Done with APRIA!!!

This type of experience is exactly why it is of primary importance to get all pertinent information
from your insurance company--before ordering ANYTHING!
Enough DME's are pathological liars that we cannot afford to trust them,
---At least right "out of the gate".

Melanndoll wrote: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?

Yup. Me too. Back and forth. They blame the sleep lab, the sleep lab blames the doctor, then the doctor blames Apria and it goes back and forth.

Never got my equipment. I'm about to make another call a little later. Back and forth like 100 times.

My recommendation is to try a local DME provider if you have one available--one that's not affiliated with a large organization or hospital. Smaller ones may sometimes exercise flexibility the big guys don't.

After hearing some of these experiences, I feel pretty fortunate to have one locally that seems to care about the patient. Mine has a respiratory therapist I can make an appointment to see at no cost when I have an issue with which I need help. When the humidifier on my CPAP machine died, they sent it in for repairs and gave me a loaner. When the unit turned out to not be repairable, and I faced a cumbersome approval process to prove to the insurance company I really needed a replacement humidifier, my DME gave me the unit they had loaned me at no charge. Sometimes when I've had a mask break on me or headgear fail before the time my insurance would approve another, they've discovered they have some extra parts lying around to patch me up. That kind of service means a lot.

I was pi$$ed at Apria for sending me 6 paper thin filters in a 10"X12"X6" box overnight shipping after I had ordered them 2 weeks prior. I called the # on their "if we're not doing a 10 then call our # printed on the invoice". After getting shuttled around to 3-4 different people, one finally acquiesced and said she'd make note in my file that I wasn't pleased with the shipping, even though she assured my it was free. I told I KNEW it was free, but that someone was going to pay for that shipping that could have gone in an envelope. What idiots.

I'm adding to this thread.

Recently, my sleep doctor recommended that I switch from my CPAP to an APAP.

I called my HealthNet insurance and they told me that I had to go through Apria. I'd met my huge deductible and out of pocket maximum this year, so the new machine would be free. I had wanted to buy it from CPAP.com, but they would not cover that. The only way it would be covered was to go through Apria.

What a frustrating headache it was dealing with Apria!

I faxed them my doctor's RX and created an account with them. They said it would take 2 weeks. Two weeks went by...nothing. So I started calling them. Oh, they needed a copy of my sleep study (done FIVE YEARS AGO - why do they even need it???) and waited a week to finally ask my doctor for it. I told them that I was unhappy about this and that I wanted my new machine already. They said they'd escalate it.

I called again a few days later. Got another moron on the phone who told me that they were waiting for my sleep study. No, I told them....you already have my sleep study. You've had it for over a week! They said they'd escalate it.

Several more days went by. Called Apria again. This time, they told me that my new CPAP machine was denied by HealthNet. Had no record of anything being escalated previously.

Called HealthNet. No, they didn't deny anything. In fact, they never got anything from Apria.

Finally, I had the HealthNet rep call Apria while I was on the phone. They tried to give her the same runaround about "it takes two weeks" (when it had already been two weeks) and other bullshit. I was on the phone TWO HOURS with HealthNet and the Apria people on conference call trying to get my machine. I also emailed my doctor and told her what was going on.

Two days later, someone at the local Apria office called and apologized, and said that my machine was waiting for me. I picked it up yesterday. Of course, they had the wrong mask. They told me that they'd mail me the correct one. I won't hold my breath....

They assured me that although it says "rental" on the agreement, I will not get any sort of bill because my deductible has been 100% met and HealthNet is paying for the entire thing.

I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop in a month or so. I will be surprised if I don't get a bill. And if they send me a bill, I'm not going to pay it.

They are bunch of morons over there. Believe me, if insurance had paid for it, I would have bought it from CPAP.com!

I would have thought Crapria would try to improve in light of all the complaints, but they continue to prove that they are a bunch of lazy liars and morons.

pratzert wrote:I would have thought Crapria would try to improve in light of all the complaints, but they continue to prove that they are a bunch of lazy liars and morons.

Why should they improve when insurance companies and Medicare keep going with the lowest bidder? Apria would lose the medicare contract if those who have had problems actually REPORTED it to Medicare, but they don't so nothing happens.

zeeclass wrote: They assured me that although it says "rental" on the agreement, I will not get any sort of bill because my deductible has been 100% met and HealthNet is paying for the entire thing.

