Complaints about Lincare

[LSAT]

I believe we need to do something about the disregard Lincare and other companies have for us whose very breathing depends upon their efficiency. NEVER bothering to return a phone call, providing faulty equipment... The list goes on. I, for one, am going to call Medicare to urge them to investigate and rate the quality of care these oxygen companies provide. If all they care is about the money, then let's hit them where it hurts. Then maybe they will be responsive or, if not, be forced to go out of business!

Unless you are limited by your insurance company, fire them and go somewhere else.

[Concerned]

I work there and would love to know how they are disregarding you? There should never be an issue and if there is it should be taken care of right away. If the issue remains which is rare there will usually always be a rationale reason and is their responsiblity to effectively relay the message. If you continue to have a problem please request to be transferred to another close Lincare office.

[retrodave15]

I work there and would love to know how they are disregarding you? There should never be an issue and if there is it should be taken care of right away. If the issue remains which is rare there will usually always be a rationale reason and is their responsiblity to effectively relay the message. If you continue to have a problem please request to be transferred to another close Lincare office.

I left Lincare, as they are more interested in providing doctor's offices lunches to drive business, my wife worked at a doctors office and knew the regional manager, and we still got lousy service.

I think that Lincare needs to be on Undercover Boss so you can "uncover" the lies and deceit that goes on in some office. Repacking masks, removing the other sized nasal pillows yet bill the same code to the insurance company. The RT did right in front of my wife at the Newark OH office, she opened the Swift FX nasal pillows package, took out the XS and M sizes and said - "these are not yours!" When she got her replacement supplies - she got the small pillows in the ziplock bag, not the sealed Resmed packaging we get from our current provider.

With your oxygen service Lincare kept claiming that she needed an overnight pulse ox for the insurance to cover the O2. The test was not needed as the O2 need was clearly documented and approved by the sleep study. You made us do the study as the Lincare rep threatened us that you would take back the concentrator, so we gave in. Then you sent an out of network provider, did not preauthorize the test, so our insurance refused to pay the bill as there was no script from her doctor and the test was unnecessary. We got stuck with a $1500 bill from the provider who threatened to take use to collection for the bill. It took filing a grievance with United and my HR department to get this mater resolved.

We fired Lincare, yet you continued to send and bill my insurance for supplies for machines / masks we no longer used. That took 5 phone calls to your WORTHLESS call center to stop this and get return shipping labels.

Need I go on - We FIRED Lincare for poor service and the lies and deceit of your staff. We now use a Local one location DME that serves the entire central ohio are and could not be happier. They take customer service serious and although we have had a few issues, they have always been quickly resolved!

FYI - I use OhioHealth and it is a Corporate policy of theirs that all of their affiliated practices decline the promotional items and food from sales reps, they can only accept "EDUCATIONAL" items and services.

[Slinky]

... With your oxygen service Lincare kept claiming that she needed an overnight pulse ox for the insurance to cover the O2. The test was not needed as the O2 need was clearly documented and approved by the sleep study. You made us do the study as the Lincare rep threatened us that you would take back the concentrator, so we gave in. Then you sent an out of network provider, did not preauthorize the test, so our insurance refused to pay the bill as there was no script from her doctor and the test was unnecessary. We got stuck with a $1500 bill from the provider who threatened to take use to collection for the bill. It took filing a grievance with United and my HR department to get this mater resolved. ...

Say what???? $1500 for an overnight oximetry test??? My family doctor can script one w/a local DME provider and it can run anywhere from free to $65. But $65 is the HIGHEST I've seen charged for an overnight oximetry. $1500 sounds more like an in-lab titration study utilizing 02 as well as the CPAP.

[retrodave15]

Say what???? $1500 for an overnight oximetry test??? My family doctor can script one w/a local DME provider and it can run anywhere from free to $65. But $65 is the HIGHEST I've seen charged for an overnight oximetry. $1500 sounds more like an in-lab titration study utilizing 02 as well as the CPAP.

Yep - out of network price with no insurance discount. Now my wife needed a overnight oximetry as part of her pre-op testing for a Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy on the 13th. They mailed us unit, did the test and mailed it back. This company billed the insurance $200, the network discout took it down to $70 and since I met my out of pocket max I had to pay nothing.

[corybodette]

i hate lincare when i went in to get prices on the machine i need because i did not have insurance they told me 700 to start and that is with the paper work from the sleep center and then 120 to 260 a month after that for rental fee and replacement parts. i told them that i had no insurance but had applied for medicaid through the state i live in and they said come back when i have the insurance card or the money. looking on cpap.com i can get the things i need for 700 dollars only and i think i am going to go that route now after reading all of this.

