Done with APRIA!!!

[Melanndoll]

I've been going back and forth with apria since the beginning of February. Every time I talk to someone I get a different answer. The guy from the escalation team today was not as sympathetic as I would of liked and kept giving excuses. I have BCBS so I have a few choices in DME's, but hate the idea of starting over! It makes me want to just buy it online, but I have concerns about knowing what mask and supplies to order. What would you guys do?

[wilsonintexas]

If you have an insurance company check with them, mine has a list of 6 or 8 DMES. They do not care which one I use.
The other option, if you can check with your DR. Mine prefers APREA (CRAPREA) but when he heard my horror stories, he looked at what my insurance had on the list (I brought it with me) and helped me pick a second one.

My wife went to a different DR. (long story) and he sent her to aprea..... I wanted to push back, but told him we would try it.... so far this time they were great... not sure why, but it is a ear and a half later.

So now my wfe uses APREA and I use a second one..... her stint with aprea has been so good, I am thinking of switching back to them......

But I understand your frustration...... it is a very common story.

(no rocks please......)

[bwexler]

I have been dealing with Crapria for almost 2 years. During that time they have centralized many functions, so the manager at the local service center no longer has control over ordering or billing or much of anything.
Two years ago you could ask a question or make a request and get a straight answer from someone who could actually make it happen.
Today no one at the service center has access to prices or ordering. That is handled at a remote location in another state. Billing, ordering and customer service are all separated from each other so no one has access to answers to questions like can I get X and what will it cost me. Will I be required to rent? Will I ever own it? They all go to the Nancy Pelosi school of you have to pass it to find out whats in it. So the current approach is, give us your credit card, Then order what we tell you to. We will charge your card as we see fit. You may eventually find out what it will cost.

[BlackSpinner]

I've been going back and forth with apria since the beginning of February. Every time I talk to someone I get a different answer. The guy from the escalation team today was not as sympathetic as I would of liked and kept giving excuses. I have BCBS so I have a few choices in DME's, but hate the idea of starting over! It makes me want to just buy it online, but I have concerns about knowing what mask and supplies to order. What would you guys do?

You could by the machine online and get your masks - to begin with - from the local DME.

[amenite]

I recently fired my DME (not Apria). My insurance carrier changed a little more than halfway through a rent to own deal. I was told it was a 10 month rent to own deal. Then I was told it was a 13 month deal. DME quoted a price a few hundred $$ above what it should have been to pay off the used machine. Claims were submitted by one of their shell companies that was out of network for me and had to be redone. I got bills every month with no date on them that would show a "pay by this date" 5-6 business days from when I got the bill in the mail. I had to remind them that they didn't own the heated humidifier - I owned it since it was fully paid for up front, not part of the E0601 code they were billing monthly for. They were still submitting claims to my old insurer a month after I gave them updated information. All rejected of course. Overall a big PITA. Happy to report I own a new and better machine now for less than they wanted me to pay to own my old used one. Also got a well priced spare. And no more booby trapped bills arrive in the mail twice monthly. No more $600 line items for $60 worth of supplies. Or a $3000 line item for a $229 heated tube humidifier. I am going to be a self-service patient for the foreseeable future. And when I see my RT again in March I will probably have to fire her too, but that's a different story

[footballgirl13]

I've been going back and forth with apria since the beginning of February. Every time I talk to someone I get a different answer. The guy from the escalation team today was not as sympathetic as I would of liked and kept giving excuses. I have BCBS so I have a few choices in DME's, but hate the idea of starting over! It makes me want to just buy it online, but I have concerns about knowing what mask and supplies to order. What would you guys do?

I've had problems with them before. The issue was communication. I told my doctor I need size petite mask. What I got in mail was 3 size large, 2 size small/medium and 2 sized XL. None were petite at all. When I called they passed if off as if Philips Respironics shipped it to me. No. PR has distributors and Apria is the distributor. I have gone back and forth with DME's due to my poor person's insurance - Medi-cal - same as Medicaid. Their formulary changes like a babies diaper.

