Off the meter

Lanier Cansler, secretary of the state Department of Health and Human Services, runs a department with a vast calling to serve citizens in various forms of need, many of them falling under the public watch through Medicaid, the federal-state health care program for the poor. One such group: diabetics requiring close care, without which they risk diseases that could cause them a multitude of miseries.

The secretary doubtless meant well in awarding a $33 million, no-bid contract to Prodigy Diabetes Care, a company that is to supply glucose meters and test strips for 50,000 Medicaid recipients who have the disease. He says the deal was necessary for expediency, because the conventional bidding and approval process is lengthy and his department was under pressure to save money.

But some very serious people are questioning the deal for varying reasons. Among their objections: the owners of the company have had legal troubles in Florida, where they have operated other companies, troubles that have included a bankruptcy; the meters provided (though a University of Florida report praised them) are difficult for people to use; exclusivity isn't a good idea, since different patients may be better served by a different product; the company is newly formed and might be challenged to meet demand.

Some critics have considerable standing, including Janet A. Nicollerat, director of Duke University's adult diabetes education program. She wrote state officials saying, in part, "The Prodigy meter is not easy to use, easy to handle, nor does its accuracy data compare with other meters on the market." (The company responded to her objections, point by point.)

This is a sizable contract, and such contracts would benefit from the scrutiny of the bidding process. If that process is too onerous, might it not be a better idea to try to make it more efficient rather than offering the no-bid route in some cases, an option the legislature approved?

Yes, Cansler is under budget duress. However, this is a need that is likely to grow, because of the increasing numbers of people diagnosed with Type II diabetes, for example. There must be absolute certainty that this product will be readily available and that it will work for those who need it.

This appears to be a deal that was struck in haste, and it has not gained the confidence of at least some of those who deal with this disease every day, or many who are their advocates and care providers. It needs a second look.