About 5 or 6 years ago, I went by ambulance and was admitted to a hospital. The attending ER doctor who was over my care came to my room with a home breathing machine called a nebulizer. He said I needed it at home to do breathing treatments. In 2008 I was put on home oxygen.
It was the hospital ER doctor who had set me up with the home medical equipment provider company. So when my Lung Specialist put me on home oxygen, I naturally used the same provider I had for all the other home supplies.
This last week, my doctor wrote me a script for a certain piece of oxygen equipment that I NEED in order to go away from my home for more than a few hours.
I called my supplier and they denied me. I called Medicare and they approved it. WHAT....? Confusing to say the least.
I told my doctor. She couldn't understand why I was being denied. So, she called several other oxygen providers who do have the equipment and NONE of them will take me.
WHY..? ALL of them "SAY" that a few years ago Medicare made a rule that medical supply providers will only be paid the first 3 years of the 5 years of oxygen. I have 18 more months to go.
I still am having trouble figuring this out. I think it's something like a 5 year contract or something and then you can change...kinda like getting TV service or Internet or cell phone etc. BUT..medical service..? This is NOT GOOD. Once you get on with a company and they give you lousy service or don't have the equipment you need, you are SOL.
The bottom line is MONEY...PAYMENT...and I can't blame a company for not giving service/goods FREE...they won't stay in business long doing that.
PAY ATTENTION HERE....I talked to the Respiratory Mgr. of my current provider and she told me if I should move to another area that her company does NOT serve, she doesn't know what I can do as other providers aren't willing to serve me without being paid AND that she has clients who are currently having this problem. It's the SAME if I move out of state..and should I move, unless another provider is willing to take me on without pay, I have NO idea where I will get my oxygen or oxygen equipment.
I told my current provider that I am calling OK Rep. Dr. Mike Ritze AND OK Senator Dr. Tom Coburn...(I wonder if they know about this...my primary care doc didn't) and she told me she was glad and hopefully they can get Medicare rules changed. People can DIE from this insane rule.
ALL of us NEED to know this info...you never know when YOU might need oxygen and I am NOT sure if this also covers ALL supplies a patient gets from a provider or just the oxygen part.
It is NOT the fault of the providers, it is MEDICARE and we MUST force them to change this ruling "THEY" MADE. WHY they made this ruling is beyond anyone's knowledge I have talked to. Hopefully Dr. Ritze and/or Dr. Coburn can get to the bottom of this and get it changed.
For your own info and understanding, I suggest you call ANYmedical oxygen supplier and ask them about this ruling...THEN...call Medicare and raise cain with them....THEN...call YOUR state elected and ALL doctors who are elected lawmakers. THEY can take issue with this.
This is a life threatening issue that we can not ignore.
Medicare 800-633-4227
I got better treatment from MY supplier in the first 3 years...now, it's like they don't give a hoot about me (since they aren't being paid).
ALSO, if you need ANY kind of mobility equipment, home hospital bed or any home medical equipment etc., ask your doctor to help you GET IT NOW while you can before obamacare cuts in.
Since my current supplier doesn't carry the piece of oxygen equipment I need, I am SOL just like all the others.
THIS IS A NIGHTMARE...!!!
I naturally used the same provider I had for all the other home supplies.....
ReplyDeleteMedicare Alabama