DME woes

[Lukie]

Well I called ResMed and they confirmed the fact that Medicare considers the Nano cushion to be part of the frame and will only replace it every 3 months. For me there may be hope because my secondary, Federal BCBS may replace the cushion 1 X a month if it is deemed medically necessary. She could not guarantee this however. I told the ResMed people that they would lose customers for the Nano if they could not convince Medicare to replace the cushion more often than every three months.

[JohnNJ]

You might want to take a look at the Wisp. Similar concept with a little more head straps.

[Lukie]

You might want to take a look at the Wisp. Similar concept with a little more head straps.

I did look at the Wisp but I liked the Nano better. My DME has drawn a line in the sand so I will get all my replacement supplies on Feb 20 and if the cushion replacement issue is not resolved I will see if I can get another DME in Burlington. I will see if they deliver to my area.
They do have an Apria in Burlington and I will call them on Monday and see. They do not have the best reputation either so we shall see.
I may get my doc to give me a prescription for cushion replacement 2X a month as medically necessary treatment and then my secondary insurance may pick it up

[SnuffySleeper]

My local vendor is the bad too. I feel for ya Lukie. When I asked my local vendor for an s9 Auto he said those are only for "obese" people. It's really unbelievable what these people will say and the sad part is the majority of people don't research anything (like forum members do) and just believe everything these DME people say.

I find it's best to know exactly what you want and don't leave room for them to give their opinion, because sadly they don't have your best interest at heart. You could try speaking with another person there or ask for the supervisor. They will probably do what you want if your other DME in burlington will do something they won't and you tell them your don't want to leave but will.

[me50]

When I asked my local vendor for an s9 Auto he said those are only for "obese" people. It's really unbelievable what these people will say and the sad part is the majority of people don't research anything (like forum members do) and just believe everything these DME people say.

I thought I had heard it all but that takes the cake!

Yea, Apria does not have a great reputation and if you are not the patient type and don't want to spend a lot of your free time following up and making sure things are done right and if it is done wrong, spending more time trying to get it fixed, then don't go with Apria. It has been 5 months and we may just NOW be getting their billing errors fixed.

If you know what mask you want, then having it mailed to you is not a big issue as that is the way most DME's do it anyway, even those with offices in the same city where I live.

[SnuffySleeper]

I thought I had heard it all but that takes the cake!

I know Whenever I call in or go there I ask specifically not to talk to that guy. I am happy with the S9 Elite though, so it's all good.

[Doc J]

That's why I'm glad I like the nasal pillows, I can buy new on auction site for less than $10. I won't even need to bother with the overpriced DME or insurance. Just a few new hoses and filters and forget them. (I'm a rebel) ha ha. Good luck.
I bought a s9 off CList and when I ck'd how long they were gonna bill for the back up machine (10 months total) I mentioned I wanted to be able to view daily data she said yea that (original machine) is not very good. I just about laughed in her face but the joke was on me and my insurance company. Couldn't believe she would say that. I'll wave by by and go it alone.

[JJJ]

My local vendor is the bad too. I feel for ya Lukie. When I asked my local vendor for an s9 Auto he said those are only for "obese" people. It's really unbelievable what these people will say and the sad part is the majority of people don't research anything (like forum members do) and just believe everything these DME people say.

I spent a good portion of my life in a field that was rife with dishonesty and fraud. Eventually the field got licensing and regulation. It's still not perfect, but it's worlds better than it was. My point is that DMEs need to be regulated with standards and penalties for making false statements like these. It's the only way we are ever going to clean up the DME industry.

[Lukie]

My local vendor is the bad too. I feel for ya Lukie. When I asked my local vendor for an s9 Auto he said those are only for "obese" people. It's really unbelievable what these people will say and the sad part is the majority of people don't research anything (like forum members do) and just believe everything these DME people say.

I spent a good portion of my life in a field that was rife with dishonesty and fraud. Eventually the field got licensing and regulation. It's still not perfect, but it's worlds better than it was. My point is that DMEs need to be regulated with standards and penalties for making false statements like these. It's the only way we are ever going to clean up the DME industry.

Yes, it's getting so I trust my DME and their RT about as much as a used car salesman.

[PaytonA]

My local vendor is the bad too. I feel for ya Lukie. When I asked my local vendor for an s9 Auto he said those are only for "obese" people. It's really unbelievable what these people will say and the sad part is the majority of people don't research anything (like forum members do) and just believe everything these DME people say.

I spent a good portion of my life in a field that was rife with dishonesty and fraud. Eventually the field got licensing and regulation. It's still not perfect, but it's worlds better than it was. My point is that DMEs need to be regulated with standards and penalties for making false statements like these. It's the only way we are ever going to clean up the DME industry.

Yes, it's getting so I trust my DME and their RT about as much as a used car salesman.

I could write books about the the ineptitude of the RTs at my DME - dare I say Apria. My rationale for them was that they probably spend much more of their time working on other respiratory problems and do not have much background or experience with xPAP. The RT supervisor at the location that I use, uses a CPAP so I thought he might be more knowledgeable about PAP. He answered a question that I asked about dry mouth in a way that was very misleading and designed to get me off his back. I did not learn how misleading until later.

The other problem in my case, is actually getting to talk to one of them. Whenever I call, there are no RTs available, so I get to leave a message for one of them. They rarely return the call. By raising enough hell, they apparently assigned an RT to me and he gave me his direct line telephone number. Some improvement but not really much. Suffice it to say, it is still not working well.

Best Regards,

PaytonA