Apria Healthcare

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
 
Regards,
Kenneth Garrett
Hello, I have attached a copy of my phone record from Sprint indicating my phone calls to Apria. The customer service representative refused to return my equipment when I contacted them in July. I finally e-mailed the company when I could not get anyone to come pick up the equipment. the company refused to pick up the equipment. I should not be responsible for the changes remaining on the account. I am requesting the charges be removed from the account for the months that Apria would not come and pick up the unit.

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 concern.   After another review of the patient’s records, we confirmed our distribution center did not have a specific part of the [redacted] medical equipment in stock. An order was then placed with the manufacturer for the specific part that was requested by the prescribing physician. The hospital representative was contacted to confirm the [redacted] medical equipment was still needed. The hospital representative informed the Apria representative the DME equipment was no longer needed as another provider was found. In addition, we confirmed the Apria representative attempted to contact you to discuss the circumstances of the order, a voice message was left requesting a return call.   Again, we sincerely apologize for any inconvenience or challenges this issued has caused. WE greatly appreciate you for taking the time to bring your concerns to our attention.   Sincerely, Apria Healthcare LLC

Item # 1:Mr. [redacted] states that he has been double billed and cannot gethelp in correcting the issues. He is requesting a refund for the amounts paid. RESPONSE:We have reviewed Mr. [redacted]’s account and found that he received aCPAP device, humidifier, mask and headgear on September 23, 2014. We...

hadinformed him at set up his 15% copay would be $136.23, however his [redacted] cardwas never charged.The humidifier had been keyed twice and the balance of $173.61 wasreferred to Mr.[redacted] in error. We have adjusted the amount of $173.61 for theextra humidifier that was keyed.We submitted claims to Genesis HC – “[redacted]” for the CPAP device,humidifier, mask and headgear. [redacted] paid $547.29 on the CPAP device andapplied $96.58 as patient responsibility, they paid $57.63 on the mask andapplied $10.17 as patient responsibility.The amounts of $96.58 and $10.17 were referred to [redacted] on March29, 2015, as they had been unpaid for 180 days. If the balance ispaid within 60 days of being referred, the amount is not reported to thepatients’ credit report. Mr. [redacted] can contact [redacted] at###-###-#### to make payment arrangements.There is a pending invoice submitted to [redacted] for the September23, 2014 claim for the humidifier and headgear in the amount of $196.52. If theinsurance does not pay this claim the balance will be referred as Mr. [redacted]’sresponsibilityAs of today there is no payment to refund to Mr. [redacted]. We doapologize for the miscommunication and inconvenience as our goal is to ensurecustomer satisfaction as well as accurate billing.Sincerely,[redacted]Billing Center Quality Specialist

December 3, 2014Revdex.comAttn: [redacted]Director of OperationsSt. Louis, MORe: Apria Healthcare Inc: [redacted]Revdex.com Complaint Case Number: [redacted]Apria Patient ID#: [redacted]Dear Ms. [redacted]:This letter is in response to the complaint referenced above submitted by [redacted]...

