Resmed Airsense 10 dying (questions)

[kbh209]

Okay after doing a quick research on the board I decided to call my current CPAP supplier. I let them know that my machine was making a whistling sound while I wore my mask. When I took the mask off the whistle turned into an almost grinding noise. I also let them know that the air pressure is randomly dropping in the middle of the night. They (AmericanMed) had me come down and they looked at it and seen Lincare's label on the back and decided not to touch it, even though I'm not renting it but own it, according to Medicare. AmericanMed suggested I call my sleep specialist and so I did and got squeezed in to see him.

Both AmericanMed and the Sleep Specialist said the same thing, internal issue. I am two months past the two year warranty expiration but am going to Lincare on February 27th to get an estimate on how much it'll cost to get the machine fixed. The Sleep Specialist suggested if it's over $400 to fix to just purchase a new one. So, question time:

If I'm hearing the whistle / grinding of death plus low air pressure, what's the average cost to fix it? Cheaper to buy a new machine?

How much of a chance will Medicare or my secondary insurance, Medicaid step in to pay for a replacement machine, if Lincare cannot fix it?

[JDS74]

Before going to Lincare, contact these people to see what they say about your machine.
It sounds (no pun intended) as if the blower bearings are damaged and a new internal blower will be required. That should not be too expensive to fix.
They are an authorized repair facility for CPAP equipment and other medical equipment.

Accurate BioMedical Services
100 North 17th Street
BETHANY MO 644241206
Telephone: (800) 376-5660

If you machine has failed (and it sounds as if it is near that point), then Medicare will pay for a replacement machine.
A friend just went through the same process.

Check with your current supplier to see if they can handle the transaction for you.

[45011ohio]

If at all possible I would avoid LINCARE and any of their Subsidiaries. I have been dealing with them for the last 9 months or so and have only had 1 good experience with them. And that was with a delivery driver.
I do not know how many DME suppliers LINCARE has bought up, but it seems like they are trying to corner the market.

[Pugsy]

Check with Medicare directly.
Medicare will pay to repair a machine or replace if it costs more to repair than a new machine would cost.
Don't rely on the DME saying that Medicare won't pay because it hasn't been 5 years...if a machine is broken and it is past the warranty time frame Medicare will pay to repair or replace but the DME does have some extra work to get it done and they just don't want to do the extra work involved.

You've got Medicare and Medicaid. You shouldn't have to pay anything for repairs or a new machine.

Or if you just want to tell the DME where to go...and not have to hassle with Medicare...and you have $400 to 500 sitting in your bank you can just buy your own machine.
Fixing this one....don't know how much but probably a minimum of $200.
You can check with acbio.com but they have a minimum diagnostic fee plus repair costs plus shipping to and from them...by the time you pay all that you can pretty much buy a brand new machine privately if you know where to look.

[kbh209]

As far as Lincare is concerned, they were nothing but good to me my first year as far as getting my supplies delivered on time. Only reason I switched to a "local" (AmericanMed) supplier is because when I switched from a doctor out of town to a sleep specialist in town, the in town doctor's office insisted Lincare didn't accept my insurance.

I will communicate with Medicare and Medicaid today and let them know what's going on with the machine, and that I seen the sleep specialist yesterday.

[klv329]

Maybe this CL seller near Bakersfield California will ship this Airaense 10 Autoset to you......of course for $75 asking price, you should do lots of due.diligence.

https://bakersfield.craigslist.org/hab/ ... 21441.html