The components are:
1) The bedwetting alarm of your choice. You can choose a wearable alarm like the Malem Ultimate, or a wireless alarm like the Rodger wireless.
2) Two waterproof washable mattress overlays. These are essential for the children who are transitioning from disposable pants to cloth underwear. (Recommended when you begin using an alarm). Middle of the night clean-up is so much easier when you just remove the soiled pad and quickly replace it with a clean one. Morning laundry is just a pad or two, rather than entire sets of sheets. I recommend the overlays with the tuck in flaps, which stay in place even with a child’s movement.
3) The book “Seven Steps to Nighttime Dryness”. This book guides you with using the alarm, what to expect, what the parents’ role is, and how long things take. Knowing what to expect makes using a bedwetting alarm easier for everyone. “Unrealistic expectations” is the number one reason that families fail to be successful when using an alarm.

Call us (800-214-9605) if you have any questions about the Alarm Starter Kits. If there is an alarm that you want, but it’s not offered in a Starter Kit, call us and we will create a Starter Kit just for you.

Flexible spending accounts can certainly be used for items such as bedwetting alarms. More families are setting aside pre-tax dollars for Durable Medical Equipment (DME) items that are not reimbursable by insurers. Using this money for a bedwetting alarm to stop your child’s bedwetting will save you many dollars in the long run. In terms of medical devices, bedwetting alarms are relatively inexpensive. The cost of disposable pants and laundry do add up over time, not to mention medication co-pays and your child’s self-esteem.

It is always a pleasant surprise to find that a product that your child needs is indeed reimbursable by your insurer. Bedwetting (Enuresis) alarms fall into the category of Durable Medical Equipment (DME). Your insurance policy should specify your coverage for DME or you can contact your insurer for this information for your own policy. If the customer service representative wants to know the code for a bedwetting alarm, the HCPCS code for Enuresis Alarms is S8270. (Enuresis and bedwetting mean the same thing). If your bedwetting alarm is reimbursable, submit your sales receipt to your own insurer and they send you the check. The Bedwetting Store does not participate directly with the insurance companies or do the paperwork involved. This allows us to keep our costs lower than going through a pharmacy.

The children who consumed the largest amount of caffeine did not have the highest incidence of bedwetting but they did sleep fewer hours at night. In the older children, aged 8 to 12, the average amount of caffeine consumed was equivalent to three 12-ounce cans of soda per day. These children slept an average of 8.47 hours per night, which is less than the recommended 9 hours per night for this age group.

So it seems that telling your children that drinking caffeine/sodas will cause them to wet the bed may not be the truth. We do know that caffeinated drinks contribute to less hours of sleep per night, and sodas contribute to obesity and dental caries so it does seem prudent to continue to limit your children’s intake of caffeine for other reasons.

Link to see entire article, http://download.journals.elsevierhealth.com/pdfs/journals/0022-3476/PIIS0022347610009935.pdf

By far, these doctors recommended bedwetting alarms as the first line of treatment for children and families who are ready to get to dryness. Most were familiar with the on-going research that proves that bedwetting alarms are the most effective cure for bedwetting. Some had concerns about the cost and safety of medications which could be prescribed for bedwetting. All were dismayed about the fact that health insurance often covers expensive medications but frequently does not reimburse for inexpensive bedwetting alarms. Two doctors stated that they had written appeals to their insurers about this situation. Even though it might take less time to write a prescription, many doctors offered information about bedwetting alarms and how effective they are to their patients. They told their patients that it is not a quick fix but a permanent cure that pays off in the whole picture.

Many of the physicians had used alarms for their own children with bedwetting and stated that they share this knowledge and experience with their patients. At least 6 came to our exhibit and thanked us for speaking with them last year about their own children. Their success stories were fun to hear about. About a third of the health care providers had never seen or touched an alarm, even though they recommended them.

