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Oxygen concentrators and Medicare

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Posted 1/16/2008 5:20 PM (GMT -8)
Hi everyone my name is sunny,I have been on oxygen for almost 9 years,I have day's that i can just barley breath,and i have heard a lot of talk that Medicare is caping off the oxygen concentrators at 36 months, I was wondering if any one know if this includes the home-fill units? If it doesn't there's going to be a lot of people that will be hurt by this,Life is hard enough,without this happening, I have 2 tanks, and I can not go on a long trip, just to the stores and i do good to do that on 2 tanks, so please if anyones knows or has heard anything please let me know,thank you.
sunnygirl2007
Posted 1/16/2008 7:13 PM (GMT -8)
Sunny,

Welcome to HealingWell. This is a question that I do not have an answer for. Hopefully, someone else who is also on Medicare and oxygen will come along and will be able to help you. Please keep posting and checking in and let us know how you are doing.

Take care!

Carla
Posted 1/17/2008 3:10 PM (GMT -8)
Hi there and Welcome to Healing Well. I tried to find the latest info on your question as there seems to have been some sort of discussion about this issue going on since 2005. You may want to search this site for futher info.
http://homecaremag.com/
Posted 2/9/2008 4:37 AM (GMT -8)
Sunny, mainly what this law is, is that after 36 months, YOU Own the equipment. Refills are still made, etc., it's just that if the equipment breaks, YOU fix it.

I"m on a personal oxygen concentrator called an Inogen One which I received from my supplier here in the Detroit metro area. It runs off house power, battery AND car (and train/plane power), is FAA approved for airline flight (now, if you use o2, you have to rent at exhorbitant rates, oxygen on planes and at destination). Under some new guidelines which took place when I was off O2 (from 2/06 through 4/07) I would only be allowed two tanks of o2 (If I got the refillable ones) and probably 2-3 tanks for the non-refills. I used to get a lot more - my supplier (a small place) would give me enough bottles/week to go anywhere I wanted/needed to go, including Chicago to see my kids). Now, if I wanted to go to Chicago, I'd have to rent oxygen there - a cost that I can hardly afford. I can barely afford the gas now (nearly $100 for just to and from nevermind any traveling around I want to do there!), nevermind oxygen rental. Without the Inogen, I'd never see my grandkids again! Also, I've got enough 'points' through my bank to get 4 airline tickets to multiple destinations. Without the Inogen, I'd never do that either! I'm planning on sometime flying out to AZ (my old HS friend) either late spring or early fall (too hot there in summer!).

If anyone wants more information on what I'm saying, I'll give it in email. I don't want to imply that I'm pushing the given oxygen I use. I'm not...I'm simply saying that I use it and it's a GOD's send!

But...speaking of oxygen...anyone on oxygen also have a fine furry friend with four paws (cat)? Mine loves to chew on the tubing. My Inogen has a 'satellite' that allows me to walk around the house on O2 (btw, last time I was in hospital for pain pump implant last week, I just out of curiosity had my pulse-ox checked after I walked to the nurse' station and back without o2 - it was 86%), which I probably should be doing. However, my cat will take a bite out of it, get scared, then do it again the next time I replace the tubing - and so on and so on and so on. If anyone's had any success in deterring a pet from taking a bite out of their oxygen tubing, I'd LOVE to hear from you! I've tried 'yuck' (I think that's what it's called), cayenne pepper - all THAT does is make ME burn :/ I did one solution that works, but it's so painstaking that I hate to do it! I bought a length of tubing at a home hardware store that was just slightly bigger in diameter than my oxygen tubing, slit it up the side (THAT was painful!), then inserted the oxygen tubing - that's the painstaking part...takes at least 1/2 hour or more for 50' of tubing (enough, since I live in a 14' x 50' mobile home!)

Any ideas would be welcome!

Gina
Posted 2/13/2008 11:40 AM (GMT -8)
One more thing I forgot to ask re oxygen usage...

I find in the morning - somewhat more often lately - that I have removed my cannula in the night - any ideas? My daughter and I brainstormed, and she thought that it became irritating or something and I instinctively took it off while mostly asleep, or my nose got stuffed - ??? Given that I do desat with it off - no lower than 86% (activity) and 89% (inativity), it's not a crises, but I guess could become one if I go lower? I was off O2 only say 10 min when I swapped my O2 (as above post) with the ER's. What would happen if it should have been of for say 4 hours! :/
Posted 2/13/2008 8:42 PM (GMT -8)
Since I don't use oxygen, I was wondering if Gina or someone might be able to answer Granny's questions. I use a nebulizer,but not oxygen.

Thanks!

