Phillips / Philips Respironics recent recall notice discussion thread

[palerider]

garbage.

Please stop calling people sheep, it makes you sound like an alt-right anti-vaxxer wacko.

If the foo shits...

[babydinosnoreless]

People on this board are acting too calm about this.

what would you have us do? besides this-




i mean.

I just expected to hear more anger in some of these posts.

I expect its because the majority of us are older. Just can't get worked up anymore about all the lies. Our government lies, our corporations lie, our media lies. Pretty much "Trust No One " are the words to live by in this new normal. I keep a stocked chest freezer, a stocked closet full of paper supplies and a generator. Battery backups are next on my list. If we didn't both need to be close to doctors I'd move back out to the sticks on acreage. Disgusted and horrified by the world.

[ChicagoGranny]

Forget the word "voluntary" - we have been specifically told not to use the machine anymore.

Sheep?

[palerider]

People on this board are acting too calm about this.

what would you have us do? besides this-




i mean.

I just expected to hear more anger in some of these posts.

To what point? posting angrily benefits nobody.

[kbh209]

I'm not just angry, I'm actually quite pissed - My ResMed crapped out on me, Lincare gave me a spare and it crapped out. Medicare wouldn't cover a new machine until the full five years were up. I was given a loaner Philips 250 from a friend. Five years finally passed and I get a DreamStation APAP from a local DME provider only for six - seven months down the road, I'm told it is being recalled?! Yeah I'm mad but I'm not throwing a tantrum on this message board.

I am however putting energy into something positive: educating CPAP, BiPap and Ventilator users on the ambulance chasers' ads on Facebook

[Grumpy48]

For those registering a machine on Philips recall site, perhaps along with taking the serial number from the bottom of the CPAP device (not the humidifier ), also check that serial number against the sales receipt you got from your DME to ensure you wrote it down correctly from the tag and it actually matches what you purchased . The serial number can also be viewed in a Dreamstation from the screen 'My Provider' > 'Device Info'. (I couldn't find in OSCAR if the serial number gets pulled from the machine via the SD card data(?))
The DreamMapper app will also have the serial number in your 'Settings'>'Account' as a third place to verify it if you use this app.

[zonker]

I just expected to hear more anger in some of these posts.

oh.

we're an older bunch. we've been through some stuff. we've seen lawsuits before that become settled and you end up with $1.50 for your time.

that and we are, as a general rule, more independent when it comes to cpap. most of us have backups. or at least the means to get a secondary market machine to tide us over.

upset? yes, at this point in the life of civilization, you'd think people who sell us medical equipment would be a bit more responsible about it.

i dunno, i think it will work out in the end.

[Dan_McD]

I just expected to hear more anger in some of these posts.

oh.

we're an older bunch. we've been through some stuff. we've seen lawsuits before that become settled and you end up with $1.50 for your time.

that and we are, as a general rule, more independent when it comes to cpap. most of us have backups. or at least the means to get a secondary market machine to tide us over.

upset? yes, at this point in the life of civilization, you'd think people who sell us medical equipment would be a bit more responsible about it.

i dunno, i think it will work out in the end.

TRUE - I've been through some stuff. So, the ramblings of my sleep doctor, the incoherent answers from my DME and the silence from Philips, led me to believe, I had better get a new ResMed machine. I'm thankful I had the means to obtain said device. It turns out, in my opinion, that the ResMed Airsense 10 is a superior APAP machine than the malfunctioning Dreamstation 1. I have also learned to operate independently, being part of the older bunch, that shadowy marketing rhetoric, lies from companies operating only under the premise of CYA, that the best decision for me, is a decision carefully constructed by me, based on experience and the recognition of the mounds of BS. After using the Airsense for 10 days and fine tuning the pressures and what-not, I had a 0.00 AHI last night, with nary a negative blip in apneas, snoring or obstruction's and a slight amount of mask leak. I am thankful once again for this forum and my own attention to my olderness. Anger usually dissipates when gainful decisions mature.

[packitin]

Yeah, amen to that.

I just found out the 5-year rule does NOT apply if there is a recall. I went to FOUR DME's the very day the doctor gave me my prescription, and they all gave me the run-around.

I called Medicare, and talked to a person, who confirmed that I should have gotten my new machine without question. (my DME supplier is closed today, but I'll be there at 8 am tomorrow with the medicare's name and phone number and I want the manager to call in my presence! I'm going to walk out with my new machine, or know the reason why!

[Morgoth]

I've just got my money back from the distributor for the DS-1 I bought a month ago.

Luckily I wasn't using it for a long time, maybe 10 nights at max.

I hope you guys that were using it for years will be fine.

