstitial fluid glucose level to blood glucose level. Measurements may occur after fasting or at random nonfasting intervals, each of which informs diagnosis or monitoring in different ways.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Port St. Lucie, Florida</span> City in Florida, United States

Port St. Lucie is a city in St. Lucie County, Florida, United States. It is the most populous municipality in the county and the seventh-most populous city in Florida with a population of 204,851 at the 2020 census. It is located 125 miles (201 km) southeast of Orlando and 113 miles (182 km) north of Miami. It is a principal city in the Port St. Lucie Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes St. Lucie and Martin counties, and as of 2021 had an estimated population of 502,521. Port St. Lucie is also a principal city in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Port St. Lucie Combined Statistical Area, which had an estimated population of 6,841,100 as of 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blood sugar level</span> Concentration of glucose present in the blood (Glycaemia)

The blood sugar level, blood sugar concentration, blood glucose level, or glycemia is the measure of glucose concentrated in the blood. The body tightly regulates blood glucose levels as a part of metabolic homeostasis.

Digital Domain is a global visual effects and digital production company headquartered in Playa Vista, Los Angeles, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pyridoxamine</span> Chemical compound

Pyridoxamine (PM) is one form of vitamin B6. Chemically it is based on a pyridine ring structure, with hydroxyl, methyl, aminomethyl, and hydroxymethyl substituents. It differs from pyridoxine by the substituent at the 4-position. The hydroxyl at position 3 and aminomethyl group at position 4 of its ring endow pyridoxamine with a variety of chemical properties, including the scavenging of free radical species and carbonyl species formed in sugar and lipid degradation and chelation of metal ions that catalyze Amadori reactions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wilford Brimley</span> American actor (1934–2020)

Anthony Wilford Brimley was an American actor. After serving in the U.S. Marine Corps and working odd jobs in the 1950s, Brimley started working as an extra and stuntman in Western films in the late 1960s. He became an established character actor in the 1970s and 1980s in films such as The China Syndrome (1979), The Thing (1982), Tender Mercies (1983), The Natural (1984), and Cocoon (1985). Brimley was known for playing characters at times much older than his age. He was the long-term face of American television advertisements for the Quaker Oats Company. He also promoted diabetes education and appeared in related television commercials for Liberty Medical, a role for which he became an Internet meme.

Glycated hemoglobin is a form of hemoglobin (Hb) that is chemically linked to a sugar. There are several ways to measure glycated hemoglobin, of which HbA1c is a standard single test.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Treasure Coast</span> Region in Florida

The Treasure Coast is a region in the southeast of the U.S. state of Florida. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and comprises Indian River, Martin, and St. Lucie counties. The region, whose name refers to the Spanish Treasure Fleet that was lost in a 1715 hurricane, evidently emerged from residents' desire to distinguish themselves from the Gold Coast to the south.

Medco Health Solutions, Inc. was an American Pharmacy Benefits Management (PBM) company. Medco provided pharmacy services to private and public employers, health plans, labor unions, government agencies, and individuals served by Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Plans.

The term diabetes includes several different metabolic disorders that all, if left untreated, result in abnormally high concentrations of a sugar called glucose in the blood. Diabetes mellitus type 1 results when the pancreas no longer produces significant amounts of the hormone insulin, usually owing to the autoimmune destruction of the insulin-producing beta cells of the pancreas. Diabetes mellitus type 2, in contrast, is now thought to result from autoimmune attacks on the pancreas and/or insulin resistance. The pancreas of a person with type 2 diabetes may be producing normal or even abnormally large amounts of insulin. Other forms of diabetes mellitus, such as the various forms of maturity-onset diabetes of the young, may represent some combination of insufficient insulin production and insulin resistance. Some degree of insulin resistance may also be present in a person with type 1 diabetes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fenofibrate</span> Drug of the fibrate class, mainly used to reduce cholesterol levels

Fenofibrate (sold under the brand name Tricor among others, is an oral medication of the fibrate class used to treat abnormal blood lipid levels. It is less commonly used compared than statins because it treats a different type of cholesterol abnormality to statins. While statins have strong evidence for reducing heart disease and death, there is evidence to suggest that fenofibrate also reduces the risk of heart disease and death. However, this seems only to apply to specific populations of people with elevated triglyceride levels and reduced high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Its use is recommended together with dietary changes.

Express Scripts Holding Company is a pharmacy benefit management (PBM) organization. In 2017 it was the 22nd-largest company in the United States by total revenue as well as the largest pharmacy benefit management (PBM) organization in the United States. Express Scripts had 2016 revenues of $100.752 billion. Since December 20, 2018, the company has been a direct subsidiary of Bloomfield, Connecticut-based Cigna.

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Richard K. Bernstein is a physician and an advocate for a low-carbohydrate diabetes diet to help achieve normal blood sugars for diabetics. Bernstein has type 1 diabetes. His private medical practice in Mamaroneck, New York is devoted solely to treating diabetes and prediabetes.

This article discusses the definitions and types of home medical equipment (HME), also known as durable medical equipment (DME), and durable medical equipment and prosthetics and orthotics (DMEPOS).

Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Studies, also commonly referred to as TPIMS, is a non-profit biomedical research institute "dedicated to the discovery of causes, treatments and cures for a wide variety of diseases and afflictions including heart disease, cancer, AIDS, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's, aging-relating conditions, and pain management. Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Studies is a 501(c)(3) research center dedicated to conducting basic research to advance the understanding of human disease and the improvement of human health.

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References

  1. Diabetes: Liberty Medical offers .. diabetes supplies and services Archived January 21, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  2. "Medco To Buy PolyMedica". Forbes.
  3. Express Scripts sells Liberty Medical Supply
  4. "Liberty Medical, distributor bringing up to 870 jobs to St. Lucie : St. Lucie County : TCPalm". tcpalm.com. Archived from the original on 30 January 2009. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  5. "Liberty Medical bankruptcy: Port St. Lucie's Liberty Medical Supply Inc. Files Chapter 11 bankruptcy". www.wptv.com. Archived from the original on 18 February 2013. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  6. "Liberty Medical Supply to lay off 211 employees". www.wflx.com. 14 May 2013.
  7. Blandford, Laurie K. (January 2, 2013). "Liberty Medical says it will lay off more employees". Treasure Coast Newspapers . Port St. Lucie, Florida. Archived from the original on January 23, 2014. Retrieved December 15, 2023 via Wayback Machine.
  8. "Florida's Treasure Coast". Florida Trend.
  9. PolyMedica 2007 Annual Report
  10. "Diabetes Products: Liberty Medical offers quality diabetic testing supplies". www.libertymedical.com. Archived from the original on September 15, 2008.
  11. "Actors - Wilford Brimley". listing-index.ebay.com. Archived from the original on July 6, 2008.
  12. "Someone Mashed Wilford Brimley's Diabetes Commercial With 'The Thing' [Halloween Treat]". October 20, 2016.
  13. "ADA National Strategic Partners". Archived from the original on November 15, 2008.
  14. Health Matters magazine [ dead link ]
  15. "Actor Wilford Brimley honored by diabetes association". Archived from the original on 2011-07-18. Retrieved 2020-08-04.
  16. "Home delivery company Liberty Medical seeks bankruptcy". Reuters. February 15, 2013 via www.reuters.com.
  17. Sorentrue, Jennifer. "Liberty Medical to lay off 263 in Port St. Lucie". The Palm Beach Post. Retrieved 2024-05-23.