[49er]

Anybody thought of writing to a TV show like 60 minutes to complain? Or perhaps complain to a local news program? I know it is a long shot but maybe if they kept receiving complaints, they would investigate.


49er

[chunkyfrog]

Titles for the show:
Exposed: Medical Extortion
Lincare: Holding Breath Hostage
--any more?

[StuUnderPressure]

Titles for the show:
Exposed: Medical Extortion
Lincare: Holding Breath Hostage
--any more?

They are blowing hot air up your @%$

[chunkyfrog]

Is that a suggestion; or are you just being crude?

[StuUnderPressure]

Is that a suggestion; or are you just being crude?

One can never get a straight answer from a DME provider.

And when they do give you an answer, it is usually just jibberish & outright wrong.

Hence my SUGGESTION for a title that they are just blowing hot air (aka hot humidified air) up your yazoo.

It might be crude, but it was in fact a suggestion.

[itsme4063]

Doing business with Lincare is like jumping in a tank with a shark. There is no way you will win.

1. Incredibly over priced. (They must lobby or kickback insurance companies and Medicare)
2. Do not buy or order anything from them without getting a price first. You are doing business with a high pressure, deceiving, double-talking, commission-sales company. Insurance companies consider their items part of your deductible so it is very likely that you will have to pay for the stuff yourself.
3. Lincare is not there to help the patient. They are there to charge as much as they can for what you get.
4. Over-billings are common. Document and verify everything. Preferably, if you must buy from them, do it in writing.
5. They seem nice, helpful and will tell you if the mask does not work it is no problem. That means it is no problem to them and they will sell you another one. Yes, you will pay for everything, even the “no problem” mask.
6. Do not answer any calls from them or you will start receiving things you did not order. Then it will take a while to get off auto reorder which will cost you hundreds of $$$$$$.
7. This is not a small company and one would think that you can purchase with confidence.
Wrong!!!! Buying from Lincare is like borrowing money from an underworld agent.
8. They are a terrible company to work for. So they are not selective on how they treat people.
9. If I did not make it clear enough... Do not buy anything from these people!!!

[big_dave]

2. Do not buy or order anything from them without getting a price first. You are doing business with a high pressure, deceiving, double-talking, commission-sales company. Insurance companies consider their items part of your deductible so it is very likely that you will have to pay for the stuff yourself.

I tried to get a price quote from Lincare (also Apria) for a straight purchase with no contract when I was first diagnosed, but they both acted like I was speaking Chinese, and they refused to give me a straight answer. I decided it was safer to purchase a machine (actually two machines) on Craigslist.

Edit: I am aware that various online suppliers including cpap.com and Secondwindcpap.com, as well as certain well-respected forum members are safer than Craigslist. OTOH I will never receive a bill for some outlandish amount from Craigslist.

[Roger2]

I was going to switch yo Lincare after dumping crapia in January but aI am really glad I did not. My new medicare company does not deal with either of these two, fortunately for me. I hope there are not similar stories about Summit Respiratory as it appears I will be switching over to them in January.

pax
Roger

[FXdawg]

Oh man, I hate, hate, HATE lincare. The service here has been so awful right from the first moment. took weeks for them to come out with the machine. Then when the tech showed up there was no power cord in the bag. "oh I grabbed the wrong bag..." she leaves and comes back 40 minutes later and there is no hose. "I can't believe it...I'll have to come back..." ended up a few days later. then got it right. They gave me crap about switching masks...ended up with one that sucks...

They made me pay my share of the equipment fee up front. like $485 then some months go by and they start sending me rental fee invoices...I tried calling and waiting on hold and un-returned phone calls. I got fed up and decided just to stop paying hoping they would call. Nope..."we're going to send you to a collection agency...

I call again, I finally get through. "...you owe the money, I don't know who you talked to but you owe us..." didn't listen, did say, "let me look into it" screw them.

I was stuck with them for 10 months, I stopped getting new supplies for like 6 months because I refused to get anything from them. Finally, the machine is paid off and I can leave those scum bags. I complained originally to my Dr. and was told they had just recently been added back to their list of suppliers, after being kicked off for bad service, and that if I went to a new company then it would mean sending the machine back and getting a new fitting...blah, blah, blah... so I stuck it out. I just called and had my dr. write a new prescription for a new company. Good bye and good riddance Lincare! Go "F" yourself!!!!!! and kiss my royal Irish A$$!!!