Apria Healthcare

We have confirmed that the patient received a cpap and supplies December 31, 2015. He initially paid $398.57 for first month rental and supplies due to deductible not being met. The patient did advise that he wanted the machine before the end of the year, however all notes indicate the cpap was a...

10 month rental. The patient also signed a sales service and rental agreement indicating the machine was a rental. He called March 31, 2016 to ask about the bill received and was advised it was a copay for February rental, in which he paid and indicated he need to return machine due to his insurance was ending that day. The patient returned his cpap April 1, 2016 and insurance applied deductible for previous months of January and February 2016 causing him to receive a bill for $119.04. The patient called Apria Healthcare May 23, 2016 in regards to the bill and mentioned he had trouble using the machine due to calibration. Unfortunately we are unable to waive the bill, there is no indication the patient was misinformed and per conversations with him, he was aware his machine was a rental. Also he did not inform us of any issues with the machine so that it could be recalibrated, until over a month after it had been returned. We do apologize for any miscommunication as our goal is to ensure customer satisfaction as well as accurate billing.   Sincerely, Apria Healthcare LLC

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], 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.I am...

sorry for the delay. I was in fact contacted by Apria Rep stating that mistakes had been made in the billing of Insurance and that it had been corrected and refund should show on next billing statement. Hopefully I will see that when I receive next statement...Thank you So Much for your assistance......
[redacted]
[redacted]

After further review of Ms. [redacted] daughter account we have converted her oximeter pulse to a purchase as of October 7th, 2015 and the equipment will no longer bill as a monthly rental as she now owns the equipment. At this time the account reflects a zero balance and she is no longer responsible for any charges. We do apologize for the miscommunication as our goal is to ensure customer satisfaction as well as accurate billing.  Sincerely,   [redacted]Billing Center Quality Specialist

After review of the account, we were able to determine that due to previous issues with getting the insurance payment applied, the patient refund was delayed. Our system automatically reposted the patients payment in error and this has been corrected. We were able to also confirm that the refund...

was sent for processing on February 2, 2017 and a check is being issued for the $39.48 previously paid. We apologize again for any inconvenience or miscommunication on our part.     Sincerely,  Apria Healthcare, LLC.

We have reviewed patient account and confirmed that we were never notified by patient that our CPAP equipment was damaged in a house fire. Patient doctor did request a new CPAP in June 2015 but patient never received the equipment. At this time patient is being charged for dates of service November...

29, 2015($17.65) and May 29, 2016($17.65) for his old CPAP machine in which it was billing every 6 months under maintenance and service because Aetna did not purchase the machine. Our billing department has converted the old equipment to sale as of July 12th, 2016 therefore we will no longer bill for the equipment but patient will still be responsible for the open balance.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:  The patients father states that they were discharged from the hospital on January 18, 2015 with a portable oxygen tank which lasts 8 days on the current liter flow when they arrived home they contacted Apria Healthcare to notify the company that they had arrived home and that they were ready for the home set up while they were on the phone a representative from Apria contacted the family as well to confirm they were home and they would receive their delivery that evening. The next day the family contacted Apria that no delivery was made and the representative could not locate the patient in the system we were told that we would get a delivery that afternoon and again we called since no one had showed up the technician finally arrived at the home at 8:10 PM with the oxygen and was told that the tank that he delivered would last 4 weeks based on the patients liter flow. 3 days later the tank that was delivered was half empty and had to make another call to have a technician come out and deliver a new tank. The technician that came to our home exchanged the tank and said that the tank was set up improperly I am hoping that we are not charged for any fees for Apria’s error. On January 30, 2015 our pediatrician order an O2 test to be performed but we had not heard from Apria so we called and spoke to the representative who said we would be getting it on Monday that never happened until Tuesday February 3, 2015RESPONSE  Called and spoke with [redacted] regarding his concerns about the delivery that they received and apologized for any inconvenience that we may have caused him and his family. I explained to Mr. [redacted] that the confusion regarding the customer service rep not finding his sons information was that the paperwork that Apria received from the hospital at discharge had the incorrect name on it with baby boy Rodgers on the RX and discharge paperwork and not [redacted] so that was why the Customer service rep had such a hard time locating the work order for delivery. I also explained that we do charge by the month and that he would not be charged extra for the delivery of the M tank that he received a few days later. I apologized to Mr. [redacted] and let him know that I understood his concerns about his newborn and that I also had a small child as well so I could relate to his concerns about the way his child was being treated at that time. I gave Mr. [redacted] my direct contact information if he had any more concerns to please contact me direct.  Sincerely, [redacted]Branch Manager

