MedGem Indirect Calorimetry

The MedGem® indirect calorimeter allows you to provide a higher level of care to
your clients with scientifically determined resting metabolic rate measurements.

A wide variety of health professionals – Dietitians, Endocrinologists, Cardiologists, Bariatricians, Research Scientists, and many others – use the MedGem to ensure accurate and reliable measurements for use in their clinical nutrition, weight management, or other medically supervised programs.

Microlife MedGem Indirect Calorimeter

  • Simple – To perform a measurement, your client simply breathes into the device, which measures their oxygen consumption (VO2) to determine RMR; which displays on the LCD.
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  • Accurate – The MedGem has been validated against the gold standard Douglas Bag, and other commonly used metabolic carts.
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  • Convenient – The MedGem is portable, self-calibrating, easy to administer, and provides a result in 10 minutes or less.
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  • Affordable – The MedGem is available in different system kits to ensure you have the right device for your needs.
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  • Reimbursable – Medicare and most private insurance companies will reimburse for the MedGem procedure (i.e. CPT: 94690)*. The reimbursement range for Medicare and private payers is between $50 to $100.

Stop Guessing.  Start Measuring With A MedGem Indirect Calorimeter.

“The MedGem is an indispensable tool in our weight-management program.  I have found that measuring resting metabolic rate (RMR) is essential if you are trying to achieve the best possible results for your patients.” – James O. Hill, Ph.D., Director, Center of Human Nutrition at the University of Colorado at Denver Health Sciences Center

RMR formulas such as the Harris-Benedict and Katch-McArdle equations can only estimate a clients metabolic rate, and they do not take into account variability among individuals, underlying conditions, or other confounding factors such as:

  • Thyroid issues, which can reduce metabolism.
  • Certain hormones can increase or decrease metabolism.
  • Body composition – More muscle increases metabolism, less decreases.
  • Certain supplements can increase or decrease metabolism.
  • Pharmaceuticals – Prescription and OTC drugs can increase or decrease RMR.

Many other factors can significantly impact metabolism as well, further compromising the application of predictive formulas. Research has demonstrated that RMR can vary substantially even among individuals that share the same height, weight, age, and sex.

For the best care, the American Dietetics Association recommends using indirect calorimetry to measure RMR for the most accurate assessment of nutritional needs.

You have questions about your patient’s metabolism…
the MedGem has answers.

The MedGem provides the personalized health information your patients need to achieve their best results. Current MedGem users agree on the following benefits:

  • Patient acceptance of the metabolic test is well received as it provides an accurate plan for their weight management goal.
  • Improved patient outcomes as patients are more confident in their ability to lose and maintain weight and experience more weight loss.
  • Objective assessment of a patient’s metabolic needs eliminates the guess work for developing weight management plans.
  • Increased clinic revenue with an RMR assessment either through reimbursement or cash payments.

To get your questions answered and learn more about our MedGem system options, contact Nora Tucker at 713-858-2445

MedGem Documents

MedGem Case Studies

*The AMA CPT Information Services has verbally confirmed that 94690 is the most appropriate code for the MedGem® measurement. This coding list is not all-inclusive; for a complete list of coding options and descriptions, consult your CPT manual.

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