DMEs

[Deborah K.]

1.  Do you folks know who the best overall DME supplier is for cpap equipment?  I guess I mean a company that is easy to work with, who offers a wide variety of machines, masks, etc.  Someone mentioned Apria to me, but I don't know if they are the best or not.

2.  Do you know which DMEs will supply the Bleep products?

As you can guess, I want to try the Bleep, and want my DME to provide it.  Preferred Homecare, the company I am with now says they cannot order the Bleep for me.  I have learned that I cannot use two DMEs, one for the mask and one for everything else.

Any input would be much appreciated.

[SarcasticDave94]

I don't have a direct answer to your questions. However, what I did for myself when searching for a DME was call the insurance and ask which they work with. I got a few DMEs and called along with internet research to see which best suited my needs. I'd think you could go that route as it assures insurance is OK with whichever DME you choose.

[OpalRose]

I'm not so sure there is a "best" DME.  

Call your insurance company or go online and try to obtain a list of participating providers (DME's) and find out who they are contracted with.  Depending on where you live, that could be anywhere from one provider to ten.

Start calling them and get a feel for how they interact with you.  You will know fairly fast if they are cooperative or even know what they are talking about.  Some will tell you they can't order a particular mask.  The truth is that they would rather give you something they already have in stock.  If you already got a mask through insurance, you will have to wait at least 6 months to reorder one.

You will find that some DME's receive incentives to sell only one brand over another.  It can be very frustrating.  
Happy searching!