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+--- Thread: DME RANT ! (/Thread-DME-RANT)
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DME RANT ! - Tiny - 08-05-2013
I'm not sure about naming the supplier so I won't for now
Are all of them money grubbing leech's ??? I cannot stand pushy salesman , Male or Female . Every 3 weeks the calls start . We need to send you a new cushion or the hose needs to be replaced .
Do you really need a new cushion every 30 days ?? new hose every 3 months ?? last one was " I see your due for a new mask " Grrrr . I asked why ? I got because they can warp a bit and leak and the insurance company will allow it at this time .
The best part is the robo calls . Phone rings , I say hello . I hear the automated voice say .... The is Blaa Blaaa company .You are an important customer , Please hold for the next available operator ...AAAAHHHHHH.
Im so important that a live body can't Call ?????????????
Soooo The 1st couple of times I said ok . But the new cushions didn't help or do any better . Please tell me if I'm looking at this wrong .
RE: DME RANT !!!!!! - RonWessels - 08-05-2013
When I get a robocall, I actually do wait until a live person comes on the line.
Then I hang up.
RE: DME RANT ! - Sleepster - 08-05-2013
Most insurance companies in the US follow the medicare guidelines which call for new nasal pillows every 2-3 weeks; filters, a new hose, and a new mask every 3 months; a new water tank and chin strap every 6 months.
Your insurance company pays for these, but you may have a small co-pay. I make sure I get these supplies on schedule and save them up for a rainy day. Remember the Boy Scout motto? Be prepared.
I like having extra supplies so I can rotate them out on a cleaning schedule. I also plan to buy a second home some day soon and will need another machine and the extra supplies so that I don't have to cart stuff back and forth between the two homes.
Right now I've got my eye on a used PRS1 Model 550 APAP from Supplier #2. Very affordable.
RE: DME RANT ! - Tiny - 08-05-2013
(08-05-2013, 07:20 PM)Sleepster Wrote: Remember the Boy Scout motto? Be prepared.
That is a good thing to remember but I already have spares still in the plastic ...If It Ain't Broke , Don't Fix It .. LOL
Dad always told me that one . Trouble is , who had the job of spreading all the information about when to replace or why even ?
Doc didn't say , DME didn't say . Just pushy sales people over the phone and I simply don't trust those people
RE: DME RANT ! - Sleepster - 08-05-2013
(08-05-2013, 07:34 PM)Tiny Wrote: Trouble is , who had the job of spreading all the information about when to replace or why even ?
My guess is some legislative committee heavily influenced by lobbyists representing the interests of the equipment manufacturers and insurance companies.
Basically, whoever is big enough to afford lobbyists and is making a profit from the arrangement.
Quote:Doc didn't say , DME didn't say . Just pushy sales people over the phone and I simply don't trust those people
They probably don't know and don't care. They are so heavily regulated that they simply go with the flow and don't wonder why.
I don't trust them, either, but I'm not going to let that stop me from getting the most that I can out of the situation. That's the behavior we've been conditioned to exhibit.
RE: DME RANT ! - archangle - 08-11-2013
Take all the spares your insurance will approve until you have a reasonable number of spares. Then get new ones as the old ones wear out.
2 of each items is great because you have a spare if it breaks. Also, you can wash one set, and set it aside for a week or so to dry out and air out while using the other set.
I'd get 3 of each if the cost isn't too high. Then you have a working pair and a spare.
Spare hoses, masks, headgear, water tanks, cushions, etc. are all good to have. You'll use them eventually.
RE: DME RANT ! - SuperSleeper - 08-11-2013
(08-11-2013, 06:26 PM)archangle Wrote: Take all the spares your insurance will approve until you have a reasonable number of spares.
I would agree with this completely. Stock up. I had good health insurance from my job and didn't bother to "stock up" when I was allowed to, thinking "yeah, I can always get another mask or tube or filter when I really need it". Then I got laid off and lost my health insurance. Wished then I had taken every opportunity to get the allowable replacement supplies when I had the insurance.
You never know what can happen - loss of a job, or health insurance policy changes, etc. Get them while you can.
RE: DME RANT ! - Sleepster - 08-13-2013
(08-11-2013, 10:57 PM)SuperSleeper Wrote: You never know what can happen - loss of a job, or health insurance policy changes, etc. Get them while you can.
That's my policy!
I predict that insurance companies will be reducing the frequency of supplies. Mine used to give me a new pillow every two weeks, then every three weeks, and now it's every four weeks.
Hoses and masks are replaced every 3 months right now.
Water tank and chin strap are replaced every 6 months right now.
I have a stock pile of masks, hoses, pillows, filters, and water tanks.
Unwanted extras can always be donated to Supplier #2 so those without insurance can get them.
RE: DME RANT ! - DreamDiver - 08-13-2013
(08-05-2013, 06:10 PM)Tiny Wrote: ... Are all of them money grubbing leech's ??? I cannot stand pushy salesman ...Testify, brother! :grin:
RE: DME RANT ! - Paptillian - 08-14-2013
I've been scared to set up a replacement schedule with a local DME using my insurance because of these aggressive replacement policies. My worst-case out of pocket cost in a given year (if I don't use my deductible for other things) could be $500 + 20% thereafter. DMEs charge the maximum allowed under the HCPCS codes, so I'd be paying on significantly marked up prices compared to online prices. I was thinking that if I managed my own replacements using online suppliers, I could manage the cost and keep it considerably lower. For example, I can probably get by with 2 masks a year instead of 4 or more. Maybe all I need is 1 hose and 1 tub a year.
Is it worth paying so much for CPAP supplies just to fill out my yearly deductible? I bet if I were older the answer would be undoubtedly yes, but my chances of needing expensive medical services in a given year are currently lower.
I'm not sure I am making the right decision. Would appreciate some sense slapped into me! Having spare parts would be GREAT, but not if it would cost me a bundle.