Apria Healthcare Credit Card Dispute Charge

[cdean]

Should I be concerned that a google search for Apria Credit Card Dispute Charge produces about a quarter of a million hits?
https://www.google.com/search?q=apria+c ... ute+charge

It seems like a lot of people and even the government are having problems with how Apria conducts business. And it appears many of the people having problems are sleep apnea patients.

For example,

Apria Agrees to Settle Medicare Fraud Charges
Ending nearly eight years of legal wrangling, Apria Healthcare Group Inc. agreed to pay the government $17.6 million, without admission of wrongdoing, to settle Medicare fraud allegations.
Lake Forest-based Apria, one of the nation's largest providers of home healthcare services, was the subject of a privately filed whistle-blower lawsuit in 1997 alleging Medicare overbilling.
Apria maintained that only "errors and omissions" occurred in its billing, but federal prosecutors had alleged more serious misconduct during the period from mid-1995 to 1998 and said in 2001 that they were seeking a $400-million settlement.
http://articles.latimes.com/2005/aug/10 ... fi-apria10

FOUR HEALTH CARE GROUPS PAY U.S. OVER $2 MILLION FOR FRAUD
Apria Healthcare Group Inc. will pay the United States $1,650,000 to settle allegations they sought to defraud the Medicare program through sham contracts and kickbacks, the Department of Justice announced. The Department said Apria, an oxygen supplier, submitted false Medicare claims for patients whose referrals it received through a kickback scheme it operated in Georgia and Florida. The United States alleged that Apria entered into sham consulting contracts with Georgia Lung and other physicians in order to induce referrals. George Lung, for example, referred Medicare patients to Apria for oxygen supplies. The agreement settles claims that Apria and Georgia Lung defrauded Medicare by billing for patients referred pursuant to the kickback scheme.
http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/1997/Febr ... 049civ.htm

Apria Says U.S. Criminal Probe Closed
Apria Healthcare Group Inc., one of the biggest U.S. home health-care providers, said federal prosecutors have closed a criminal probe of its billing practices without filing charges. Apria said a year ago that the U.S. attorney's office in Sacramento had served the company with six subpoenas for information on its billing practices. The U.S. attorney's office later served it with two more subpoenas. The Costa Mesa-based company is still dealing with other legal challenges, though.
http://articles.latimes.com/1999/jul/09 ... s/fi-54400

Apria Healthcare Group paid the U.S. $17.6 million to settle two civil FCA cases filed by former employees. The settlements resolved allegations that from mid-1995 through 1998, Apria submitted false documents certifying medical necessity; failed to obtain written prescriptions from physicians prior to delivery of equipment when required to do so; failed to notify patients of their option to purchase DME; and misrepresented the date or place equipment was delivered to patients.
http://homecaremag.com/news/medicare-anti-fraud

[bwexler]

Not unless you are dealing with Apria.

If you are do not let them anywhere near your credit card. If you allready have given them your credit card, cancel that card, and notify the CC that they should not accept any charges from Apria.

[happydaz]

Should I be concerned that a google search for Apria Credit Card Dispute Charge produces about a quarter of a million hits?
https://www.google.com/search?q=apria+c ... ute+charge

YES YES and YES! Anyone who has given a credit card number to Apria should cancel that card immediately!

[big_dave]

That's no big surprise. After my sleep doctor sent my prescription to Apria, I had a hard time getting through to them to schedule a setup. After about a week, my insurance company called me to verify that Apria had set up a machine for me. I told the insurance company that I hadn't been able to schedule an appointment yet, and that they seemed backlogged. I ended up buying my machine on Craigslist.

[Physician]

I've used Apria for 13 months and the experience has been just plain awesome. Yes, they asked for my credit card with the first order, but they never put through a charge.

My old DMEP took three to six weeks to send out supplies.

But with Apria, there was a big improvement. Each order after the first one took maybe three minutes to place, and the supplies arrived on one to two business days. About a month ago they changed to a centralized ordering system. The operators on the toll-free number were less experienced, but my supplies arrived the next day… fewer than 24 hours !

Hmmmm. Better look again at my credit card statements.

