Had it with local CPAP suppliers

[Ejones0310]

The subject line says it all. I’ve tried several local DME suppliers for my CPAP supplies and none of them seem to give a whit about me, their customer.

I think everyone has had a round with Crapria and they were my first. Not only poor customer service, but high prices as well.

I’ve tried Sleep Remedies and they are just as bad. I tried to order filters and they will only sell me two for a three month period. When I quizzed them about it, the response was, “Blue Cross will only pay for two.” When I asked about paying for the third myself they were dumbfounded and didn’t know what to do. Then, they lost my first shipment and took almost two months to send a replacement. When I received the shipment, they sent it to my post office box, not my work address as I instructed. Then I received the bill from my accounting department at work instead of it going to the post office box as I directed them. How do you mess that up? They even read the order back to me and it was correct at that point. Then I went to online to pay the invoice and I get a warning that the site is not secure and the site may be under attack! So, I paid the bill the old fashioned way, a check through snail mail. Then it comes time to place my second order. I had to call them, they didn’t call me as promised. I went over the billing and shipping making sure it was right in their system, but again the shipment went to the post office and the bill to my accounting department. Again, trying to pay the bill, the same security warning as before. I’m done with them.

My wife used a separate provider for her Dream Station supples and it was the same. Except I can pay their bill online.

So, I’m done with the local providers and would like to find one that cares for their customers, follows directions and fulfills their promises.

I’m on BCBS and my wife is on Medicare.

Anyone got any suggestions?

[Julie]

Uh, yeah, the sponsor of this forum is Cpap.com... though right now I don't know if you can reach them by phone, though mail should work - and they're very good, reliable, helpful, etc.

[Pugsy]

I assume you are wanting whomever you get your supplies from to file your insurance for you so you don't pay up front....is that correct?


Cpap.com doesn't file insurance in lieu of payment and Medicare won't reimburse either.

[Cardsfan]

I tried Apria, that was a disaster. Then I tried Lincare. I use Lincare for the mask and it's parts, because they are in my insurance network, and it's been ok, with some hiccups. But for most inexpensive stuff, filters and the cheap unheated long hoses, I use www.cpap.com and just pay for it- much easier. So, give Lincare a try if they are in network.

[Ejones0310]

I assume you are wanting whomever you get your supplies from to file your insurance for you so you don't pay up front....is that correct?


Cpap.com doesn't file insurance in lieu of payment and Medicare won't reimburse either.

Yes, I would like to stay in network with Blue Cross Blue Shield and Medicare. The local service is crappy, but with my insurance, it's cheap.

Yes, I want my cake and eat it too.

[Ejones0310]

I tried Apria, that was a disaster. Then I tried Lincare. I use Lincare for the mask and it's parts, because they are in my insurance network, and it's been ok, with some hiccups. But for most inexpensive stuff, filters and the cheap unheated long hoses, I use www.cpap.com and just pay for it- much easier. So, give Lincare a try if they are in network.

I had forgotten about Lincare. I'll give them a try.

Thanks for the suggestion.

[Pugsy]

Nothing wrong with wanting your cake and eating it too.
Masks are expensive and we pay for our insurance and we want to use it when it benefits us. Don't blame you one bit. I am the same way.

First you have to find one that will work with your insurance and be in network and then it's a crap shoot how good they are.
I don't use an online supplier really so I can't recommend one and even if I did it might not be in network with your insurance.

Most of the little things I have found I can buy out of pocket either at cpap.com or Amazon or off EBay cheaper than my co pay after my insurance pays. Masks are obviously a different story since they are really pricey if getting the complete mask package.

[Ejones0310]

Nothing wrong with wanting your cake and eating it too.
Masks are expensive and we pay for our insurance and we want to use it when it benefits us. Don't blame you one bit. I am the same way.

First you have to find one that will work with your insurance and be in network and then it's a crap shoot how good they are.
I don't use an online supplier really so I can't recommend one and even if I did it might not be in network with your insurance.

Most of the little things I have found I can buy out of pocket either at cpap.com or Amazon or off EBay cheaper than my co pay after my insurance pays. Masks are obviously a different story since they are really pricey if getting the complete mask package.

That was another thing about my local DME. They sold me a Vitera Full Face Mask, Headgear with Mask, Full Face Cushion. All I really needed was the cushion and the headgear. In 25 years, I have never broken the plastic headgear. (of course now I'll break mine tonight). I think they are just soaking the insurance company for all that they will pay for. On my next order I'm being more judicious in what they sell me. They make the terminology confusing to their advantage.