Please accept this as Apria Healthcare LLC’s (“Apria”) response to patient consumer rebuttal filed with the Revdex.com. 
We have again reviewed our records and we have found no indication of errors with patient billing. Our records show that patient made his payment of $33.73 on February 10, 2016. The payment did not post to his account until February 18, 2016. It does take Apria’s system seven to ten business days to post payments. Before his payment posted, a system-generated billing statement was sent to patient on February 16, 2016.  We have record of explaining this to patient on February 23, 2016 when he called regarding the statement. Further, Apria’s billing statement states: “Recent payments may not be reflected on this statement. Please allow at least 10 days for a payment to post to your account.” Patient was not double-billed; after his payment posted on February 18, 2016, he had a $0.00 balance.
In regards to the delay regarding the warranty exchange of patient equipment, we found the following upon review of patient account/records:  Patient contacted Apria on January 9, 2016, in regards to his equipment not working and requested that it be replaced.  The Apria representative informed patient that he would put in a request to have a respiratory therapist assist patient further. The request was made that day. Patient called again that same day regarding the same issue and the Apria representative informed him that once the warranty for the equipment was verified, an appointment would be made.  On January 11, 2016, we verified the warranty for the equipment and requested replacement equipment be sent out to patient by FedEx. An Apria agent spoke with patient again on January 20, 2016 and advised him that the order was in ready status and asked that patient coordinate with the local branch regarding the order. Patient contacted the branch on January 21, 2016 and was informed that the equipment would be delivered the next day. Patient replacement equipment was delivered via FedEx on January 22, 2016. We apologize if there was a delay or any miscommunication regarding the estimated arrival time of patient equipment. We have sent this information to the departments that worked the exchange of the equipment as a training opportunity. 
Sincerely,
APRIA HEALTHCARE LLC

Mrs. [redacted] was informed on January 21, 2015 that Apria would be reversing payments from the insurance company and refunding patient. Apria is processing Mr. [redacted]'s refund however, this process can take up to 30 days. We do apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.

Again, we would like to thank you for taking the opportunity to convey your concerns to us and to apologize for any miscommunication on our part that has resulted in this concern.   Since our last communication, we have attempted to contact you regarding the May 15, 2017 delivery of your respiratory equipment. Unfortunately, we were unable to speak with you. If you would like to speak with someone at the local facility regarding this matter please call 916 921-1162.  We again would like to apologize if we provided misinformed information to you.  Thank you again for contacting us and for allowing us to assist with your home healthcare needs.  Sincerely,   Apria Healthcare LLC

We have reviewed patient account and confirmed that patient does not qualify to be covered under her [redacted] plan as we have no valid testing or initial face to face clinical notes on file that are required by [redacted]. We have a valid Advance Beneficiary Notice on file signed by patient so we...

billed [redacted] for the denial which was received for dates of services September 23, 2014-October 23, 2015. We have also sent patient a copy of the Explanation of Benefits as requested to the address we have on file. At this time patient account balances and collection balances are valid. We do apologize for the miscommunication as our goal is to ensure customer satisfaction as well as accurate billing.

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.I was referencing statements and credit cards so the November 3rd order I was referencing was originally placed on September 28th per your response.Yes, I was billed for nasal pillows. No, they were not received.Despite verbally confirming shipping addresses on the phone and/or online order, they have been shipped to the wrong address twice now. Your simplification of resolution process is inaccurate. I spent hours on the (phone to correct and yes, per your response was delayed in receiving the nasal pillows by weeks-efficient treatment was delayed due to this). If I'm not eligible for an order, why do customer representatives not inform me while on the call?In regards to billing, the November instance is not the only time this has occurred.  My payment posted to my credit card November 8th and even if the paper statement is incorrect because it is generated on the 12th, it's inexcusable I receive text messages (way beyond November 15th when you claim the payment posted) saying I have a balance due. Furthermore, the online payment system should reflect an accurate balance because even when I login after November 15th, it says I have a balance due. The statement is not itemized and the text messages/inaccurate online billing system is clearly a misleading billing practice.Until order accuracy and a fair billing practice that is inline with other businesses is established, I do not see resolution to my complaint.
Regards,
[redacted]

