Apria Healthcare

An error occurred and the patient’s equipment went from billing maintenance and service to billing back monthly againWhen the patient spoke to our representative on 10/3/17, the open balances on the account were placed in for an adjustment. The calls should be stopping for the patient as
the adjustment is being processed. On 10/3/the account was corrected to have the equipment go back to maintenance and service according to the original contract where the equipment will bill twice a year. This contract will be effective as long as the patient continues with the same insurance We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. We do apologize for the miscommunication as our goal is to ensure customer satisfaction as well as accurate billing Sincerely, Apria Healthcare, LLC

Again, we would like to apologize for the level of customer service you recently experiencedDuring another review of your records, we confirmed that all the documentation required per *** guidelines has been receivedAlso, we confirmed that a delivery of the cpap equipment is scheduled for June 2,
Again, we sincerely apologize for any challenges and inconvenience this has caused you
We greatly appreciate you for taking the time to bring your concerns to our attentionWe welcome all patient feedback as this provides us with a valuable insight into our services from the patient’s perspective
Sincerely,
Apria Healthcare LLC

Item # 1: Long hold times, long estimated time of arrival windows, and hold music RESPONSE Apria has been trying to schedule maintenance of the oxygen concentrator since 10/3/2011, sending a total of letters in addition to multiple phone calls. Patient called in on 2/18/at
approximately 11:00amAt this time the average speed to answer was minutes within that particular department. All concentrator maintenance appointments are scheduled weeks in advanced and do not come with specific appointment times as this is general maintenance routed to a technician with multiple stops and are given consideration for unseen circumstances such as traffic and travel timeApria will provide a hour time window the day of delivery Should there be a malfunction or concern with the equipment Apria will send a technician on a same day basis for emergencies or at the latest, the next day, for issues that do not put the patient’s health in jeopardy. In regards to the music during hold times, Apria strives to keep the music as neutral as possible. Sincerely, *** ***Apria Healthcare, Recurring Oxygen Scheduling Manager

Item # 1:Mr*** states that he was asked to provide a credit card when he received his Respiratory Assist Device(BIPAP) on October 31, Mr*** states that we charged his credit card without informing him in both February & March in the amount of $843.00.Mr*** mentioned in
his concern that he signed a contract for one year to lock in the amount of $per month. Item # 2:Mr*** stated that his Respiratory Assist Device is not providing good pressure and is not working properlyMr*** states that he has paid over $for equipment that he cannot use appropriately between the months of November until March 2015. RESPONSE:After thorough review of Mr***’s account, it was confirmed that when he received the RespiratoryAssist Device, he signed the Sales Service & Rental Agreement (SSRA) which also included Mr***’s credit card informationBeing that the Sales Service & Rental Agreement was signed, that provided ApriaHealthcare with authorization to charge the credit card provided by Mr***.In reference to the amounts that were charged to Mr***’s credit card, those amounts were applied toward your annual deductible with your insurance after the claims were submitted to *** *** ***. In regards to the issues with Mr***’s Respiratory Assist Device, we reached out to the local respiratory therapist and they were under the impression that Mr*** would be returning the Respiratory AssistDevice due to the cost factorHowever the Respiratory Therapist did contact *** today, April 9th and they will proceed with a warranty exchange for your Respiratory Assist Device with a *** Smodel onlyThey will not upgrade to the Smodel during the warranty exchange.The respiratory therapist made an attempt to contact Mr*** today to explain the warranty exchange process. We do apologize for the miscommunication as our goal is to ensure cus***er satisfaction as well as accurate billing. Sincerely,*** *** ***Patient Account Resolution Team Lead

We have reviewed patient account and confirmed that the amount of the invoice for date of service May 16th, was based off the primary allowed amount and went to patient's deductible; therefore they only paid $and the secondary insurance will only pay up to their allowableTherefore an
adjustment has been entered to remove the remaining amount of the invoice and a refund was processed on February 22nd, in the amount of $to be sent to the address on fileWe do apologize for the miscommunication as our goal is to ensure customer satisfaction as well as accurate billing and we will use this as a training opportunity to provide better customer service to you going forward
Sincerely,
Apria Healthcare LLC

We have reviewed the patients account and confirmed that the patient received his durable medical equipment from Apria on August 12, The equipment has now been converted to a purchase as of August 8, and he now owns the equipmentThe account reflects a zero balance as all charges have
been removed and he will no longer be billed for the equipmentIf any statements are received following this response please disregard and allow time for our system to update We do apologize for the miscommunication as our goal is to ensure customer satisfaction as well as accurate billing Sincerely, Apria Healthcare, LLC

