The Pharmacy is the Pathway: Dr. Katelyn O'Brien on Simplifying AID Access with Omnipod® 5
Hosted by Nancy Hanna
This episode welcomes Dr. Katelyn O'Brien, clinical pharmacy specialist, certified diabetes care and education specialist, and the 2026 ADCES Diabetes Care and Education Specialist of the Year, to Beyond the Bolus. Speaking with hosts Dena Gottesman and Nancy Hanna, Dr. O'Brien draws on her nine years at Boston Medical Centre, New England's largest safety-net hospital, to unpack how prescribing Omnipod 5 through the pharmacy channel is reshaping access to automated insulin delivery.
Dr. O'Brien walks through why routing through the pharmacy, rather than traditional DME, removes friction for both clinicians and patients: no separate ordering platforms to track, no delays coordinating pump starts, and no gap between when a patient gets their CGM sensor, their insulin, and their Pods. She explains how the trusted, frequent relationship patients already have with their pharmacist, often visited far more often than their primary care team, becomes a built-in layer of support and problem-solving.
The conversation also tackles the C-peptide requirement head-on: a Medicare-era policy, not a clinical necessity, that has kept people with type 2 diabetes locked out of AID despite evidence they benefit regardless of insulin deficiency status. Dr. O'Brien explains how going through Medicare Part D removes that barrier entirely and shares a patient story that shows exactly what's at stake when it does. She closes with a call to her fellow PharmDs, especially those embedded in primary care, to see AID as squarely within their scope, not just a type 1 tool, but a way to meet type 2 patients where they already are.
Whether you're a pharmacist, a prescribing clinician, or an educator working with underserved populations, this episode makes the case that the shortest path to better outcomes might already be five miles from home.
Time stamps
04:49 – How pharmacy access removes friction, streamlines prescribing, and helps patients avoid delays and drop-off in the onboarding process
08:53 – Pharmacists as trusted diabetes technology advocates
12:06 – Removing C-Peptide barriers to AID access
15:06 – Real patient success stories
18:19 – The future role of pharmacists in expanding AID access
How do medical devices like Omnipod 5 improve the lives of people living with diabetes? How can Healthcare Professionals implement Omnipod 5 Automated Insulin Delivery (AID) Systems in practice?
Beyond the Bolus is a US-based diabetes education podcast for healthcare professionals who treat patients living with type 1 (T1D) and type 2 diabetes (T2D).
Hosted by Insulet's Clinical Services Managers, Nancy Hanna RN, BSN, CDE, and Dena Gottesman MS, RD, CDCES, this dynamic duo care deeply about helping healthcare professionals (HCP)'s and patients simplify life with diabetes. Episodes cover a range of topics such as, how to get started with Omnipod 5 to ongoing care management, helping HCPs make patient conversations more efficient and effective.
Beyond the Bolus also dives into the latest clinical research and data with prominent diabetes experts from across the globe who share real-world experiences and offer insights into what the future of diabetes care could look like with devices like Omnipod 5.
If you're looking to empower your patients to take back control of their diabetes, then this is the podcast for you.