ResMed recall and my DME (still a shinning beacon!)

General Discussion on any topic relating to CPAP and/or Sleep Apnea.
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DreamStalker
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ResMed recall and my DME (still a shinning beacon!)

Post by DreamStalker » Fri Jun 29, 2007 9:27 am

Well, I continue to be blinded by the bright beacon of ignorance, my DME/RPSGT (the facility manager). As some of you may recall the ResMed recall, I had hoped that I would be contacted by my DME for replacement as my machine was on the recall list. After a month past by and I had heard nothing I decided to call and see if they were aware. They told me they had been informed and were waiting on a new shipment of flow generators. A couple of more weeks go by and I call to check status and they say they checked into it a couple of weeks ago (hmmm?) that their shipment should be in any day now. Call the following week and guess what? --- same exact response (like a tape recording or something).

A couple of more weeks go by and yesterday I get a call … not from my DME but from some guy from Stericycle out of Chicago. He says he has set up camp in Texas and is replacing machines in my state and wants to set up a time to make the swap. So this morning I call my DME to make certain that I will be getting a new Vantage (didn’t want to waste my time if they planned to rip me off … I mean replace my Vantage with an Elite or worse yet the new Tango). Guess what the RPSGT - DME manager said? … Yep, the same recording, “we checked into the status of our back-order a couple of weeks ago and our shipment should be in any day”. I told her I was to meet with someone today to replace my Vantage and just wanted to make certain it would be a new Vantage and she said she knew nothing about it. She basically repeated the same mantra “we checked into the status of our back-order a couple of weeks ago and our shipment should be in any day”.

I started thinking … so this DME has been out of ResMed flow generators for over two month’s now … so I wondered what have they been giving their patients since but I dared not ask knowing that I would merely pull the chord again to listen to the pre-recorded mantra. So then I said to her if Stericycle is replacing machines here in Texas maybe you won’t be getting the expected shipment … Dough!! --- “we checked into the status of our back-order a couple of weeks ago and our shipment should be in any day”, but this time she did add “I don’t know what else to tell you”. I suppose I have to believe her as she is pretty consistent.

Anyway, I’ll give an update after meeting with the guy from Chicago (in about an hour).

BTW - here is link to RG's links on the subject of ResMEd recall:

viewtopic.php?t=19643

President-pretender, J. Biden, said "the DNC has built the largest voter fraud organization in US history". Too bad they didn’t build the smartest voter fraud organization and got caught.

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Post by BrensTiredMom » Fri Jun 29, 2007 10:16 am

Wow...what can you say to that? LOL

I'll be anxious to hear what happens when you go to do the exchange!

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GaCRT
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Post by GaCRT » Fri Jun 29, 2007 11:49 am

I hope everything works out for you. I know that our office is just trying to get in some more ResMed's and they are all on back order. But for everyone who checks this forum you might want to call you DME provider if you have a smaller one...not like Apria or Lincare...because we have not been informed of this recall. Or at least our office hasn't. The only reason I know of the recall is from checking this forum. Thankfully I found out here and was able to contact our patients about their and replace them quickly. So sorry that you are having to go through this Dreamstalker.


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Post by rested gal » Fri Jun 29, 2007 12:06 pm

GaCRT wrote:But for everyone who checks this forum you might want to call you DME provider if you have a smaller one...not like Apria or Lincare...because we have not been informed of this recall. Or at least our office hasn't. The only reason I know of the recall is from checking this forum. Thankfully I found out here and was able to contact our patients about their and replace them quickly.
Gosh, Ga, that's terrible that resmed did not let your office know about the recall. Good thing you had been checking this forum.

There's a guy in town who is using a borrowed machine from me while waiting to see how long it takes before his DME contacts him (I checked his machine...it's one of the recall serial numbers.) But in light of what you said about resmed not having gotten around to even notifying your office about the recall....this guy's DME may not have been told about it either.

Doesn't look like resmed is handling this fiasco well at all. I'd say quite a few people on cpap are also using supplemental O2. Creating more of a hazard. Sheesh. I'll tell the guy in town to go on and call his DME. Thanks for the "other side of the fence" look at what's going on.
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Post by GaCRT » Fri Jun 29, 2007 12:15 pm

I'll tell the guy in town to go on and call his DME. Thanks for the "other side of the fence" look at what's going on.
Your welcome. I know most DME's and RT's are not looked at with a happy face on here but some of us do try. Hope it all works out for your neighbor.


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NEW MACHINE!! woot woot!!

Post by DreamStalker » Fri Jun 29, 2007 12:57 pm

Well Dave, came by and swapped out my "old" Vantage (and it was old when I got it too since my DME initially gave me a used one and charged my insurance for a new one) for a "brand new" Vantage (I did check to make sure that both usage hours and run hours were zero … after he left of course). Dave is an older (I would guess in his late 60’s to mid 70’s) air force veteran. Turns out that he works for RQA, the “subcontractor” for Stericycle, the “subcontractor” for ResMed … no wonder my poor RPSGT-DME manager could not tell me more (it’s just too darn complicated these corporate sham deals they are).