We have reviewed the patients account with assistance from our management team and confirmed that patient returned the equipment today February 20, 2018; therefore, the balance is being adjusted off and he is no longer responsible for the open balance. We have also submitted a request to have patient insurance refunded for all dates of services paid by them. The patient will no longer be billed for the monthly rental of his equipment as it has been returned. We believe that we have taken all appropriate steps to resolve this matter.  Sincerely,  Apria Healthcare, LLC

Revdex.com:Apria should listen to the recorded call from January 5th where the representative explained that this was billed in December not from January
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]

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.
My husband, [redacted], signed a “Sales, Service, and Rental Agreement” for a VPAP machine on August 28, 2012.  The machine was to be paid in full after 13 months of rent.  I have made countless phone calls to Apria over the years and spent at least 100 hours of my time trying to resolve this, which is why I finally contacted the Revdex.com.   On January 8, 2015, an Apria representative named [redacted] said that the amount we have paid out-of-pocket far exceeds the cost of the equipment.   She stopped the recurring charges to our credit card and promised to call back on 1-14-15 regarding refunding the over-payment.  She never returned the call and Apria says they have no way of connecting my calls to her.    After contacting the Better Businiess Bureau, [redacted] from Apria Healthcare called and found [redacted]’s notes.  She does see that we have far over-paid for the equipment; however, she said Apria is still accruing charges anyway since we have changed insurance companies.  Apria is saying we owe them thousands of dollars due to changing insurance companies.  She said Apria’s contract begins anew every time we change insurnace companies.   We signed the contract with Apria, not our insurance company.   This VPAP machine is old and out-dated.  Even though Apria owes us money, they are having collection agencies calling our home regularly.
Regards,
[redacted]

We would like to apologize for the level of customer service you recently experienced regarding your durable medical equipment. After a review of your records, we have confirmed the physicians order was processed on April 5, 2017, however, we were missing the height and weight of the patient which...

is required to select the correct equipment. There were two attempts to contact the family to obtain the required information. On April 6, 2017 we received the required information and delivery was scheduled for the following day. Due to a customer service error the delivery was delayed and the durable medical equipment was delivered on April 10, 2017.  This experience has provided a coaching opportunity to ensure we provide excellent customer care.   We greatly appreciate you for taking the time to bring your concerns to our attention. We welcome all patient feedback as this provides us with a valuable insight into our services from the patient’s perspective which allows us to make service improvements, as it has done in this case.     Sincerely,   Apria Healthcare LLC

Item # 1:  Ms. [redacted] spouse is requesting further review of the account by Apria Healthcare and to adjust the account for the full amount of the medical equipment.   RESPONSE: Ms. [redacted] account is under further review at this time and a response will be provided to her and the Attorney General once the review is complete. We do apologize for the miscommunication as our goal is to ensure customer satisfaction as well as accurate billing.   Sincerely,   [redacted]
 
[redacted] Billing Center Quality Specialist

We have confirmed the patient received rental equipment March 17, 2016. Apria Healthcare does not bill by usage, but based on being in the patient’s possession. The only request for a pick up noted in our system is October 05, 2016, in which the patient was advised to have his physician send an...

authorization for discharge from the equipment. The patient understood this process and agreed to do so. The patient is responsible for balances generated during the rental period. We believe that all appropriate steps have been taken to resolve this issue.   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.
I have been on the phone with with united healthcare and even had united healthcare call apria  because united healthcare don't care about the notes , apria said the needed facenotes from the doctor to which I had sent to them and they have them but really as a patient it is only my responsibility to get a prescription and turn in a prescription for my medical needs it is not up to me to play middleman between doctor and apria. This is not very professional way to handle claims for life saving equipment. I have filed a complaint with my insurance provider against apria also.
Regards,
[redacted]

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.
I spoke to Apria Yesterday and they advised me that they have been overcharging me for four months and they owe me a refund of $400, they stated once the insurance issue is resolved which can take up to 4 weeks then they will send me a refund check so this issue is far from resolved, The CPAP machine costs $800 if you buy it and not rent it so I already paid for the machine in full but they are still charging me every month. I was supposed to be paying only $40 a month but some months I would get 3-4 charges totaling over $100 a month. Once I get my refunds then this issue will be resolved but until then this case needs to stay open.
Regards,
[redacted]

Today February 17, 2015 I received  a collection letter from [redacted] concerning this case from [redacted] saying I owe $118.29  They also informed me if I do not pay this bill They will send reports to all three credit bureau updating my credit information, I need help in closing this case. ref#[redacted] from [redacted] [redacted]    Sincerely,[redacted]