ITEM # 1:
Mr*** states that Apria converted his CPAP unit to sale when his insurance paid and is now billing him a large balanceHe is requesting that Apria let him return the CPAP unit and cancel the bill
RESPONSE
We have reviewed Mr***’s account and found that he
received a CPAP unit and supplies on May 23, Apria submitted claims to Aetna on Mr***’s behalf per the Aetna contract
When Mr***’s insurance changed to UHC on May 1, 2014, Apria submitted a convert to sale claim to UHC on Mr***’s behalf per the UHC contractUHC applied the claim amount of $towards Mr***’s yearly deductible
Rental and convert to sale options under different insurance plans cannot carry over, because they are based on different contractsThe new insurance does not or is not required to credit amounts paid by the previous insurance
We do apologize that no one contacted Mr*** before converting the CPAP unit to sale and discussed his options with him regarding the CPAP unitAfter review of the account in more detail, we have reversed Mr***’s payment of $for the convert to sale on May 1, We are in process of having the $refunded to Mr***The full balance o f$has been adjusted leaving Mr*** a $balance with Apria and West Asset Management collections
Mr*** now has ownership of the CPAP unit which was transferred from Apria to the patient and he will not incur any further chargesWe do apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused
Sincerely,
*** ***
Billing Center Quality Specialist

Item # 1:Ms*** states that Apria will not provide *** the requested information,therefore they will not payShe states that her account has been referred to collectionsand she wants Apria to send *** the needed information or pay for the equipmentthemselves.RESPONSE:We have reviewed
Ms***’s (patient) account and found that she received a CPAPunit and supplies on July 1, At the time of the initial set-up, the patient hadhealthcare coverage with *** and *** which requires compliance with usingthe equipment for a certain number of hours on a certain percentage of nights, before itwill cover charges for the equipment beyond a certain period.We have reviewed all the documentation that has been received into our systemWereceived the initial face to face evaluation (2.19.13), sleep study (5.30.13)However,there has been no documentation received showing that the patient had gone back to thephysician for the re-evaluation for CPAP therapy, which must occur within the 31st-90thday of CPAP therapyNeither did we have the download information to verify thepatient’s compliance with 70% adherence with the usage of the CPAP unit.An Advanced Beneficiary Notice (ABN) was signed on (7.5.13), which allows us to billthe patient for the charges that are not covered by the insurancesOnce we received thedenials from *** the balances were referred to the patient’s secondary coveragewith ***However, *** has denied some of the claims as of today as patientresponsibility and other claims are pendingCharges that remain unpaid following 180days of non-payment, from the date of service, are automatically referred to a third partycollection agency.Apria received an appeal letters on January 1, 2015, showing that the redeterminationwas received on November 7, 2014, by ***However, the appeal is unfavorableand the balances hold as patient’s responsibility.We do apologize for the miscommunication as our goal is to ensure customer satisfactionas well as accurate billing.Sincerely,***

After review of the account, we were able to determine that due to the non-compliant use of the machine, an authorization from *** was not obtainedDue to this authorization not being received, the equipment previously provided is being billed under the self-pay rateThe amount contracted with
the insurance would no longer be valid as we are not able to bill them for the services without an approved authorization and we cannot bill the *** pricingOur records show the equipment was returned on November 1, however, the current invoices due were billed before the return was completed and are valid balances dueNo adjustments can be made at this timeWe apologize for any inconvenience or miscommunication on our part Sincerely,Apria Healthcare LLC

We have reviewed patient account with assistance from our local branch and confirmed that patient received her oxygen equipment on December 22, At that time patient spouse signed our Sales, Service and Rental Agreement acknowledging she received the equipment rental and that her credit card
would be placed on file as recurring to be automatically charged for any services not covered by the insuranceWe requested authorization from the insurance for the oxygen equipment and it was denied; therefore patient credit card was charged for the amount that was not covered by themOn March 8th, patient spouse made a request to have the equipment picked up and the option was given to him to return the purchased item to the branch and sign an against medical advice form then the appropriate adjustments would have been made and he refused the option to return the itemWe do apologize for the miscommunication as our goal is to ensure customer satisfaction as well as accurate billing
Sincerely,
Apria Healthcare LLC

Item # 1: Mr*** stated he was informed by an Apria Healthcare representative that he was not responsible for a billing statement received but he received a collections notice requesting payment for the amount RESPONSE: We have reviewed Mr*** account and confirmed that all
charges have been removed from collections and *** *** *** has also been notified to inform them of no patient responsibilityWe do apologize for the miscommunication as our goal is to ensure customer satisfaction as well as accurate billing Sincerely, *** ***
*** *** Billing Center Quality Specialist

