DME ONLY SUPPLIES RESMED, RESPIRONICS, AND PURITAN BENNETT

[jomac30]

Is this normal procedure to only be able to get just certain brands from your DME?
I'm looking at different masks and was told they don't want to have accounts with all the suppliers, just the three mentioned.
Is my only choice to buy my own supplies?
Are DME's supposed to carry all the brands?

[Julie]

It's perfectly normal - they're not required to do anything. If you do have insurance, then check with them to see if they'll cover your buying from another dealer, such as Cpap.com, who carry a lot more than 3! They'll probably be quite happy as the online prices are much less than the DME's charge.

[Wulfman]

Is this normal procedure to only be able to get just certain brands from your DME? Pretty much
I'm looking at different masks and was told they don't want to have accounts with all the suppliers, just the three mentioned.
Is my only choice to buy my own supplies? Probably
Are DME's supposed to carry all the brands? Nope

This is why many of us buy our equipment and supplies from online suppliers.
Many of these DMEs only carry product lines from certain companies......not the whole list like places like CPAP.COM does.

Den

[rested gal]

Is this normal procedure to only be able to get just certain brands from your DME?

Yes.

Some DMEs will order what you want from a manufacturer they don't usually buy from, but most probably wouldn't want to bother doing that.

That happened right here in town, when two people I've been helping tried Headrest masks (from my own stash) at home for a few nights and got along great with it. One was a person who had used quite a few other masks. The other was a "first time" user. One local DME (a well run independent called Pulmacare, not a chain) was very willing to do whatever it took to help those people, even if it meant a special order. The DME readily agreed to order Headrest masks for them even though the DME had never heard of Aeiomed and normally stocked other manufacturer's masks.

Several others I called before finding Pulmacare said they would not special order anything...had to be a mask they already stocked.

On the other hand, when I asked the local Lincare about ordering a Headrest mask for another lady here in town, they were supposed to "check" to see if they could do that and get back about it. No word, so far. That's been almost a month ago. Which reminds me....I think I'll call them, and if I get a "no can do" answer, or "we don't know yet", I'm going to see about switching that lady to Pulmacare.

Are DME's supposed to carry all the brands?

No.

As Julie said, they are not required to carry anything they don't want to carry. Or order anything they don't want to order.

[LyleHaze]

My sleep lab is also (supposed to be) my DME. I'll never forget the look on their faces when I told them I could choose any DME I like. Once I got my written prescription in hand, it was no longer their concern.
Of course I checked with my insurance carrier first.. No Problem!

Lyle

[PocketDragonFriend]

When I had my first appointment, they had me sign a document confirming that they let me know that the doctor was partial owner of the DME the clinic uses.

[Julie]

Oh, that's amazing! But did anyone then buy from them?

[WNJ]

I suspect that in many cases, manufacturers push deals where the DME gets certain perks if they push that brand of equipment. For example, only stock ResMed machines in return for a better price and anyone who wants a Respironics machine has to wait for a special order, if they can/will get one at all. Or vice versa.

Kind of a “lite” version of Microsoft’s policy of selling/licensing Windows to computer makers only if they agree to install it on every machine they make, without exception. Everyone who buys a computer must pay Microsoft for their crappy software, even if they dump it and install a different OS, such as Linux.

Whatever it takes to preclude meaningful competition.

Wayne

[goose]

I had to train my DME to do my bidding.

It took 2 weeks to get a Headrest from them, but they did follow through and ordered it for me. I'm sure their profit wasn't as high for that particular mask as it would have been for one of the Respironics masks they usually push, but I told them a long time ago that their profits wasn't a concern of mine.
If my doctor prescribes something, the insurance will pay for it, so the DME will generally find a way to obtain it (the insurance gets billed a whole lot more than you or I would pay for it on the open market).
I have no qualms about contacting the doc and asking her for a brand/model specific prescription -- and she apparently has no qualms about providing it....which she promptly faxes to the DME (I'm sure, much to their chagrin) and gives to me...

Again, I had to train the DME as to the way I expected them to do business with me and it has worked so far....ie. they get their money!!!

cheers
goose