[ChicagoGranny]

I just found out the 5-year rule does NOT apply if there is a recall.

Concerning Medicare replacement policies, that squares with guidance ResMed has been giving to physicians for years. This means even if you just drop your machine and break it, Medicare will cover a replacement machine.

Less than five years
The replacement of an item before its five-year life-time
expires can only be done if the item is lost, is irreparably
damaged, or the patient’s medical condition changes
and the item no longer satisfies the medical needs of
the patient.
• Loss or irreparable damage:
– Irreparable damage is considered damage caused by
a specific accident or natural disaster.
– A physician’s order is needed to reaffirm the medical
necessity of the item.
• If a PAP machine is replaced during the RUL because
of loss, theft or irreparable damage due to a specific
incident, there is no requirement for a new clinical
evaluation, sleep test or trial period.
• The supplier must replace the equipment free of
charge if it does not last the full five-year period (ie, is
no longer serviceable or needs substantial repairs). If
it is determined that the item is unable to last for the
entire five-year RUL based upon accumulated repair
costs (those repair costs exceeding 60% of the cost to
replace), the supplier must replace the equipment with
properly working equipment at no charge.

Replacement equipment does not need to be new.

[HairyReasoner]

Yeah, amen to that.

I just found out the 5-year rule does NOT apply if there is a recall. I went to FOUR DME's the very day the doctor gave me my prescription, and they all gave me the run-around.

I called Medicare, and talked to a person, who confirmed that I should have gotten my new machine without question. (my DME supplier is closed today, but I'll be there at 8 am tomorrow with the medicare's name and phone number and I want the manager to call in my presence! I'm going to walk out with my new machine, or know the reason why!

I always thought Medicare was the most difficult insurance to get anything covered. Apparently not, though. Blue Cross is still holding to the idea they won't cover any of it if it's been less than 5 years. Guess they'd rather pay for my lung cancer if I have to go back to using the DS1 for lack of an alternative.

[Dog Slobber]

I always thought Medicare was the most difficult insurance to get anything covered. Apparently not, though. Blue Cross is still holding to the idea they won't cover any of it if it's been less than 5 years. Guess they'd rather pay for my lung cancer if I have to go back to using the DS1 for lack of an alternative.

Insurance companies are not responsible for paying for Philips blunder. Read the terms of your policy.

[HairyReasoner]

I always thought Medicare was the most difficult insurance to get anything covered. Apparently not, though. Blue Cross is still holding to the idea they won't cover any of it if it's been less than 5 years. Guess they'd rather pay for my lung cancer if I have to go back to using the DS1 for lack of an alternative.

Insurance companies are not responsible for paying for Philips blunder. Read the terms of your policy.

I've read the terms of my policy. Nowhere does it say coverage is determined by whose fault it is. By that argument, if my neighbor gets careless with his rifle and shoots me, my insurance shouldn't cover my medical treatment for that if my neighbor doesn't step up. Perhaps you can show me where in the terms a typical insurance policy it in general rules out coverage for things that are somebody else's fault, but I can't find anything like that.

Of course, just as my insurance might recover it's expenses against my neighbor by litigation, such avenue would still be open against Phillips.

Insurance companies do have limitations on coverage, including the 5 year limitation on buying CPAP devices. But, in cases of medical necessity they can, and sometimes do waive those requirements (as according to the post here Medicare has done).

I'm not saying they're operating against their policies by not waiving the 5 year requirement. I'm just stating the realistic choice they have. If a person can't get an alternative device (and right now Phillips isn't going to do that quickly enough for the medical necessity of many patients), then that patient will have no choice but to go back on the defective device with the apparent risk of future lung cancer (granted, we can't right now quantify that risk). And, insurance will then be stuck paying for that. My point is it might be in their better financial interest to pay for the new machines now than pay for lung cancer treatment later.

[ChicagoGranny]

Perhaps you can show me where in the terms a typical insurance policy it in general rules out coverage for things that are somebody else's fault, but I can't find anything like that.

Isn't that the way all insurance works?

I'll give you some examples. Gramps was rear-ended a few years ago. The fire department insisted an ambulance take him to the ER. He was diagnosed with a mild concussion. Our Medicare Advantage Plan paid the ambulance and ER bills. When the case was settled, our Medicare plan was reimbursed by the insurance company of the driver-at-fault.

We always carried a lot of insurance on our manufacturing plant. Over the years, there were times when a contractor working on our facility did some damage. We had insurance, but the contractor-at-fault had to pay for the damage (usually through his own insurance policy).

Maybe there are some states that have so-called no-fault automobile insurance. I don't know the details.