[redacted], to the Better BusinessBureau. We apologize for any miscommuaication on our part that inay have resulted in this complaint. Below is a briefdescription of the complaint matter and our response.Item#lMr. [redacted] states that he was required to provide his credit card when he received his equipment and Apria charged hiscredit card and sent him to collections without billing his insurance. He states that he could have purchased the samemachine online, for less than half the price and thinks that Apria should refund him part or all of his paymentRESPONSEWe have researched Mr. [redacted]'s account and found that he received a BIPAP unit and supplies on May 12,2014. Apria verified that Mr. [redacted] had 80/20 insurance coverage with [redacted], which Apriasubmitted claims to on Mr. [redacted]'s behalf [redacted]'s contract for a BIPAP unit states that it willrent for 3 months then convert to sell at the remaining purchase price on the 4th month. When Mr. [redacted]'s received the BIPAP unit and supplies on May 12,2014, he signed the Sales, Service andRental Agreement and provided his credit card for copay, deductible or out of pocket cost not covered by[redacted] Health.Apria sent Mr. [redacted]'s a statemetit on May 17th for the 20% copay for the BIPAP unit and supplies received onMay 12th in the amount of $124.70. Mr. [redacted] called and paid $91.64 by visa on June 12th. Mr. [redacted] calledon July 26th to dispute the open balance and the Apria representative explained the open balance and themonthly 20% copay for the BIPAP unit.Mr. [redacted] ordered supplies on August 20, 2014 and Apria quoted him the 20% copay amount and Mr. [redacted]updated his credit card on file. Mr. [redacted]'s credit card was Charged for the copay and deductible amountapplied by [redacted] Health. ·On October 20,2014, Apria converted the BIPAP to sale with a retro date of August 12, 2014 and charged Mr.[redacted]'s credit card on file the 20% copay amount of$263.55. [redacted] Health paid $827.77 for the BIPAPconvert to sale and $214.05 towards Mr. [redacted]'s yearly deductible and $275.92 towards his copay. Apriacharged the additional amount due of$226.42 on November 12, 2014.After the amount of$23.14 was unpaid for 180 days it was referred to collections. As of November 21,2014the amount of$23.14 was paid by Mr. [redacted].As of today Mr. [redacted] has a $0.00 balance with no pending invoices. We have mailed him a spreadsheet forhis records showing all of the charges and payments since May 12, 2014. Apria has found no over payment onMr. [redacted]'s account and the online prices are set at price that does not provide the needed customer servicefor the set up of the equipment or setting changes if needed, nor does the online price submit claims to thepatients insurance on their behalf.We do apologize for the miscommunication as our goal is to ensure customer satisfaction as well as accuratebilling.Sincerely,[redacted]Billiling Center Quality Specialist

We have reviewed the account and confirmed that the patient is billed $21.32 per month. The patient had auto pay set to run each month for $21.32, however November 25, 2017 payment didn’t post until January 31, 2018. When the statement generated on January 15, 2018 it reflected a balance of $42.64...

for both November and December 2017 service dates. The payment of $42.64 made applied $21.32 to December 25, 2017 and January 25, 2018 as the new date had generated. The patient will not receive a statement for February 15, 2018 because January 25, 2018 date has been paid. There is no refund due at this time, all payments have applied to open service dates. We believe all appropriate steps have been taken to resolve this matter.   Sincerely,  Apria Healthcare, LLC

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
Dear [redacted], Apria response is a standard blurb and unacceptable. I waited over 36 minutes for customer service and I've tried returning their phone calls on several occasions to no avail. During the complaint contact, when I finally got someone, there was a two week waiting period for oxygen machine service. I've call them numerous times over the years. I have a life and cannot wait forever for them to answer their phones. Perhaps I should start responding to them via signature required certified mail to set an appointment? At least that way, I know that they got my message and I don't have to be late to appointments waiting for them to answer calls. 37 minutes! That's just one of the times I've phone them. How would they possibly know I have an emergency if they cannot answer the phone promptly? I waited almost 6 hours for the technician to come to my home. They need to hire more people to adequately service customers who need to breathe and cannot change from Apria due to health insurance restrictions. The phone static is torturous not neutral. Their own employees admit it's terrible; call them and ask!  I invite you to phone them, wait for 36 minutes and listen for yourself and then ask the rep who answers about the static music. You can also go to Yelp and their [redacted] page to find other complaints by different people. Unless Apria removed the complaint I left on their page; I had a [redacted] conversation with another Apria customer about the poor service.  As far as I'm concerned Apria is a big company taking advantage of their customers and doing an excellent job of giving poor service. They don't and haven't done squat for me. I can't even scheduled my oxygen machine to be cleaned for dust and allergens for another 5 years. Really! I hope Apria's CEO, who is a fine example of greed and poor leadership, needs to breathe air from his own tubes and also has to wait for his own short staffed customer service representatives to answer his call like the rest of us poor saps do. He deserves to know just how poorly his leadership is. Stockholders don't have enough money so they cut back on staff, or don't hire sufficient staff,  making it difficult for their customers who need to breathe! You have got to be kidding me! Even their own tech told me everyone he saw, the day he came to my home, complained about the service. I hope you can reopen this case because as far as I'm concerned they continue to provide subpar service and this is not resolved.Resolution for me would be Apria hiring more staff to adequately provide excellent service to people who need to breathe. This means hiring not only in the customer service area but also in the technical area which services concentrators in customer homes. A two week wait for concentrator maintenance is ridiculous and a 6 hour window to wait for their arrival even more so. I've had my concentrator for probably close to a decade and cannot remember the last time Apria cleaned it for dust and allergens. They tell me I have to wait for 5 more years! Are you kidding me! This should be done annually. A satisfactory resolution would be do give customers, who cannot move to Apria's competitors due to insurance restrictions, prompt and excellent care and that means hiring more staff and fixing their horrible and abusive music as well. It may be neutral as they stated in their letter but it's full of static. It's a misery to listen to for half an hour. Apria is a huge company; they can afford it. They need to stop abusing customers held hostage because they can't switch to Apria's competitors due to their insurance coverage restrictions.
Regards,
[redacted]