Anyway, I played my part as the dumb patient and let him play the part of the “trained specialist”. He proceeded to tell me that is was very important that he transfer all of the information from my old machine to my new machine so the first thing he did was to copy my efficacy data onto a Smart Card. I asked are you making a copy of my data? … and he said yes, “we need to make a copy of the data for your doctor”. I asked him, are you going to send a copy of it to my doctor? … he said "no, I’m going to transfer it to your new machine so your doctor will have access to it whenever he needs".

Then I watched him perform the secret slight of hand maneuver to get into the clinician menu and began to copy the settings from my old machine onto a paper form sheet. He copied the mode setting (autoset) and then wrote down the minimum and maximum pressures … then got stuck and spent about 10 minutes trying to figure out how to retrieve the pressure and EPR settings for CPAP mode since the form had blank spaces for that. He didn’t realize that he had to go back up and reset the mode to CPAP in order to get to my CPAP settings (but I said nothing since I did not want to blow my cover as the stupid CPAP patient). As he fiddled around trying to figure out how to retrieve the CPAP settings he proceeded to tell me what CPAP stood for (even though I never asked … I was just watching him going through the menus) “continuous positive air pressure”, he says, that's what CPAP stands for (this guy really knows his stuff I thought ). He finally gave up and went on to retrieve the other settings for settling, mask, alarm, smart start, etc.

Then he took my new machine and entered in all of the settings he had copied and initialed each setting as he went down the form. He finished up and handed me a couple of papers to sign and said thanks for your patience and allowing ResMed to take care of this safety recall. He never transferred the Smart Card data back onto my new machine … but I said nothing (I guess my doctor is screwed without any data … oh well it's not like he is using it for his research or anything, hell, he's never even looked at the data from my Vantage ). No problemo for me though since I have a copy of my own data on my own Smart Card and also on my PC via ResScan software (good thing I was only “playing” the stupid patient eh? ). He also never figured out how to transfer my CPAP settings from my old machine to my new machine … fortunately, that’s something that a stupid patient can figure out how to do with a little help from the great folks on this forum.

I don’t have anything against Dave, he was actually a very nice guy just making ends meet and it is unfortunate that he has to work for a living at his age … but it just goes to show how corporations are willing exploit the old, the poor, the unfortunate, and the ignorant to make a buck by outsourcing human resources to the lowest common denominator while all of the corporate execs get six-figure bonuses for their exploitations.

… and my poor DME-RPSGT still awaits the back-ordered shipment so she can try and make a buck to replace recalled machines for her patients … oh well. Should I call and let her know? ... Nah ... I don't think I can stand another “we checked into the status of our back-order a couple of weeks ago and our shipment should be in any day”.

Anyway, I now have a brand new ResMed that won’t blow me up … well, at least not in a deadly manner .

GA ... thanks, but fortunately I have this forum and there is no need to be sorry about my PAP treatment.



President-pretender, J. Biden, said "the DNC has built the largest voter fraud organization in US history". Too bad they didn’t build the smartest voter fraud organization and got caught.

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Post by Slinky » Fri Jun 29, 2007 2:41 pm

A little secret, DreamStalker. How much can you TRUST your local DME to have been truthful or to be truthful about this???

I received a letter from Resmed and SteriCycle out of Indiana. Resmed created TWO OPTIONS for their DME provider customers to assist and coordinate replacement of the affected S8 devices.

Note that these two options are for the DME supplier to choose from, not the patients. Not Resmed to dictate which one.

The first option is for the DME supplier to receive the replacement devices and handle the exchange. They will be reimbursed $115 for the expense entailed in handling the exchange (in addtion to the replacement machines at no charge and prepaid shipping for each device returned).

Or they can opt to let SteriCycle handle the replacment process and SteriCycle will handle everything from initial patient contact to delivery of replacement S8 devices and collection of the affected S8 devices. Resmed will absorb all costs incurred by SteriCycle and provide $15 in compensation for each device returned to SteriCycle.

Any ResScan data cards will be collected at SteriCycle and mailed to the DMEs periodically in batches.

And about your "friend" Dave from SteriCycle: there are intended training requirements for SteriCycle field representatives and they will be required to pass a test before they are considered qualified to complete a patient visit. Most SteriCycle representatives will have clinical backgrounds and many are nutritionists or dieticians.

I'm tempted to erase all data from my S8 Vantage before the SteriCycle rep gets here Monday evening. And I've already stashed my data card. I'm not at all sure that there is any informationto be gleaned from my Vantage that would pertain to the cause of the Recall - and in the back of my mind is that new ResTraxx system that Resmed has developed and is or will soon be offering to practitioners.


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Post by ozij » Fri Jun 29, 2007 9:00 pm

(but I said nothing since I did not want to blow my cover as the stupid CPAP patient).
I really loved that!

O.


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Post by Bookbear » Fri Jun 29, 2007 9:35 pm

Thanks, DreamStalker, for an outstanding post! Just what I needed to keep me smiling

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