That's Apria's mission statement and is on the wall of the reception area I went to today.Our mission is to be the first choice of patients and customers for their homecare needs.
We will accomplish this by:
* Exceeding our customers' expectations every day
* Demonstrating high clinical standards and compassion in patient care
* Being responsive and flexible
We will deliver on our mission by:
* Demonstrating a customer-first approach in all that we do
* Leading change in the homecare industry
* Managing our business efficiently in order to deliver value and quality to our customers and shareholders
* Recognizing that every person in the company makes a difference
Some real fast background:
I got my machine (Remstar Plus w/o cflex), heated humidifier, and comfortclassic mask on 3/16. (Remember that date. It's important.)
After a ton of research and reading here, I learned about the various features. and decided that what I really want is a Remstar M Series Pro w/cflex.
Second week of June: I Called Apria to ask if they would swap my CPAP machine for a Remstar M-Series Pro w/cflex. Answer: "if you get a prescription for that exact machine and Aetna approves it."
Third week of June: Talked to Aetna, who said they’d OK this.
Third week of June: Called Stanford Sleep Clinic to get the prescription.
June 25: Left message for Apria Respiratory Therapist to call me. No answer.
June 27: Left message for Apria Respiratory Therapist to call me. No answer.
June 29: Left message for Apria Respiratory Therapist to call me. No answer.
July 2: Left message for Apria Respiratory Therapist to call me. No answer.
(Sensing a pattern?)
Which brings us to today's showdown:
Since they weren't returning my phone calls, I went down to Apria unannounced with new prescription in-hand. I can honestly report that I was polite and diplomatic, but firm, the whole time. The visit started with this:
They steadfastly refused for an RT to meet with me. (No "I'm sorry." Just “RTs are by appointment only.” There was an RT standing right there! But he wouldn't actually go into a room with me! )Me: "Is there a Respiratory Therapist available?"
Receptionist: "Do you have an appointment?"
Me: "No. I've called RT several times and nobody has returned my messages."
Receptionist: "Oh."
But I digress. I got to talk to a nice woman in customer service. She's the only person at Apria who I've gotten a good vibe from and is the one who talks directly to the insurance folks. Now we're cookin'. After explaining my background to yet another person, she told me that she’ll call Aetna today to find out:
- Definitively will Aetna cover swapping the machines?
Will Aetna cover a new humidifier?
If not, what will the cost to me be of each?
A footnote: My gut feeling about the woman at Apria was right. She talked to Aetna today and called me right back. Exactly as she suspected, Aetna will pay to swap the CPAP machines, but will not pay for another humidifier. If I get an M-Series heated humidifier through Apria, it’ll cost me $410! (WTF???) From cpap.com it’s $150. Looks like a no-brainer to buy it online.
As an aside: I'm also on the prowl for a hybrid mask. As far as that's concerned, she verified that my insurance won't cover a new mask for a couple more months (every six months). She said have the sleep clinic write a prescription for the exact mask including the Mfr number. (Apparently, the fact that my original prescription said "according to customer fit and preference" wasn't good enough.) So I'm going to eat the out-o-pocket expense, rather than wait a couple more months before my insurance will pay for another and I "get" to go through the motions with a DME.
In short
1. Apria will get me my machine.
2. I'm ordering the Humidifier online.
3. I'm getting the mask from another source, since I don't want to wait.
4. All is good with the world...kindof.
Phew! Dang that felt good.
Doug.