[Kiralynx]

My old DMEP took three to six weeks to send out supplies. But with Apria, there was a big improvement. Each order after the first one took maybe three minutes to place, and the supplies arrived on one to two business days. <snip>

Hmmmm. Better look again at my credit card statements.

Apria has never, in 5.5 years, taken less than two hours to place an order. They always call a week later to confirm that I really ordered what it took their operator two hours to grasp. They have not gotten most orders correct. It typically takes 2 weeks to get the ordered items -- IF they will order them at all. (They repeatedly fought me over the Comfortlite 2 direct seal pillows, over the CL2 straps, over getting the Headrest mask and pillows, and flat out refused to get the Tap Pap mask.) My final straw with them was their refusal to provide a replacement part for one broken while I was traveling, when there was a Apria office less than 30 miles from my hotel, and I could have picked up the part easily.

Apria. despite their best efforts, has not extracted a credit card number from me. I don't trust them.

[chunkyfrog]

Apria tells me that without my credit card, they will NOT send me supplies.
They are dead to me!

[Kiralynx]

Apria tells me that without my credit card, they will NOT send me supplies.
They are dead to me!

Provided FedEx comes through today, I will be picking up my new machine from my new DME later this afternoon. Bye, bye, Apria!

[Physician]

My old DMEP took three to six weeks to send out supplies. But with Apria, there was a big improvement. Each order after the first one took maybe three minutes to place, and the supplies arrived on one to two business days. <snip>

Hmmmm. Better look again at my credit card statements.

Apria has never, in 5.5 years, taken less than two hours to place an order. They always call a week later to confirm that I really ordered what it took their operator two hours to grasp. They have not gotten most orders correct. It typically takes 2 weeks to get the ordered items -- IF they will order them at all. (They repeatedly fought me over the Comfortlite 2 direct seal pillows, over the CL2 straps, over getting the Headrest mask and pillows, and flat out refused to get the Tap Pap mask.) My final straw with them was their refusal to provide a replacement part for one broken while I was traveling, when there was a Apria office less than 30 miles from my hotel, and I could have picked up the part easily.

Apria. despite their best efforts, has not extracted a credit card number from me. I don't trust them.

Then I'm delighted we deal with different Apria offices, because so far the experience has been perfect.

[Guest]

Then I'm delighted we deal with different Apria offices, because so far the experience has been perfect.

Actually... YOU act more like you are on the Apria payroll. Prob the disinformation spin team (DST).

[happydaz]

Then I'm delighted we deal with different Apria offices, because so far the experience has been perfect.

Actually... YOU act more like you are on the Apria payroll. Prob the disinformation spin team (DST).

Ha! I thought exactly the same thing!!

[Kiralynx]

Then I'm delighted we deal with different Apria offices, because so far the experience has been perfect.

I'm glad, for your sake, that your experience with Apria has been positive. My experience with two different Apria offices and their call center has been overwhelmingly negative. The one competent individual -- the RT who recommended my ASV for my central issues -- left within six months. Since that time, the only people praising Apria that I've encountered have been Apria employees.

[Physician]

Then I'm delighted we deal with different Apria offices, because so far the experience has been perfect.

Actually... YOU act more like you are on the Apria payroll. Prob the disinformation spin team (DST).

Nope. I have no financial interest in Apria, nor do I get compensated in any way by stating my honest experience. Maybe here in the West coast things are better. Apria needs to improve the operators who now answer their toll-free ordering number.

If Apria screws up, there are many other DMEP from which to choose.

[Guest]

Maybe here in the West coast things are better.

West Coast is nondescript.
Where on the West Coast are you? Which Apria office are you dealing with?

[Physician]

Then I'm delighted we deal with different Apria offices, because so far the experience has been perfect.

Actually... YOU act more like you are on the Apria payroll. Prob the disinformation spin team (DST).

Nope. I have no financial interest in Apria, nor do I get compensated in any way by stating my honest experience. Maybe here in the West coast things are better. Apria needs to improve the operators who now answer their toll-free ordering number.

If Apria screws up, there are many other DMEP from which to choose.

Ironically, Apria just screwed up my order. Wrong item. But I wasn't charged for it. My glowing recommendation just got hit by a small fire extinguisher. Apria is still much better than the former DMEP.