Are replacement schedules abused by DME's?

[fredkahan]

I'm on Medicare and supplemental insurance. So it's no skin off my nose when my DME suggests replacing tubing after only 3 months of use.
Sounds to me like an abuse of Medicare. Am I correct in my suspicions?

[Rcgop]

I think so. I have 2 hoses that I rotate between cleanings. They are 5 years old and look like new. They also work like new.

[Sleeprider]

It's not "abuse", it is what is allowed. Whether you accept or not is your choice. I have no co-pay or deductible, so it's easy to accumulate a ridiculous amount of supplies. Eventually you just decline things you no longer need. Abuse is if you take them and resell it on Ebay.

[greatunclebill]

It's not "abuse", it is what is allowed.  Whether you accept or not is your choice.  I have no co-pay or deductible, so it's easy to accumulate a ridiculous amount of supplies. Eventually you just decline things  you no longer need.  Abuse is if you take them and resell it on Ebay.

getting it and reselling it could result in some kind of criminal insurance fraud charge. if it involves medicare it could  be a federal charge. not likely it would happen,  but, never say never.

[becker44a]

I'm on Medicare and supplemental insurance. So it's no skin off my nose when my DME suggests replacing tubing after only 3 months of use.
Sounds to me like an abuse of Medicare. Am I correct in my suspicions?

Hi Fred,
I've told my DME never to send me anything unless I order it.  I just keep a couple of backups in case of failures, and use things as long as they work.  I look at OSCAR daily, primarily to monitor leaks, and see if it is time to replace the mask cushion, or trim my facial hair.  So far, the DME is cooperating.  I don't have the storage to devote to a large array of supplies, so this scheme is working well for me.  BTW, my DME is associated w/ Lincare.

[Rich66]

  I look at OSCAR daily,

Do you remove the SD card and install it in the computer daily, or is there an easier way I'm not familiar with?  And I'm not using MyAir. Sometimes I forget to remove it and put it back in the AirCurve.

[SarcasticDave94]

Yes to use OSCAR daily you'd upload off your SD card or via a discontinued Toshiba FlashAir that may still be available online for sale. There's some users that have it setup but it can be a pain to get it working properly.

[becker44a]

Hi Rich,
Yes, I pull the card every day, and carry it to my computer.  It's an ingrained habit now.  I have looked at the Toshiba wireless card, but never moved on it, partly because of the location of my wireless router.  It is in the basement, and the CPAP is on the 2nd floor, with lots of air ducting in between.  From other's experiences, it is doubtful that it would work well, perhaps not at all.  And now Toshiba has canceled the FlashAir product line.

[Karlin]

It took me a while to figure this out, but the goal of the DME is to get you to order the maximum amount of supplies that your insurance company will pay for. Getting excess supplies that are billed to your insurance contribute slightly to higher insurance costs. Water tanks and hoses seem to last a lot longer than six months, so there isn't any good reason to replace them as often as the insurance schedule allows. Cushions and masks are another matter; I really need to replace the cushion pretty regularly or my leaks get out of control. It gets to be a nuisance when the DME keeps calling to encourage you to get more supplies that you don't need.

[Homerec130]

I get the text/email from my DME reminding me to order supplies. I don't usually order everything, but I always order something. Don't need hoses as they don't stock the longer hose which I use based on machine placement. I usually have enough mask cushions to get me thru about 6 months as I have several fall apart after about 3 weeks. DME sent me replacements without a question, but they wanted the cushions back. I always order filters as the disposable get quite clogged especially living in the desert and having 3 cats.

My wife and I have variants of the same machine so the parts are interchangeable. Plus we use the same mask model.