We have reviewed the patients account and confirmed the equipment was picked up on April 20, 2017. The account does not reflect the refund checks that were sent back. If the patient’s daughter has a copy of the information that was sent in, she can send it to our address at 1340 S. Highland Avenue...

Jackson, TN 38301 or send to the fax number 1-731.424-1083. Once we confirm which checks were returned we can re-issue the checks in the correct name. A refund check was processed in the patient’s spouses name in the amount of $24.75 and it will be send to the address we have on file. We do apologize for the miscommunication as our goal is to ensure customer satisfaction as well as accurate billing.     Sincerely,  Apria Healthcare, LLC

We have reviewed the patients account and confirmed that patient was never Medicare qualified. The patient was non-compliant therefore; the claims were not covered under Medicare due to not having qualifying documentation on file. This left the patient responsible for the charges for the equipment....

The invoices sent to collections were valid charges due to non-payment. The invoices in collections were paid by the patient’s daughter in the amount of $1815.93 and the collections agency was notified that the balances were paid in full to Apria. The daughter requested the initial pickup of the durable medical equipment on September 28, 2015, and therefore; an adjustment was entered for date of service October 10, 2015. She requested pickup and was informed we require a discontinuation from the doctor to pick up the equipment and the patient signed our Against Medical Advice form for the pickup to be processed. Our delivery driver attempted the pickup of the equipment several times but was unable to reach the patient. We tagged the patients door. The pickup was rescheduled and the process was completed on October 28, 2015. At this time the account reflects a zero balance. We do apologize for the miscommunication as our goal is to ensure customer satisfaction as well as accurate billing.     Sincerely,  Apria Healthcare, LLC

We have reviewed the account and confirmed that we received patient’s correct address on March 27th, 2015 and began sending statements May 2015 to that address. After further reviewing the account there is no information on file that confirms why statements were sent to a [redacted] address, however, the information has been removed and we will use this as a training opportunity for assurance that the patient’s address is always verified going forward. We do apologize for the miscommunication as our goal is to ensure customer satisfaction as well as accurate billing.
Sincerely,
Apria Healthcare LLC

The equipment rental started over once the new insurance became effective. [redacted] contracts a monthly rental fee then maintenance and service billed every 6 months. This contract was no longer effective once your new insurance became active. [redacted] contracts a 10 month rental before purchasing the equipment. The monthly fee going forward that will be billed to your insurance is $140.00 each month, for 10 months.  Any amounts that you may owe will be billed to you after we have received a response from your insurance on the claims billed. We take all feedback in consideration, which will aid in better serving our customers and apologize for any inconvenience.
 
