anybody here dealt with Apria?

anybody here dealt with Apria? - Printable Version

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anybody here dealt with Apria? - hegel - 09-19-2020

I'm with Kaiser and they've set me up with Apria for re ordering supplies. At first this was great as Kaiser would pay a good portion of the bill so my supplies are cheaper than with something like Supplier #1 Commercial Link removed
Plus, I got a new machine at a a big discount. My reorders initially--once or twice--came promptly.

But with the fires here the air is terrrible and I reordered filters as mine had all been fouled. I also ordered and paid for a new mask. Nothing happened. After two weeks I called Apria and spent an hour and a half bouncing around on hold between several different departments. Finally someone said that Kaiser had to approve the order. Kaiser took days to respond. I finally went to Supplier #1 Commercial Link removed
Two weeks later I got a refund checkin the mail from Apria. They didn't ask if I still needed the supplies.

Now a month later I rec3eived a humidifier tub. I ordered and received one from Apria months ago. And I just received an auto notice that "the shipment you ordered is on its way!" What shipment??? I haven't placed a new order.

the thing is, you can't reach these people to find out what's going on. And their reviews on line paint a horrible, nightmarish picture. I've asked Kaiser to delete my account with them but haven't heard back.

Is this typical?

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RE: anybody here dealt with Apria? - SarcasticDave94 - 09-19-2020

I've had Apria as my DME for the ResMed ASV for about 3 years. They would have an automated call every 3 months to verify supplies order can be sent with insurance payment for them. My interaction with them has been purposefully minimal on my part. The local office is OK but corporate is less than acceptable at times. Person A says this needs to be done, person B has not seen XYZ, C sees no info, D does see info but can't process because of ABC being needed. I won't be using Apria going forward. I've switched pulmonary doctors and I'll get a different DME.

RE: anybody here dealt with Apria? - hegel - 09-19-2020

It's possible that Kaiser has limits on how often a member can order resupplies. My ordering filters may have thrown things out of whack. I'm not sure if masks and such are automatically re ordered after some period of time. This hasn't been explained to me if it's true. I've re ordered a mask and filters on my own before, but maybe that fell in the acceptable time frame.

I don't want to over react but I can't stand not being able to reach Apria in any reasonable fashion when things go wrong. Kaiser DME's in Richmond can't be reached in any way but email, and they take their sweet time responding, if at all.

I like the cheap prices at Apria but they have hardly been rock solid. I can place and order at Supplier #1 and it's shipped that day. With apria, it may not ship...and now they've mailed me an humidifier tub that I didn't order or need.

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RE: anybody here dealt with Apria? - srlevine1 - 09-20-2020

I had a successful relationship with Apria for years until they lost the Medicare contract in a bidding war. The secret to my good service was two-fold. One, I got the number of the local office and the name and direct line for a representative. I also requested a receipt by email so I could grab a representative's email. If I ran into a problem, I used my direct connection to resolve the issue. The few problems I had related to the timing of orders. It appeared that Medicare did not allow automatic ordering, so I got a reminder just before supplies became eligible for reimbursement.

Your problem may not be with Apria, but with Kaiser's inadequate response times. I would first check with Kaiser to determine their approved supply replenishment schedule and then calendar the order date. Apria did have a phone reorder status extension and I could always call that if I wanted to see if an order had been placed.

I know it is frustrating, but hang in there. With DME's it is the luck of the draw and how well you manage them.

RE: anybody here dealt with Apria? - SarcasticDave94 - 09-20-2020

srlevine1 makes a great point. Apria in itself may not be your issue. When you add layers and more entities in the mix, it adds to the complications and many more areas where errors can enter in.

RE: anybody here dealt with Apria? - Winterfrost - 10-13-2020

I also have Kaiser (Northern California) and Apria as the DME. It's hard to reach Apria on the phone, I agree. As far as reordering schedule, I received an email from Kaiser explaining that. This is the current schedule:

"Tubing 1 every 3 months
Headgear 1 every 6 months
Disposable filters 2 every 1 month
Mask (or pillow) frame 1 every 3 months
Humidifier chamber 1 every 6 months
Cushions (for mask or pillows) 2 every 1 month

Please note that this schedule can be somewhat confusing, so most patients prefer to order supplies every six months. If you order every six months, all your supplies will come together. "