What I would do is talk to your doctor and tell him/her how important it is to have the same DME so you don't have to start all over. It is horrible when you have to do that. It seems with my insurance, the nurses don't get what I tell them about my mask preference and size - they never get that information to my DME and the DME assumes what I want without asking me what I want. With my insurance I think IEHP only does business with 2 or 3 DME's. That's it.

If you are new to CPAP and don't know what size you need or if you like FFM or nasal pillows or what - I wouldn't go out and purchase anything like that. Not yet. If you can afford a machine, I don't see why you shouldn't purchase one. They are quite expensive and it is a decision only you can make since buying a CPAP can set you back 1K. BiPap costs more.

[footballgirl13]

I have been dealing with Crapria for almost 2 years. During that time they have centralized many functions, so the manager at the local service center no longer has control over ordering or billing or much of anything.
Two years ago you could ask a question or make a request and get a straight answer from someone who could actually make it happen.
Today no one at the service center has access to prices or ordering. That is handled at a remote location in another state. Billing, ordering and customer service are all separated from each other so no one has access to answers to questions like can I get X and what will it cost me. Will I be required to rent? Will I ever own it? They all go to the Nancy Pelosi school of you have to pass it to find out whats in it. So the current approach is, give us your credit card, Then order what we tell you to. We will charge your card as we see fit. You may eventually find out what it will cost.

Good god. NO wonder I hate apria. The right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing.

[TexasTom]

When I picked up my machine Apria couldn't give me a straight answer "Is this a purchase or a lease?" They use only one form, no pricing nor details. No visit with a respiratory therapist, just the machine and a DVD and "here you go". Mask harness was too small for my head (crushed the nasal piece into my face -- no leaks, but one very sore nose!). Nothing about an option to swap headgear within 30 days (my sleep disorder Doc told me about that later).

My insurance carrier has a "Sleep Division" and they called to ask why I didn't send back the SD Card? What? Never got a letter, nor SD card, so they will send another.

Seems Cigna contracts two periods of three months. Basically machine is leased for three months, once they get the card they will authorize another three months. When the second card is sent back, machine is paid off and owner is free to keep. OK, so that makes a little more sense. They wanted to see 70% compliance on usage.

Had a good talk with the lady at Cigna about how bad Apria is to deal with. Thankfully they are bringing another DME online as I'm not the only person complaining. So once the six months is over, I can specify who I want as DME.

APRIA SUCKS.... just avoid them. Had it not been for the folks at Cigna calling me to pick up the machine, I would have never known it was ready to pick up.

[justin25taylor]

Classic Sleep Care is out of BCBS network. They accept BCBS assignment for me. I pay nothing out of pocket. They have been outstanding with me.

[Apriaguy14]

Hello all. I am an Apria employee and COMPLETELY understand your frustration. If anyone has questions please ask me, no BS here and know first hand the frustration.

[Wulfman...]

Hello all. I am an Apria employee and COMPLETELY understand your frustration. If anyone has questions please ask me, no BS here and know first hand the frustration.

Actually, you may want to start a new thread. Might get more attention than posting on an existing one.


Den

.

[palerider]

Hello all. I am an Apria employee and COMPLETELY understand your frustration. If anyone has questions please ask me, no BS here and know first hand the frustration.

can people roast the corporation by proxy through you?

do you have on your nomex undies?

[chunkyfrog]

I tried several times to get them to straighten things out--unsuccessfully.
Eventually, it made sense to simply fire them.

[PollyCT]

My plan of attack with the DMEs was to avoid them altogether. My doc sent my prescription to a DME, but I had her recall it and send it to cpap.com. I then bought direct from cpap, and came to this forum for advice on how to get started on my own.

Is this route for everyone? Absolutely not. I'm very fortunate in that I could just buy the machine and submit for out-of-network billing later. So why go this route? Because life is short, and I have no desire to spend my time on the phone with arguing with people who hold the high card.

That said, I've read some postings by people who did well with their DME, so maybe you'll be one of the lucky ones!

Good luck!

[chunkyfrog]

Deductibles and copays are often considerably more out of network.