Insurance woes with my new machine!!

Just spoke to my insurance company earlier today.

The rude woman I spoke with told me that my original prescription for the CPAP was dated July 6, and that the service date (when I received my machine) was August 6, so it wasn't "valid". She also said that it wasn't the E0601 code, but refused to tell me what code it actually was.

I emailed my sleep doc, not expecting much (as he declined to give me a new prescription back when I first asked), but got an encouraging reply - he said he will talk to my DME, would be happy to fix the problem with an updated prescription, and that it "looks like they put me through a nightmare!".

I've really got to bite my tongue, because I want to say, "If you would've just updated my prescription like I originally requested this wouldn't be happening!! "

But it's good to have gotten a positive response from him. We'll see what happens!!!

The rude woman I spoke with told me that my original prescription for the CPAP was dated July 6, and that the service date (when I received my machine) was August 6, so it wasn't "valid".

That sounds a little fishy to me, most prescriptions for machines are not fulfilled on the same day written. But you'll have to see what is figured out. Keep a copy of the new rx and make sure YOU send a copy to the insurance company, then follow-up to make sure they got it and that it fixes the problem.

BTW, it's a good idea to keep a record of EVERYTHING--keep a log of who you called on what date at what time, who you actually spoke to, and what they said. If they promise you something, send a "confirming memo" to them along the lines of "I just wanted to confirm our telephone conversation of September 10, 2010 at 2 p.m. with respect to the need for an updated prescription. You told me that the problem with the billing was an outdated prescription and that could be fixed by blah, blah, blah", etc.

Keep a paper trail so you can trace problems back to their source and people can't deny that you were diligent in working on this.