Help me pick a new DME
Help me pick a new DME
I'm firing apria as they can never seem to get my orders right, so its time to find a new DME
Aetna has given me the following choices.
American Home patient - 877-268-6014
Edgepark - 800-321-0591
Lincare - 800-546-2273
Medline Industires - 866-356-4997
Also it appears my S9 that i was assigned through apria is now off rental as they are no longer being billed for it so I think i get to keep it at this point....
TIA for any advice on any of these providers
Aetna has given me the following choices.
American Home patient - 877-268-6014
Edgepark - 800-321-0591
Lincare - 800-546-2273
Medline Industires - 866-356-4997
Also it appears my S9 that i was assigned through apria is now off rental as they are no longer being billed for it so I think i get to keep it at this point....
TIA for any advice on any of these providers
Re: Help me pick a new DME
If possible...go into the local office and talk to the rep...you will get a good idea if you want to do business with them. If you are doing it strictly by phone, there may be problems with all of them.....Apria is probably the worst.
_________________
Machine: ResMed AirSense™ 10 AutoSet™ CPAP Machine with HumidAir™ Heated Humidifier |
Mask: Fisher & Paykel Vitera Full Face Mask with Headgear (S, M, or L Cushion) |
Additional Comments: Back up is S9 Autoset...... |
- ChicagoGranny
- Posts: 14463
- Joined: Sun Jan 29, 2012 1:43 pm
- Location: USA
Re: Help me pick a new DME
Ask your sleep doc's assistant. Mine knows the local suppliers and knows which ones do their patients right.
https://www.sleepfiles.com/OSCAR/
http://www.apneaboard.com/wiki/index.ph ... OSCAR_Help
http://www.apneaboard.com/wiki/index.ph ... ganization
For those not so good with technology: https://home.sleephq.com/
http://www.apneaboard.com/wiki/index.ph ... OSCAR_Help
http://www.apneaboard.com/wiki/index.ph ... ganization
For those not so good with technology: https://home.sleephq.com/
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Re: Help me pick a new DME
Did you ever determine what was the best Aetna DME? I just got diagnosed and have Aetna and would be interested to know. Staying away from Apria on your advice! Thanks!
Re: Help me pick a new DME
It would be hard to tell you which would be best for you. There are regional differences and even office differences. Even Aetna has diffferent coverage sometimes by area.You need to check with your insurance to be sure which ones are in network. A visit to the local office to get a feel for the environment and ask questions about how they provide service. I have Apria and while we got off to a rocky start we are now coexisting. When I needed help, before I came here, I could never get a return call from them. And later I got lots of sales calls, but I learned I could request them to stop the calls and did. So I'm telling you this because it would be nice to have a local number to the office you use. Mine had no local number their calls all went to a national call bank.
Both of the suggestions above by LSAT and ChicagoGranny are good.
Both of the suggestions above by LSAT and ChicagoGranny are good.
_________________
Machine: AirCurve™ 10 VAuto BiLevel Machine with HumidAir™ Heated Humidifier |
Mask: AirFit™ P10 Nasal Pillow CPAP Mask with Headgear |
Additional Comments: Sleepyhead Software |
ResMed Aircurve 10 VAUTO EPAP 11 IPAP 15 / P10 pillows mask / Sleepyhead Software / Back up & travel machine Respironics 760
Re: Help me pick a new DME
I actually had found a specific individual at Crapria in the office near where I just moved.
But my new insurance does not include Crapria so I get to train a new DME.
We are in the early stages, setting up a new account and learning about my copayment. No way to know if I jumped out of the frying pan into the fire.
But my new insurance does not include Crapria so I get to train a new DME.
We are in the early stages, setting up a new account and learning about my copayment. No way to know if I jumped out of the frying pan into the fire.
_________________
Mask: SleepWeaver 3D Soft Cloth Nasal CPAP Mask with Headgear |
Additional Comments: AurCurve 10 ASV Also using Sleaplyhead 1.1, ResScan 6 and CMS50i |
- chunkyfrog
- Posts: 34390
- Joined: Mon Jul 12, 2010 5:10 pm
- Location: Nebraska--I am sworn to keep the secret of this paradise.
Re: Help me pick a new DME
Even if you are not on Medicare, you can use my link (below) for DME's in your area that are on both lists.
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Mask: AirFit™ P10 For Her Nasal Pillow CPAP Mask with Headgear |
Additional Comments: Airsense 10 Autoset for Her |
Re: Help me pick a new DME
I had a good experience with Lincare. I was on vacation when my old machine died. It had been giving signs of trouble. I hurried and found a local doc to write a prescription (I had my sleep study with me), and then went to Lincare because they were also local and wouldn't require shipping. That same day I was out the door with my brand new machine and mask for $775. The price was lower than I had expected. I paid out of pocket so I don't know how it would be to deal with insurance through them. I thought their staff was nice and very helpful.
_________________
Machine: ResMed AirSense™ 10 AutoSet™ CPAP Machine with HumidAir™ Heated Humidifier |
Mask: AirFit™ P10 Nasal Pillow CPAP Mask with Headgear |
Re: Help me pick a new DME
+1ChicagoGranny wrote:Ask your sleep doc's assistant. Mine knows the local suppliers and knows which ones do their patients right.
_________________
Machine: ResMed AirSense™ 10 AutoSet™ CPAP Machine with HumidAir™ Heated Humidifier |
Mask: Wisp Nasal CPAP Mask with Headgear - Fit Pack |
Additional Comments: Also Sleepyhead, P10, F10 and Amara View |
Re: Help me pick a new DME
Does anybody know how one Lincare office is related to the others? We changed insurance companies, and my old DME (that I really liked) isn't in the new network. I have kind of a special need... I live in a small town, with no in-network providers. 12 miles east of where I live is a bigger town where we mostly go for more complicated medical stuff, but in the old plan there weren't any in that town, either. But I work in a town 30 miles west of where I live, and they had two in-network places. I picked my dme because I wasn't crazy about the one other choice. When we got the new network, I thought, great -- finally I can go to one of the nearby places in the 12 mile away town.
Except that these places are open 9-5 on weekdays, when I'm at work 40-some miles away. So I next noticed that there is a Lincare office in both towns, and they are both in the network.
Ok, so does anybody know if this works? Can I use both offices? Does Lincare tend to have more evening/weekend hours?
Except that these places are open 9-5 on weekdays, when I'm at work 40-some miles away. So I next noticed that there is a Lincare office in both towns, and they are both in the network.
Ok, so does anybody know if this works? Can I use both offices? Does Lincare tend to have more evening/weekend hours?
- ChicagoGranny
- Posts: 14463
- Joined: Sun Jan 29, 2012 1:43 pm
- Location: USA
Re: Help me pick a new DME
Would picking up the phone and calling the Lincare office(s) you are referring to not give you more reliable information than people on a forum who do not know which two offices you are referring to will be able to give you?cathyf wrote:Can I use both offices? Does Lincare tend to have more evening/weekend hours?
Re: Help me pick a new DME
Well, yes, but only if they were telling the truth.ChicagoGranny wrote:Would picking up the phone and calling the Lincare office(s) you are referring to not give you more reliable information than people on a forum who do not know which two offices you are referring to will be able to give you?cathyf wrote:Can I use both offices? Does Lincare tend to have more evening/weekend hours?
When I'm looking for the Straight Dope(tm), the accumulated wisdom here is a lot more valuable and reliable!