We had working samples of different styles of bedwetting alarms for them to learn about. Comments we heard were, “Wow, this is much smaller than I thought it would be.” “This is easy enough for the kids to hook up themselves.” “The ones with the receiver for the parents’ room are a great idea”. “This looks and sounds like a toy- I can see why kids wouldn’t mind using this”. We enjoyed talking to new doctors in their residency and medical school, who were eager to see current products. Their lectures on urine and stool problems did not cover much about treatment and types of bedwetting alarms.

My goal was to remind the medical community that using a bedwetting alarm can effectively eliminate years of embarrassing wetting episodes. Any school-aged child who suffers from nighttime wetting can benefit from this simple device.

We added Product Reviews in 2009 and are so excited to have had about 1000 product reviews submitted. It’s fun for us to hear about our customers’ amazing results and it helps other families to know what to expect. Our alarms are the best! Don’t forget to rate your product and share your story with others.

New products in 2009 were:

Malem camouflage selectable alarm (now the most popular)

Printed washable overlay (for families who want a prettier waterproof pad)

Washable absorbent briefs

New Product for 2010:

Rodger Wireless alarm with 8 sounds (it’s easy to pick which sound you want to hear coming from the receiver plugged into the wall unit)

I anticipate that 2010 will be another year of growth for the Bedwetting Store. We are always on the lookout for new, improved products to help families care for their children with bedwetting. A website redesign will make navigating easier. Our goal is to make sure you get accurate information so you can make the right product choices when you’re ready to conquer bedwetting.

Wishing you a Happy New Year and a dry and healthy 2010!

I had forgotten about my entry until I was notified that I was a winner in this category. There are lots of smart and innovative NPs in this country, so I am honored to be selected. To read the article, or listen to me talk about why bedwetting alarms can cure enuresis, follow these links.

http://nurse-practitioners.advanceweb.com/Article/How-Bedwetting-Alarms-Work.aspx
http://nurse-practitioners.advanceweb.com/ebook/magazine.aspx

First, if your child is currently using an alarm, we would not expect him or her to take it to camp with them. They can interrupt usage and restart when they come home.

Secondly, a back up plan should be in place, even for intermittent bedwetting children. There are a few choices:

• Wear disposable pants, with a plan for putting them on discreetly and disposal in the morning. Disposable male guards can be secured to regular underwear to catch a small amount of urine.

• Use washable bedtime pants to preserve dignity. These can be a nice back-up for kids who are dry most nights but want to make sure there is no leakage onto bedding.

• Waterproof sleeping bag liners fit into a regular sleeping bag. They provide a comfortable, waterproof surface for sleeping without raising questions from other campers.

• Mattress overlays can be used on top of a sheet or used inside a sleeping bag. The overlays can be discreetly pulled into place when your child is ready to go to sleep.

• Make arrangements with the camp counselor to have toileting twice before bedtime and to continue a lifting routine if this is used successfully at home. (Lifting is when a caregiver walks the child to the bathroom at a designated time.)

• Medication, such as desmopressin, can be used temporarily to decrease the amount of urine produced that night. The correct dosage should be determined a week or two before camp begins. Only a small amount of liquid (2-4 ounces) should be ingested once this medication is used. It is best dosed shortly before actually going to sleep.

Lastly, make sure that your child knows that they are not alone and most camps are very helpful in discreetly handling any wetting episodes. Fluid of choice after dinner is water. Double voiding before going to sleep is helpful. Staying well hydrated during the day is helpful so the kids are not so thirsty later in the day.

JP, in my experience, I have noticed that fatigue and being overly tired does seem to contribute to an increase in bedwetting. My patients will report that they were once able to get up when they needed to urinate in the nighttime, but it seems that they no longer do this. There are a few steps that your son can take to get back to dryness. Getting adequate sleep is important and your son should turn his lights off at a designated time each night. He should urinate one last time when he is turning off his light, even if he doesn’t feel the urge to do so. After dinner beverages should be limited to water. Sodas and even colored sports drinks can contribute to wetting in some kids.

