Cost of ResMed VPAP S9 Auto w/ H5i Humidifier

My DME presented me on 9/11/12 with the S9, humidifier, power supply, tubing and travel bag. They also gave me a carbon copy of a sort of invoice showing the VPAP was "Rent $47.51" and the Humidifier was "Sale $55.77". So far I have not received any formal Statement or bill from them. Their therapist has been to my house three times, but has not been able to answer any of my financial questions. When I've call their office (80 miles away), I've never been able to find anyone who can give me the answers. So I'm doing my homework before I write their General Manager.

Looking on the Web, I find prices for what looks like my S9 package, ranging from a little over $800 to over $2100. They must not be the same model as mine, but I can't find the specific differences. Can someone here help me zero in the price -- or price range? Do you know how much of that Medicare will pay? Someone at the DME said after 12 1/2 months, the stuff belongs to me and Medicare would pay 80% of the cost, she thought.

When I put in my own SD Card, read the S9 memory, and then put it in ResScan, I see the S9 was used for 7 days, a total of 35:10 (all at night) a month before I received it. It appears I received used merchandise. Shouldn't that cost less than a sealed unit, out of the box?

I have other issues with this DME, but cost is the first one I want to straighten out.

Medicare machine allowable charges for 2012
http://www.resmed.com/us/documents/1013 ... ilevel.pdf

The VPAP is a bilevel machine...so billing code E0470...allowable amounts for monthly rent to own vary with region but
roughly $238 to 202 so Medicare pays 80% and you pay 20%.

I don't know where you think you found the S9 VPAP for $800 on the internet but that couldn't have been for the S9 VPAP Auto.
Every place I have ever looked...over $2,000.
$800 sounds like the S9 Elite.

Humidifier is not typically considered a rent to own piece of equipment. Usually it is a full purchase.
I can't find Medicare allowables for it yet.

Also I think they do the first 3 months "rent to own" at a higher amount than months 4 through 10. Amount may vary by region.

http://www.totalhomecarenc.com/doc/THC% ... wables.pdf

Above is for this region...all I could find so far that showed heated humidifier with code E0562
allowed...roughly $273. Your 20% that you saw for humidifier falls right in line with that amount or close.

Thanks, Pugsy. Yeah, looking back I found it was the Elite for a little over $800.

What about my issue this was previously used merchandise and should have been sold at a reduced price? Of course, I've not seen any bills, so I have no idea what they are charging me. But I still have an issue with them that they never told me up front what financial commitments I was unknowingly making. Before they came with the equipment (over which I was not consulted), they knew it involved Medicare, so they could have easily told me what my part of the action would be. And they never told me it was used.

FYI, I live in upstate NY.

The 35 hours of prior use...I don't know what to tell you.
I understand your point. I don't know if Medicare cares.
Did you see this from the SD card report? And then did you confirm that the machine itself had been used for those 35 hours. There's a remote chance that only the SD card was previously used..
The total machine hours can't be reset but the prior usage data should have been removed from the machine.
Have you checked the hours on the machine to see if therapy hours equals total machine run hours?

If the run hours indeed reflect prior usage you could tell them what you discovered and see what they say about it.
Might check directly with Medicare to see if they care.
I don't remember if they care or not.

Do you know how to check the machine run hours?
It's in the clinical menu under Service menu. This explains how to get there if you don't know. http://www.apneaboard.com/resmed-s9-cpap-setup