Carla
Posted 2/17/2008 9:26 AM (GMT -8)
Hello grannymac,thank you for the info on the cap out on the DME,as for the cannulas at night,I know what you are talking about I find myself doing the same thing,I think in my case as probably yours to.. we get so tired of it being there,we just take it out for a break,and fall to sleep until we wake up and notice it gone,I am on oxygen 24 hrs a day,I would love to have gotten a SeQual® - Eclipse but $4,000 is a little to much,and unfortunate after the cap off,no one wants to take you on as a new patient because of the cap,they say they could.t get their money back,and i have been on this since 1999,so I really don't have a good provider But guess have to keep them,my concentrator allows me to fill my tanks,but I only have 2,that makes it really rough,There are so many times i wish i would have change to Cooley's they are a real good company,The one i have now ugh!!!lucky to see them every 4 months,they got so they don't want to leave more than 3 cannulas a month....well thank you for the info God Bless you All.
sunnygirl2007
Posted 2/17/2008 4:58 PM (GMT -8)
sunny, you're welcome!

I don't know where you are, but my provider is a main hospital here in the detroit metro area. When I went back on oxygen this time, I wanted a different suppliwer, and my doc recommended the hospital, so...I did, and right off the bat, they recommended the Inogen. Medicare IS paying for it....make waves, and check. Don't take no for an answer until it comes from the higher-ups in the company! Supervisor, etc.

I hope things work out well.

Gina]
Posted 2/21/2008 2:31 PM (GMT -8)

Hello grannymac,

I Lived in eastern KY,And the provider that i have is a company that is now 59 miles away,and is own by a single family....so I just waste my time when trying to talk to them,and believed me I have try,My mom who is also on oxygen ,Her power went out one day not to long ago and their answer to me was to take my portables to her till they could get to her,Now we don't have what they call a backup tank just in case the power goes off,so my sister brought mom here,but we didn't tell the company,It was the next day before they came,Now if i knew who to turn them into i would do it in a minute...They have no ideal how bad this could have turn out,But again you might as well talk to the door as too them,my inside filter on my machine hasn't been change in 2 going on 3 years...I wish I had know that Medicare was capping these DME Off I and my Mom would have changer providers,Now it's to late,If any that reading this knows who I can file a complaint against this provider..Please let me know I sure would appreciated it,Thank you grannymac'God Bless All" sad

Posted 2/24/2008 6:06 PM (GMT -8)
Sunny,!

I'd start by calling social security's 800# and asking them whom to call for fraud, or go to www.ssa.gov and look on the site - search for fraud - here's the link: http://www.ssa.gov/oig/hotline/ - this is to report fraud. I'd start there, then call your city/county/state health offices and see if THEY have any numbers to report medical provider fraud.

I'm sorry to hear you're having so many problems. Reading these boards, I fel I'm blessed to have what I have! God Bless you!

Gina
Posted 5/25/2008 7:04 PM (GMT -8)
Sunny, is there any way you could get back to Cooley's and ask them to be your provider again? I'm sure there is...Call up medicare's hotline number and find out. I'm waiting for your reply!


Grannymac
Posted 6/22/2008 1:31 AM (GMT -8)
Sunny, any luck? I am checking back and praying that you've found the wolution to your problem!

Some jerk stole the battery charger for my Inogen (portable oxygen concentrator) from my car the other day, and I picked up an inverter. It seems to run the machine, but won't charge the batteries, so...

I'll need to figure out how to get to Chicago to see my grandkids. We have a 'megabus' here that will take us for lots less than *I* can for gas $'s, problem is, I'll need to hang out when I hit chicago somewhere to recharge my batteries and hope that I* can get 'em recharged at least somewhat before I find a train/bus, whaever further down south to daughter's town. Oh well, I;'ll figure it out - used to live in the area 25 years!

Gina
Posted 6/22/2008 6:56 PM (GMT -8)
Since I do not have to use oxygen, thank goodness, I am not exactly sure what you are looking for. Have you tried to find it on line? That is too bad that someone stole yours.
I am always very protective of my nebulizer because it is small and portable and I can use it in the car. But, it looks like it could be a camera case. I'm always afraid someone will snatch it and it won't do them any good and I will be in big trouble until I can get another one.
I wish you the best!
Carla
Posted 7/13/2008 3:02 AM (GMT -8)
Carla and all...miracles of miracles! I was able to get problems solved - and some of my cynacism about greed of the medical profession has been eased. I was sure that with missing parts of the oxygen concentrator, the DME might be reluctant to issue me a new system until I paid off the missing part, but...not so. I swapped the Inogen One for the Eclipse, which does have both pulse and continuous (so works with cpap/bipap), is a bit heavier than the inogen, but other than that.... BTW, I thought I mentioned this on a post, but I don't see it...people, who are on prednisone, make sure you get your blood sugar checked. I found out I was disabetic from the prednisone during one of my many inpatient stays for pneumonia over the last 9 months (actully, dx'd in Sept). There is a possibility that prednisone can cause diabetes or bring out latent diabetes, the jury's not totally in yet.

At any rate, I now have bipap, and as they say, the proof is in the pudding. If I have no more pneumonias, or if they're drastically reduced (or at the VERY least, any I DO have are not aspirant), then we're on the right track! Praise God!
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