Unless you have that in writing that the entire machine is covered, you most likely are not. If Apria is renting the machine, you will not see any bills this year, but in Jan, your out of pocket expenses will reset and you will then be billed the portion of the rental until the rental period ends whenever that is (many times 10 - 13 months).

Get a statement from Apria that states on it that the machine is PAID IN FULL. Anything else is just going to cost you. Been there, done that.

The horrors of Apria bear repeating - Worst customer experience of my life!

We were just transferred to them from our new insurance provider, CIGNA. They put together an order for a new CPAP setup (machine, mask, all), that we never requested. I had to call to cancel. They have no idea when a mask I ordered will be delivered.

Long story, don't want to go through it all, other than I was transferred literally 10 times and most of those were to the wrong department in rapid succession, only to be told that they couldn't help me.

I'll be changing DME immediately and/or buying stuff online from now on.

FishLips wrote:The horrors of Apria bear repeating - Worst customer experience of my life!

We were just transferred to them from our new insurance provider, CIGNA. They put together an order for a new CPAP setup (machine, mask, all), that we never requested. I had to call to cancel. They have no idea when a mask I ordered will be delivered.

Long story, don't want to go through it all, other than I was transferred literally 10 times and most of those were to the wrong department in rapid succession, only to be told that they couldn't help me.

I'll be changing DME immediately and/or buying stuff online from now on.

Just reminding you to pay attention how old threads are. Apria has a bad reputation, but I am puzzled how they did a setup without a doctor's order? Be sure to complain to your insurance company - provide dates and any info. Nothing changes unless those affected complain.

SewTired wrote:Apria has a bad reputation, but I am puzzled how they did a setup without a doctor's order? Be sure to complain to your insurance company - provide dates and any info. Nothing changes unless those affected complain.

Cigna referred me to Carecentrix, who asked for our prescriptions to set us up with a DME. They passed the prescriptions on to Apria, who, for some reason, decided to put together a new user CPAP kit for my wife. There was no reason to do that.

I plan to call Carecentrix tomorrow to find out exactly why that happened. Then Cigna.

Friday, I made a phone call to Cigna, who got me on the line with Carecentrix, who then did a conference call with Apria, who was once again clueless.

I asked about tracking the shipping on a mask they said was shipping out two days prior. They said it was instead shipping out that day, but couldn't give me a tracking number. Useless talking to them. Back on the line with Carecentrix, I asked them to remove Apria as my provider.

Today, I received a call from what I guess was an Apria retention specialist, who thought my main concern was my order and wanted to let me know that my mask was shipping out today (again). OK. 3rd time it was "shipping out today." Whatever, I don't care. I told him to cancel it because I'm done dealing with his company, and that this order was just one small example of the disorganization of the company.

Unfortunately, Cigna offers no local DME company for CPAP supplies. Aetna, whom I just changed from, worked with IHC, who had at least two different retail stores within 15 minutes from my house.

Avoid Cigna, as well as their toadies at Apria.
Can anyone honestly claim that this evil alliance is not fully calculated and intentional?

chunkyfrog wrote:Avoid Cigna, as well as their toadies at Apria.
Can anyone honestly claim that this evil alliance is not fully calculated and intentional?

I can't deny it.

Don't forget CareCentrix is part of that Evil Axis !

What's your insurance deductible? I'm going to guess that it's surely way higher than your yearly expenditures on masks and supplies (and probably way more than the cost of your machine + supplies). If you routinely go over your deductible in a given year, yeah I can see going through insurance to make it count toward that, but sans that, why even bother? You're going to be paying for it all anyway. I'd say just skip all of that and start getting stuff on your own. If you have an HSA you can even use those funds for most of the supplies. On masks, it's mostly just trial and error to start out. You really don't have any choice but to spend some money trying different things. It won't take you that long to get things dialed in, then you'll be good to go. On supplies, there is very little you need anyway - some filters and cushions every so often. You don't need them nearly as often as the DME will recommend. Filters once a month tops (probably much less than that). Cushions probably last at least 2-3 months, or longer. Really, you won't be buying all that much.