Sincerely,
 
Apria Healthcare LLC

we have confirmed that the patient signed the form to enroll in the auto shipping of supplies December 31, 2014, however the patient was contacted by phone on December 29, 2015 due to the account was noted that she wanted a mask refit. The patient was left a message and call was returned the same...

day. The patient decided to keep the mask size she had and wanted all eligible supplies. The representative advised the patient that she was covered at a 100% in regards to her copay and specifically mentioned that it didn’t apply to deductibles. She never guaranteed a shipping date. Apria Healthcare requested an authorization from the patient’s insurance which wasn’t approved until January 4, 2016. The supplies were shipped on that date. The patient has Cigna insurance which uses Care Centrix as a third party to pay. The patient is billed by Care Centrix and is responsible for supplies provided which are non-returnable after 30 days. A refund would not be due as the patient did not pay Apria Healthcare and received supplies requested. There is no indication that the patient was misled or training needed at this time. We do apologize for any miscommunication.
 
Sincerely,
Apria Healthcare LLC

We have reviewed the patient’s account and removed the invoice placed in collections with West Asset Management for date of service June 9, 2014 amount $13.55. The patient is no longer responsible for that charge. We have requested that the agency send a letter to the patient as confirmation that the charge have been removed with no patient responsibility. We also confirmed that the patient received supplies on March 20th, 2017 and the payments she made for $4.66 was applied to the account on March 28, 2017 and $17.28 was applied to the account on April 11, 2017. The account reflects a remaining balance of $15.90 for the supplies received on March 20th, 2017. The account also reflects an open balance of $17.28 for the monthly rental of the CPAP machine and CPAP humidifier for date of service April 12, 2017.  The total outstanding balance that the patient is responsible for is $33.18. For assistance with ordering supplies the patient can contact our sleep management center at 1-800-310-3363. We do apologize for the miscommunication as our goal is to ensure customer satisfaction as well as accurate billing.     Sincerely, Apria Healthcare, LLC.

We have reviewed patient account and confirmed that patient received his wound pump and supplies on September 16th, 2015 and his mother signed the Sales, Service and Rental Agreement acknowledging patient
received the equipment. Our customer service representative spoke with patient sister on September 15th
, 2015 and she provided her credit card information and at that time it was placed on file as recurring and
was also charged in the amount of $636.88 for dates of service September 16th & 17th, 2015 for patient
wound pump and supplies. We received notification from patient sister credit card company that she disputed the charges and the payment would be reversed and taken back and we approved for the credit card company to recoup the payment of $636.88 and refund her in full. On December 9th, 2015 we contacted
patient insurance [redacted] and spoke with [redacted] reference # [redacted] and was informed that the authorization was canceled because another durable medical company requested an authorization for the same equipment and it was approved. The representative also confirmed that the Negative Pressure Wound Therapy is non covered under patient policy per [redacted]’s exclusion of disposable durable medical equipment; therefore patient will still remain responsible for the charges and would need to contact the insurance in regards to the denials received. We do apologize for the miscommunication as our goal is to ensure customer satisfaction and accurate billing.

ITEM # 1:  Ms. [redacted] states that she was informed that she needed to place her credit card on file when she received her CPAP unit, however the credit card would not be charged. She states that her credit card was charged and over drafted her account and she wants to be refunded and to never...

have her credit card charged again. RESPONSE We have reviewed Ms. [redacted]’s account and found that when she received her CPAP unit on October 13, 2014, she signed a Sales Service and Rental Agreement (“SSRA”) and placed her credit card on file to secure the equipment. The credit card was placed as recurring in error, which charges for amounts not covered by her insurance. Our billing department will assist with getting Ms. [redacted] refunded for the charges placed on her credit card and our local office will be contacting her to obtain documentation for proof of the overdraft fees and will assist with getting her refunded for those charges. We have removed the credit card from Ms. [redacted]’s account so no other charges will occur. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. Sincerely,[redacted] Billing Center Quality Specialist

