Changing Machines Mid-rental?????

I was just wondering.
I 've been renting a cpap for the past 6 months. I don't need an apap, but, if I can do an even swap for one, why not?

Does anyone know if the DME, and the insurance company, do things like that? Would the new apap continue under the OLD rental agreement or start off from scratch again?

I know I'd have to check with MY insurance & DME, but I'd rather get your input here first, before I act like a fool with them!

Should not be an issue, provided it is a rental...

After 3 months on a cpap (resmed S8) I had my follow up with my doctor and told him I wanted an apap and gave him
an excel spreadsheet of my progress since night 1 showing why...

He did not know what to say, besides ok... He wrote me a new prescription for an auto with a different dme...
the dme's hashed it out, and the next day I returned my S8 to the one dme, went to the new dme and picked
up hy F&P HC254... that was about 4 months ago or so? not sure. In any event, mine is a rental as well and
I was able to return it. No clue if the contract starts over again or it just continues with the new dme, but
I was able to get what I wanted...

I did. But I was less than 30 days into the deal. And it took a new 'script from my doc. I THINK I may have paid an additional month's rental before I owned it. (Not sure...it was during my "dark period" where memories are fuzzy.) But I'm guessing they treated it like two transactions--a "return within 30 days" and a "new rent-to-own agreement".

In my case, the doc wrote the script as "data recording", so I got an m-series PLUS w/smartcard (compliance only!).


when I complained, the DME told me what it needed to say for them to give me a Pro machine. I called the doc (who wasn't in that day) and I dictated to his PA what the 'script should say. (I upgraded myself to an Auto while I was at it...lol) The next day the DME showed up with my shiny new machine and took the old one. I don't know if my insurance company was involved at all with the upgrade. I know the cost per month was the same.

Think this thru. It can vary from insurance company and policy. However, the majority of insurances purchase your CPAP on some form of "rent to own" w/the rental period varying from one to 13 months. The insurance company has contracted w/the local DME provider at x amount of money for x amount of months and at the end of that x amount of months that CPAP device then reverts to your sole ownership.

So - you are provided w/a brand new CPAP. At the end of x amount of months it becomes your possession. Now - IF six months into the "rent to own" period you decide you don't like this CPAP and want another ... do you REALLY expect and think it fair that the DME provider take back that now used device and exchange it for another brand new device AT NO EXTRA CHARGE? Or do you really expect that you can return that now used device and switch to another local DME provider and expect either 1] your insurance company to start all over paying another x amount of payments for this new device after they have paid 6 months already for the first now used device at no extra charge to you or 2] that the new local DME provider will accept the lesser amount of payments needed to fill out the original x number of benefit months?

Usually, if you make the switch w/in the first 30 days you can get away w/exchanging devices because the billing hasn't been made yet. And once in a great while if you are far enough into the rent-to-own period that the DME provider has at least gotten his initial cost of the device from your insurance AND there is enough time left in the rent-to-own period that the new or same DME provider can get their cost of the new device from your insurance company and continue to make a profit off of future sales of accessories to you such an exchange can be made w/o extra cost to you. BUT DON'T COUNT ON IT!


Insurances control the issue. They are going to pay x amount of money x amount of times for a CPAP. IF it is determined that you NEED an entirely DIFFERENT TYPE of xPAP, such as from CPAP to a bi-level, that's an entirely new ball game and once the insurance approves the need the benefits start anew.

LinkC wrote:I did. But I was less than 30 days into the deal. And it took a new 'script from my doc. I THINK I may have paid an additional month's rental before I owned it. (Not sure...it was during my "dark period" where memories are fuzzy.) But I'm guessing they treated it like two transactions--a "return within 30 days" and a "new rent-to-own agreement".

In my case, the doc wrote the script as "data recording", so I got an m-series PLUS w/smartcard (compliance only!).


when I complained, the DME told me what it needed to say for them to give me a Pro machine. I called the doc (who wasn't in that day) and I dictated to his PA what the 'script should say. (I upgraded myself to an Auto while I was at it...lol) The next day the DME showed up with my shiny new machine and took the old one. I don't know if my insurance company was involved at all with the upgrade. I know the cost per month was the same.

Link, that jogged my memory so I just checked my paperwork. Yes, you're right. We received our M Series PLUS on 8/26/08, had our Dr rewrite the RX for the Auto, we made the exchange on 9/2 and Medicare was billed for 2 separate rental agreements. It looks to me like they were paid for the whole month of August(we only had it 5 days) and then again starting in Sept until this past Oct. Hmm!