Anyway, I've checked several online sources this morning and they are very expensive without the insurance. So, I guess I'm stuck with Sleep Remedies unless Lincare comes through. For example, with my insurance a Vitera Full Face cushion is $10.01. Online they are $54.

[Pugsy]

I have heard decent things about Nationwide Medical and I know they do Medicare and I think BCBS.
I was going to try them for my mask but alas...my insurance is out of network.
I have also heard decent things about Aeroflow 800 480 5491 ext 4022 but I haven't had a chance to get with them to verify my insurance.
It's on my list of things to get done....sometime.

I have not heard good things about LinCare and my own personal experience the local office....they got fired before I even got a machine from them because they lied to me. Now their online service might be different but from what I have read here...more unhappy people than happy but again it might be the local office.

It's a crap shoot I think.

And yes...DMEs want to sell a complete mask package with the frame and not just the parts because guess what they make more money on???? It's all about the almighty dollar.

[Okie bipap]

The first place to start is with your insurance company. Get a list of suppliers that are in their network. Your wife has a pretty good selection of suppliers that accept MediCare. The MediCare web site shows 16 suppliers in your area that accept MediCare. I went to this web site: https://www.medicare.gov/supplierdirectory/search.html and put in 74141 as a zip code, and it shows 16 suppliers within 25 miles of that zip code that accept MediCare.

[Cardsfan]

This is the Lincare # I use. 888-544-2715. It is the main call center, not a local office. If the person you talk to isn't helpful, just redial till you get someone who is. Plus they will need your prescription sent to them.
For billing- I call the # on the invoice, get a recorded message, and am able to pay over the phone with my cr card. Easy and accurate so far.

[babydinosnoreless]

I assume you are wanting whomever you get your supplies from to file your insurance for you so you don't pay up front....is that correct?


Cpap.com doesn't file insurance in lieu of payment and Medicare won't reimburse either.

Yes, I would like to stay in network with Blue Cross Blue Shield and Medicare. The local service is crappy, but with my insurance, it's cheap.

Yes, I want my cake and eat it too.

What state are you in? Different states have different DME's. I'm with blue cross and I can pm you who I use. (Btw they suck too but they do call me and billing is correct). It will only help you if you are in Arizona though. They are not in other places that I am aware of.

[zonker]

What state are you in?

he seems to be in oklahoma. tulsa, that is.

[colomom]

I'm glad Cardsfan had a good experience with Lincare.

My families's experience with Lincare was a nightmare, I would strongly advise against using them. Getting them to obtain the pre-authorization for my son's CPAP was a ridiculous convoluted mess that took months because Lincare repeatedly dropped the ball. I wish I had walked away then, but this was all so foreign and new to us and at the time i didn't know any better. Once we finally got authorization getting them to send supplies was also nightmare because they froze the account because I refused to pay their many ridiculously erroneous bills that they refused to resolve. At first the issue was that they never even billed our insurance, because they claimed the authorization that took months didn't exist
Fortunately I had documentation to prove the pre-authorization, it took way to much time to prove it but eventually that was fixed. The next hurdle was that they billed BCBS for 1% of total cost and us for the remaining 99% even though with our plan BCBS paid 100% because we had met our deductible. Then there was an issue with them erroneously sending my son a mask he had previously used but no longer used. They told us to return the mask to the local office, but then kept billing us for the mask we had returned, it got to the point of them threatening me with collections. I repeatably sent documentation proving the mask had been returned, but the jerk at the national billing office kept claiming he never received it. Magically after I become frustrated enough to shell out $20 to send the proof of the mask return certified, return receipt, signature required; they acknowledged that we didn't owe them for the mask.
Another funny incident, when my son's doc faxed Lincare a pressure change for some bizarre reason the national supplier tried to mail him an extra machine

Insurance companies will only pay for a set amount of replacement parts, and the prices they pay for the stuff they cover is set and likely much less than whatever a DME will charge you out of pocket. My son has asthma and I like to replace his filters more often than insurance allows, I've found it's cheapest to pick up extra filters from Amazon.

If you know anyone in your community who works in the medical field you might try asking them for recommendations of local DMEs they have had good luck with.

[Ejones0310]

Thanks everyone for your advice and experiences. I Amin Tulsa, Oklahoma, so I think I’ll start with the list of Medicare providers and cross reference them with the BCBS providers. I’ll likely be going on full Medicare in January (on Part A now), so I might as well find someone that I can stay with.