I am done with C-Pap

I give up! Today I called my DME to ask why the supplies I ordered have not arrived after 3 weeks. This was the second time I ordered and they never came. They said I was out of compliance and my insurance won't pay. So I asked what I did not do that put me out of compliance. They said I did not send in my data cards. I did send it in twice. I was told when I first started with this company that I had to send in the card after the first month. I did that. They claim they never got it. They said I must not have marked it with my name and address. I did. They told me they would send another one and I needed to download the info and send it back to them I did and now I am being told again that they never received it. They said they would send me another card and I would have to download the info. This time the card would cost me $10.00 I refuse to give them money when they are the ones that can't seem to keep track of anything. They kept telling me I did not send the cards as if I had not said a word to them. I decided that the c-pap is no good to me when I spend the whole night trying to get the mask to stop leaking. Since they claim I am out of compliance I will never be able to get needed supplies so I told them I had enough and they could come get the damn thing. If you are looking for a DME stay far away from Lifesavers in Lakeland Florida. I have my old machine too but I cannot get supplies for that either. So I am going cold turkey back into the world of 80 plus apneas an hour.

Laura

Don't give up. Look for another provider or buy your supplies from our hosts. An AHI of 80 is not safe for your health, or those around you while driving, etc. Fire your DME, find a new one, file a complaint with your insurance that you were in fact compliant but the DME failed to report it properly. Hopefully they'll give you another compliance period with a new DME.

[quote="OceanGoingGal"So I am going cold turkey back into the world of 80 plus apneas an hour.

Laura[/quote]

Don't do that. Find an appropriate machine on CPAP.com or Secondwind and let this forum help with your mask/leaking issues. Or fire the DME (great idea JJhall) and get another one, but don't fire your health, or God forbid your life, with an AHI like that.

Oh, no! You were one of my first friends on this forum!
Please do not give up! 80 is just plain scary!

Take a deep breathe. Call your insurance company and complain complain complain - and find another supplier.

OceanGoingGal wrote: I have my old machine too but I cannot get supplies for that either. So I am going cold turkey back into the world of 80 plus apneas an hour.

you know, you can get supplies on amazon, and ebay, and cpap.com, and many other places.

what supplies do you need?

Quitting cpap won't hurt them, just you. Mail is lost/destroyed daily, LOTS of it. If you need to be sure something that you sent is received, send it with a signature receipt request. Then you've got proof. Good luck

I was retested in January of this year and my measured AHI was 80.2, so believe me when I say I know what it will be like for you without a machine. You don't want to give up on the therapy.

I am sorry you have such a crappy DME. Your insurance company can tell you all the DMEs in your area that they work with. See if you can find a different to work with you and the insurance company.

Your machine will always contain the compliance data that the insurance company needs and wants and you can always retrieve it. Contact your insurance company and ask for their help. Your jerky DME is the one standing in between you and the insurance company and causing problems for both of you.

Don't give up.

Gasper62 wrote:Quitting cpap won't hurt them, just you. Mail is lost/destroyed daily, LOTS of it. If you need to be sure something that you sent is received, send it with a signature receipt request. Then you've got proof. Good luck

You can probably physically take your SD card in to the office of your DME as well, and ask them for a signed receipt stating you dropped it off, if they can't just read it and hand it back to you in a few minutes while you wait.

Another advantage of going to another DME and returning this machine is you (OP) should be able to get the latest model of machine. The ResMed AutoSet 10 has a built-in cellular modem so you don't even need to send in an SD card for compliance. My DME included the modem add-on module for my Respironics SystemOne, so the only time I have to pull the SD is when want to read it using Sleepyhead or when I go in to see my doctor.

Those were fast replies. I am sitting here with tears in my eyes. I should have known that I can rely on this forum when things go crazy. I just called the DME and told them not to come after the machine. I was going to get another Medicare supplier. I bet they forget and come anyway. When they brought the c-pap the box the mask came in was opened and there was only one set of pillows, I had no choice in sizes.
I will call the insurance company tomorrow when I calm down enough. Thank you all for the help and the comforting words. I will be sure to stick with the experts here.

Laura

I have fairly good service from Sleepmed in Maryland, I can't say how they are in FLA. but, you might check them out at their Tampa location.


SleepMed Therapy Services
4710 North Habana Avenue
Suite 302-B
Tampa, FL 33614
Map It
Sleep Therapy


Tampa


Scheduling Information:
Toll-Free Phone: (866) 937-1556
Phone: (813) 874-2309
Toll-Free Fax: (877) 675-9266

When you mail in the next card where ever, use mail requiring a signature. That way you have documentation that you sent it.

Yay! Now, I'm relieved, OceanGoingGal! I can understand how upsetting crap like this is - we just want to get a good night's sleep!

I remember the torture during my sleep test of trying to sleep without cpap with an AHI of 80. Sleep is not possible under those conditions.

Tomorrow, or whenever you're ready, we can talk about the best way to get the data to the people who need it. You might even be able to zip the files up and email them in. Whatever the options, we can help.

It still might be worth calling the insurance company tomorrow and asking them for advice. They may well contact the DME on your behalf.

We always did that with the mortgage payments. We took the mail fees off our taxes.

Good Morning! Pouring here and very gray skies but I feel much better today. I took your advice and called my insurance this morning. Expecting a fight and having to defend myself I was filled with doubt. To my surprise the woman I talked to was very pleasant and assured me that I would get my supplies and be sure to assign me a to new DME. She mentioned another client having problems too. The attitude of the woman a I talked to yesterday was poor and I was stunned at their willingness to imply over and over that I was lying about having sent in the data cards. Thank you to all of you for the calm advice you gave me. I appreciate all of you. Thanks again.

Laura