Lincare is Rude & Incompetent

[Janknitz]

Even though I now have to pay out of pocket, I'm THRILLED that I no longer have CPAP coverage under my health care plan. No more Crapria--best thing ever! I order what I want off of Cpap.com or Amazon, no hassle, no billing errors, no waiting weeks for X to talk with Y and send Z an order while Q decides how much to pay for it. Priceless.

[Gryphon]

Ya - the thing I find really annoying and odd... Are the setups who can't even get the sales part right. You have to move product to stay in business right? For those with good insurance - the insurance company will pay for the supplies - so all you have to do is send your customer the supplies and bill the insurer...

They can't even do that right. There loads of fly by night companies who have worked out how to work the system and convince you that you need something and that your insurer - be that medicare or who ever will pay for it. They're just the middle man who pops in to move the product from them to you and have insurance pick up the tab.

Now whether you like these companies or not you have to give them credit for at least being able to move product, they seem to be making enough money to fund those obnoxious commercials showing a grandmother who couldn't even get out of a chair before, skate boarding on one leg like an Tony Hawk because she got her "MAGIC KNEE BRACE"

So if companies can make money selling you a onetime item you may not even need... why is it so hard for DME's to get their crap together and hire people who know how to keep records strait? If that's what your paid to do? Why is it so hard to keep track of who gets what and when and who's supposed to pay for it... If that's all your doing? You can hire respiratory techs to help with the questions... but it's really abysmally sad when they can't even keep the books strait... we have computers that can do that you know...

Gryphon

[chunkyfrog]

I know ten year olds who can do that.

[bwexler]

I have been using Crapria for several years with a brief interruption when my Medicare Advantage program required me to switch to Life Care Solutions. They were even worse than Crapria.
I think Crapria has gotten my order correct once or twice. The first time I was getting a new PR ASV machine with heated hose. When I walked into the room I saw the machine setup on the conference table. I could tell from across the room it didn't have the heated hose. First I was told I didn't order it, then I didn't need it, then they didn't have the correct humidifier. I stood my ground and the RT went and found what I wanted.
Later I ordered a PR heated hose and and received a Resmed. Or I get the wrong filters or the wrong mask.
Then there is the billing seldom correct and I refuse to pay for what I didn't order. After years of pressuring me for a credit card, last week I walked into the local branch of Crapria asked for the status of my order. The girl walked to the back, returned with the correct mask and said sign here. She never mentioned payment or requested a credit card. Maybe things are looking up.

[kzelez]

As you probably know, American Home Patient is now Lincare. AHP was pretty bad, but I just had my first conversation with Lincare. I have not been contacted about new supplies in close to 6 months, tried to switch to a different company, but Medicare does not allow switching companies. So I broke down and called Lincare. They did not have all my information, and never called to talk to me. I had to tell the person on the phone everything. Sadly, I had a horrible time understanding her.

I asked several times how many nasal pillows they would be sending and she kept answering that they were sending a full mask for 90 days. It took quite a while for her to tell me that, yes, I would receive several nasal pillows. I have no faith that my supplies will come. I won't hold my breath.

[chunkyfrog]

I have been getting pillows and filters on schedule, even though I do not use them quite that frequently.
My reason is that DME business is so cutthroat that the good ones could go under,
and I prefer to stock up than be faced with having to deal with donkey-holes.

[Filigree3]

My DME is a Classic Sleep Care out of CA. They seem to be on the ball. They ship FedEx, so things come quickly. When my mask came cracked, they sent out a new one in a few days. I was able to email an RN when I had trouble my first night. Then a worker has called me twice to see how things are going.

[babydinosnoreless]

Note: even though the national chains are well known for taking advantage of patients,
the same thing can happen with a local mom-n-pop. It is a dirty, cutthroat business.
We do as much advance prep as if we are making any major purchase. Trust no one.

And you don't have to be on medicare to get screwed over by a DME. We have blue cross /shield and their dme lists also contain lincare and apria and some of the others I see reguarly bashed around here.

[prodigyplace]

Note: even though the national chains are well known for taking advantage of patients,
the same thing can happen with a local mom-n-pop. It is a dirty, cutthroat business.
We do as much advance prep as if we are making any major purchase. Trust no one.

And you don't have to be on medicare to get screwed over by a DME. We have blue cross /shield and their dme lists also contain lincare and apria and some of the others I see reguarly bashed around here.

I would add Roberts Home Medical to that list of shame with Anthem Blue Cross / Blue Shield.