Apria did call me today and is checking in to the situation. They did apologize for how I was treated. I believe amount was refunded to my credit card

Apria has had past dialogue with Ms*** about her oxygen usageThis all came to fruition once it was identified via a conversation with her that she was not following her physician’s prescribe ordersMs*** stated that she does use her oxygen concentrator at home as prescribed and that she
uses the tanks for not just portability but also stationary use in the homeThis would mean not only does she use tanks while awake but also when she is sleeping, which all goes against physician ordersIn doing so she creates the issue we are hearing about due to numerous unscheduled deliveries, this throws off her regular schedule delivery dates and timesWe will continue work on a resolution of this issue with the assistance of her physician’s office and our clinical staff

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below
Apria healthcare has performed less then honest business practicesThe
'contract' they sent me with the correct serial number is nothing more than a
blank contract/ agreement to pay with my name on it, but does not have my
signature! It literally is an unsigned contractWith Apria's logic, I
could put their name on an unsigned contract for the sale of a bridge and
expect them to pay?
Apria clearly has no proof of an agreement between myself and them for ANY
amount for the devices and has proven itI have attached proof of Apria's to prove I agreed to any amounts
Further, Apria has sent conflicting, unexplained bills to collections ***
*** *** ($94.76) and sent me bills outlining further 'collections'
statementsPlease see attached
Regards,
*** ***

We would like to take this opportunity to thank you again for taking the time to convey your concerns to us and to apologize for any miscommunication on our part that may have resulted in your continued concernsAfter another review of your records, we confirmed that the continued delay in processing the order is due to missing documentation from the prescribing physicianYour order has been escalated to a dedicated team who will obtain the missing documentation from the prescribing physicianOnce the documents are received, your order will be processed Again, we sincerely apologize for any inconveniences or challenges this issued may have caused Sincerely, Apria Healthcare LLC

We like to apologize regarding the billing statement you received was not detailed enough to explain the charges. Before rolling to a collection agency for past due invoices, we do make sure the patient receives statements giving them opportunity to payWe show that on 8/9/the first
statement was mailed out. The statement gave the 9/19/date as the date of service, the invoice number and description was the name of the equipment and then the chargeThe 9/19/statement date only provides the past due amountsThe collection agency has a grace period before reporting to the credit bureaus, to allow for payments. The invoice rolled to collections on the 10/9/17, which was the same time the patient made the payment. Payments do not post automatically to the account; this process can take up to days to post to our systemWhen our representative responded to an email from the patient on 10/24/17, the representative then reached out to the collections agency to have the account placed on hold as we had received payment, and to have it applied to the invoices. A request was placed to have the collection agency send the patient a letter as well. We do apologize for the miscommunication as our goal is to ensure customer satisfaction as well as accurate billingSincerely, Apria Healthcare, LLC

We have confirmed that the patient received a bipap February 23, Per *** guidelines an initial face to face evaluation prior to a sleep study is needed to be complaintThe patient will not be billed for any denials prior to being informed of the documents needed and explained the reason
*** may not cover the costThe patient has no responsibility as of now, however claims are pending with his insurance and may return his machine with signing an against medical advice formWe do apologize for any inconvenience as our goal is to ensure customer satisfaction as well as accurate billing Sincerely, Apria Healthcare LLC

My complaint seemed to be taken care of
Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ***, and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me. I will wait for the business to perform this action and, if it does,
will consider this complaint resolved
Regards,
*** ***

Item # 1: Mrs*** states that her husband had two accounts set up in error and one of the accounts did not have the insurance attached. Therefore, their credit card was charged and they are requesting a refund in the amount of $158.58. RESPONSE: We have researched
the account and had received notice that the insurance had termed on April 7, 2015. Therefore the supply orders for January 9, and March 2, claims were referred as patient responsible and the patient’s credit card on file charged. We received a call from *** *** on May 4, 2015, in which *** *** stated that the patient did have coverage, we started the refund process in the amount of $and printed the claims to be mailed to *** *** for the two claims. The refund process can take up to thirty days, if Mr*** has not received his refund, we request that he call us. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused Sincerely, *** *** Billing Center Quality Specialist

This account has been added to our Permanent Do Not Call ListThis will stop any further calls from being made and there will be no other communication from Apria HealthCareThe previous billing adjustment has been completed as of December 8, and no other balances are showing dueWe apologize for any miscommunication or inconvenience this has caused Sincerely, Apria Healthcare LLC