Lincare Beware

Yesterday I received an interesting statement from Lincare.

The first line said " Customer beginning balance" of ($ 76.06).
The second line read "01/31/07 Deductible" of $ 122.82.
The "Pay Amount Now Due" reads $ 46.76, the difference of the two numbers.

There is no billing to my insurance carrier to back up the charges, and no EOB from insurance.

I keep detailed records of Lincare billings and EOB's. Based on EOB's, I am basically paid-up with Lincare from my July 2006 start date through 31 January 2007. According to my records, my current balance is less than $ 3.00 (filters).

Has anyone else had an experience like this with Lincare? When Lincare needs to boost revenues, do they just send out unsupported bills? Or what?

Thanks.

What did they say when you called them to question it?

I sent them a letter so that my inquiry would be in writing.

I've been with Lincare for over a year and they have messed up several bills. And they've messed up almost every order I've made. Right now I have paperwork from my insurance company that says I owe them about $145, which I believe is correct. They didn't send me a bill for 4 months, never sent the insurance company information on several items I received, then sent me a bill for December that says I had a beginning balance of $64.43 - and I don't have a clue where that figure came from!! Sometimes I wonder what the educational requirements are to work in their accounting department!

And now it seems they have a new "procedure" of sending out tubing, mask parts, filters and such on a regularly scheduled basis whether the client asks for them or not!! That is NOT be acceptable as far as I'm concerned. Just because insurance will pay for tubing every month or 3 months or whatever doesn't mean I NEED new tubing. Same with mask cushions. I can stretch the monthly two simple cushions to at least 6 weeks, sometimes two months. They will do anything to get into our pocketbooks!!!

The first 9 month, I never heard from Lincare, now they call me every 3 months asking what I need. I think they got hungry. The one thing you can count on, what you do get will not be what you ask for, and it won't be in a factory package, I think they go around all day trying everything on, it's a good thing they aren't selling underware. Jim

Not to specifically defend Lincare or to comment on thier service there is one thing I might be able to shed some light on for you.

linda b wrote: They didn't send me a bill for 4 months, never sent the insurance company information on several items I received, then sent me a bill for December that says I had a beginning balance of $64.43 - and I don't have a clue where that figure came from!! Sometimes I wonder what the educational requirements are to work in their accounting department!

This really isn't very supprising when you consider that the average time to turn a claim runs approximately 90 days. That would then put them in touch with you in about 4 months.

In many cases, it can take us a month or two just to pry information out of a doctors office that we have to have before we can submit a claim. Then toss in a turnaround of say 3 months or so. Now if the claim gets denied (Which happens far, far too often) and we have to go through review that can easily take another 6 months.

During that time we are not allowed to send a bill to a patient.

So it happens far more often than you would think that it's a year after providing equipment before we can turn a claim.

Now for the real quandry. When you can't guarantee payment of the equipment - how do you handle payment of supplies needed in the meantime? It's not fair to charge the patient because of a stubborn insurance company. Is it appropriate to just provide them in the hopes of turning the insurance company around? It's a crappy situation that I hate because it happens a lot more often than I'd like.

mattman
P.S. - On the whole, I really don't like Lincare, FYI.

Just to clarify, I have in my hands "explanation of benefits" forms for ALL those 4 months of oxygen concentrator rental -- approved by BCBS, but never billed to me. It is stuff like ComfortLite 2 simple cushions and filters that I ordered, received, but they never sent in claims to insurance -- at least they don't show up on the BCBS web site. I'm talking back as far as last July. Of course, every time I've ordered simple cushions they send me nasal pillows which I have to return and then raise a ruckus until they get me the simple cushions!!

But I hesitate to change DMEs because I don't have any reason to believe any others would be any better. And that is a really sad commentary on the industry.

Lincare keeps billing me for a deductible. Medicare covers most, but I have a secondary insurer that actually paid the deductible. When I called, they said that they have a delay in posting and to ignore the bill. However overbilling seems to be a regular practice. This is not the first time I had to call to state they were paid by my secondary insurer.
I also called to stop them from sending unneeded supplies monthly.

Hey, MattMan! I started on xPAP therapy w/this DME the first part of October 2006. I just spoke to Medicare yesterday and this DME "still" has NOT submitted a claim.

I have been told repeatedly that one I started w/a DME w/Medicare I could NOT change DMEs. I asked about that. I "can" change DMEs even w/Medicare! Of course, now that it is 4 months down the road it would cost me dearly. The 4 months rent at $135 a month for example for the xPAP machine itself.

What I didn't think to ask about (since $540 would buy me a new RemStar AutoPAP w/C-Flex) was what the policy would be on the heated humidifier, mask, hose, etc. Would Medicare still buy those from this DME and I keep them? Would Medicare refuse to pay for them? Would they refuse to bill Medicare for them and bill me for them? Would I be able to just return them as well as the machine, pay just the machine rental and be done w/them?

I am assuming that I would have to pay the 4 months rental PLUS for all the other equipment. It wouldn't make sense that I could just return everything and pay on the $540 xPAP machine rental. That seems like too unfair to expect and too much to ask of even a rotten DME.

At this late date I figure it makes more sense to stay w/them for nime more long months. BUT had I been told the truth at any time during the first two months, or had the sense to call Medicare and ask during those first two months - I assure you I'd have gladly paid to get away from them!!! It took me awhile to realize that you can't believe ANYTHING except what you can get/find in black and white print from your insurance company or from Medicare. On the other hand, at this late date its not worth calling Medicare again to ask about.

And one other question: I was under the impression that 02 concentrators fell under the Medicare capped rental umbrella as of the first of January 2007. Have I misunderstood that?

i have my cpap machine from them in december 06. they bill bcbs for 315 a month and they get the contracted amount for 96 something. thats a ten-month rent to own. they also auto shipped me stuff and i returned it to them.
at the fitting this guy opened a bag contained the head strap, cushion, frame and had a part number to it. the auto ship box contained head strap, frame, cushion. on the invoice was the same part number as the initial setup bag. but they charged me for an additional cushion, frame and headstrap that should be included in the order number. seems they are playing with the numbers. i checked by bcbs EOB online and that's what they did. sorry if i confused you. he also started out with a used machine because no new ones were in stock. i had to remind him i deserved a new machine.

now i am ordering my replacement stuff online until i can find someone who is contracted with BCBS in my area.

only reason i am staying withthem is for the warrantee on my machine. they have to service it if it breaks down. if they don't like it, it's too bad. i am steering the ship now and they are not. and if they mess with me i call the fraud department at BCBS.

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