We have reviewed patient account and confirmed that his CPAP unit was received from Apria Healthcare on March 11, 2016 in which patient signed our Sales, Service and Rental Agreement acknowledging the equipment would be a rental item. At the time patient received the CPAP unit he had [redacted] as insurance coverage and we billed claims as a rental according to his plan agreement. Patient [redacted] insurance termed on April 30, 2016 and because we did not obtain new insurance information patient account was changed to bill under self–pay and that pricing information was not explained because patient had active coverage when equipment was received. Patient returned the equipment on June 8, 2016 and will no longer be billed for services and at this time his account reflects a zero balance.We do apologize for the miscommunication as our goal is to ensure customer satisfaction as well as accurate billing.  Sincerely, Apria HealthCare LLC.

RESPONSE: Order came in on 12.9.14a. 24 Hour call made and told patient it would take 3-9 business days to process to verify/qualify b. 5th Business Day qualified and left message for patient December 15th c.   Patient did not get message until 12/30 as they were out of the...

country on vacation Order had been pended per Apria process after patient did not call back timely Year-end rush for PAP orders, we could not get patient into the office before end of 2014. Received call late on the 30th. She was on crutches and couldn’t come to the office. Rep responded on December 31st, however, a machine would have had to been reset by Respiratory Therapist to meet the patient prescription, and could not get shipped that same day. Patient wanted us to BACK date service date, which we indicated we could not, and had to use the date she gets machine as our service date. Patient upset and doesn’t want to have this in 2015 on her deductible. Legally cannot backdate the date of service as this would be insurance fraud. Apria Representative could have gone through more detail in the conversation on the 31st as to why PAP wouldn’t get shipped that same day. Representative could have reached out to a manager to see if anything else could have been done, however, did follow protocol and procedures. [redacted], Branch Manager in Oklahoma City, talked to the patient on 1/28/15 and discussed in length. Told her about the Oklahoma State “reuse” equipment program where she could possibly get a free machine. She is going to think about everything, price shop, and may call us back.  Sincerely, [redacted] Area Customer Service Manager Overland Park, KS

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
Regards,
[redacted]
Apria Healthcare is negligent of failing to inform me of the face to face requirement prior to the sleep study. I was not aware of the requirement, nor was my doctor.

Item # 1:  Patient’s bed broke and was not exchanged until the followingevening causing him pain and discomfort.Response: Apria Branch Transportation Supervisor reviewedthe patient’s file and provided the following timeline of evens. 4/1 1046 [redacted] called to inform Apria the patient's bed was not working and needed tobe exchanged. An exchange work order was created as a same day.4/1 1601 [redacted] called back to see where the technician was since he had notarrived yet and was given an ETA of 2015-2130.4/1 2220 Technician arrived to exchange bed but was unsuccessful because thepatient was sleeping.4/2 Dispatch pushed the order through as a same day after reviewing the noteson the work order from the previous evening.4/2 [redacted] called back to inform Apria that we did not show up at the given ETAand spoke with Customer Service. Customer Service noted a Time Window of 1700,but the time window did not transmit to [redacted] Center.4/2 Technician completed the stop @ 1955 which was 2.55 hours after the TimeWindow provided to [redacted].We do apologize for any inconvenience or miscommunication asour goal is to ensure customer satisfaction.  Sincerely, [redacted] Sacramento CA Transportation Supervisor

Please provide patient's name and address.
Thank you,
Apria Healthcare LLC.

After review of the account, we were able to confirm that the most recent supply order was cancelled after being notified the wrong address was on file. Apria attempted to contact our distributor to have that order stopped and resent to the correct address. It is noted that those were being sent at...

no charge. We have also confirmed that the address on file has been corrected and updated going forward. The first payment made was posted in our system on March 7, 2017 and the second payment made on March 17, 2017 is still pending to be applied. The account has been noted as paid for January and February, please disregard the collection calls being received. We apologize again for any miscommunication or inconvenience this has caused.   Sincerely,  Apria Healthcare, LLC.