The World of DME's

[RonWessels]

I think you will still find that a bricks-and-mortar DME will still be more expensive than an online vendor. They have to be - they have more overhead that they have to pay. Personally, I'm willing to pay extra to be able to go to their offices and try on various masks to see which one I like best, then borrow that mask for a few days to see if it really works well.

Lincare and Apria sound like they have huge entitlement issues. "You will do what we say and pay what we tell you to. No thinking for yourself!"

[SleepEZ]

Got my S9 Autoset tonight! Nearly ready to start my first night.

My new DME was wonderful. Processed everything in two days and delivered what I asked for without question. He used to work for Apria (for several years). Was gracious and said there are a lot of good people there, but the company definitely is not patient-focused. He answered every question I had, gave me detailed operating instructions, didn't balk when I told him I intend to use Sleepyhead, and even recommended that when I have to buy consumables that aren't covered by insurance I'd be best served by purchaisng from an Internet supplier, and he specifically named Vendor #1.

I wish I could connect him with all those on the forum who've described horror stories about their equipment acquisitions.

So, I'm encouraged to say there are a few good people out there that do actually care about us. If you live in Illinois, specifically the Chicago area, check out MedSource as a possible DME.

[Sleepster]

I hope your first night goes well.

[archangle]

I'll play my broken record and remind everyone to give your congressmen hell every time you get screwed by Medicare and their competitive bidding process or other problems.

The congressmen tend to listen the most to those who pay them bribes, but occasionally if enough citizens complain, they'll listen a little. If you don't complain, nothing will happen.