Restarting a bedwetting alarm is also important. This will help him re-establish the ability to get up when he needs to urinate. He may need your help with this again. Make sure you can hear the alarm from your room and insure that he is getting up when the alarm sounds. I recommend either the Rodger or Malem wireless alarm for kids in his age group. If he doesn’t wear a shirt to bed, either of these will work fine for him. The Rodger alarm comes with specialized briefs and the Malem fastens to his own briefs. The Malem Selectable alarm would also work because it offers the option of changing the sounds, especially nice if he easily audio-accommodates.

Although this setback can be very frustrating for all involved, I believe that he can get back to dryness if you tackle it now. It is important for him to be consistent with using the alarm so it is in place on the nights that he needs it.

Medical services, procedures and supplies are categorized according to a HCPCS code (Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System). This abbreviation is commonly pronounced Hicks-Picks. There are 2 levels of codes, Level I and Level II. Level I codes (CPT) codes identify medical services and procedures.

Level II codes were established in the 1980s as a way to code supplies that are not included in the CPT system but are still covered by and billable to insurance companies.
Bedwetting alarms fall into this category.

The HCPCS code for Enuresis Alarms is S8270. (Enuresis and bedwetting mean the same thing).

Enuresis alarms fall into the category of Durable Medical Equipment (DME). Other things that families need such as nebulizers, crutches, apnea monitors, etc. may also considered to be DME by insurers. Your insurance policy should specify your coverage for DME or you can contact them for this information for your own policy. If the customer service representative wants to know the HCPCS code, now you have it. In terms of medical devices, bedwetting alarms are relatively inexpensive. It doesn’t seem logical that expensive medications for bedwetting, which can run as much as $10 per night, would be covered but more effective, less expensive bedwetting alarms would not be covered. But all is not logical in the insurance industry!

Flexible spending accounts can certainly be used for items such as bedwetting alarms. More families are setting aside pre-tax dollars for DME items that are not reimbursable by insurers. Using this money for a bedwetting alarm to stop your child’s bedwetting will save you many dollars in the long run. The cost of disposable pants and laundry add up over time, not to mention medication co-pays and your child’s self-esteem.

It is always a pleasant surprise to find that a product that your child needs is reimbursable by your insurer. Finding out that it isn’t covered does not mean that you cannot get it, however. The majority of families do pay for alarms out-of-pocket, just as they do tutors, sports equipment, braces, and other things that their children need. For the same amount of money that you’re currently spending for 5 or 6 packages of pull-ups, your child can begin to use a bedwetting alarm to successfully solve their bedwetting problem. The majority of my patients’ families tell me that it is money well spent. Since bedwetting tends to run in families, most alarms are durable enough to be used by more than one child, whether it is a sibling, cousin or friend. All of the Malem wearable alarms have an inexpensive replacement sensor, so that the part that comes in contact with the urine can be replaced between children.

Hope this answers any insurance related questions you may have. FYI-The Bedwetting Store does not participate directly with the insurers. If your bedwetting alarm is reimbursable, you submit your sales receipt to your own insurer and they send you the check.

I am a pediatric nurse practitioner with a passion for helping children overcome bedwetting. With over 20 years of practical experience in a general pediatric practice and in my own specialty practice, and as author of “Seven Steps to Nighttime Dryness”, I’ll be offering practical tips and guidance for families. I see children from 5 or 6 to 18 years old. The most common comments that I initially hear from families are “we didn’t know that there was help available” or “we thought we just had to wait until our child “outgrew” bedwetting. As we finish working together, the most common comment is “I wish we had done this a year or two ago”.

If you want to suggest a topic or ask a specific question, please contact me. I can’t promise to answer every question that day or week, but I will include your question as a topic of discussion. Your confidentiality will be respected. I plan to start by posting twice a week. Let’s get started!