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        New Message Board Archives >> Medications, Treatments, Therapies 2002 >> Strange Afternoon
        
(Message started by: Frank on Dec 6^th, 2002, 9:52pm)

Title: Strange Afternoon
Post by Frank on Dec 6^th, 2002, 9:52pm

I started another cycle sometime in the past two weeks, so I went to the docs office yesterday at 4pm to see about a prescription for O2.

My doctor said he would put in a authorization request for the insurance to pay for it, but it would take a while. I told the doc that the insurance made me have a blood oxymeter test before and turned me down because my O2 level was above 94% (that pissed him off... he said the Utilization Review Board was made up of doctors who should know better, and they they were morons for thinking blood O2 level had anything to do with using O2 to treat clusters).

But since my insurance refused to cover O2 during my past two cycles, I asked the doc to write me the prescription and said I will pay for it. I got the script... so far so good.

Today at lunchtime, I called a place that rents O2 equipment and asked for their price. It was less than the place I used last cycle, so I made arrangements to pick up my O2 stuff after work.

One hour later, my wife called and said she received a call from the O2 supplier who wanted to know if they could deliver at home on Monday. She said hell no!... my husband has clusters and what's wrong with today?

So my wife called to tell me about it. I thought geez... it's only been an hour since I called and ordered the stuff and they want to deliver it already? After I told them I would pick up today?

So another hour later (now two hours after I ordered the O2), my wife calls and tells me that they delivered four "E" tanks and a regulator, and that our insurance is paying for it.

I'm thinking WTF... how can our insurance be paying if I never even told the supplier who my insurance company is? How did they get all that personal information about me from only my name, addy, and phone number?

So I stopped by the O2 place on the way home and asked what the fuck is going on? I told them I would pick it up and then they delivered to my home 25 miles away... two hours after I ordered it???

The O2 place checked their records and said I was not even in their database yet, according to their records their driver had not delivered to my house today, and besides... they would never deliver anything anyway if I hadn't paid for the O2 or given them my insurance information .

Oh Shit! I was really confused!!!

A few hours later when I got home, I discovered that the O2 was delivered by another company that I have never heard of before.

Apparently, my insurance had approved the O2 and made arrangements to have it delivered only 18 hours after my doctor visit!!!

Title: Re: Strange Afternoon
Post by forgetfulnot on Dec 7^th, 2002, 12:41am

Speaking Frankly, Frank these medical supply people are a cancer in the system and one of the biggest rippoff artists in the current medical bullshit system we all deal with. Those little E tanks are just as costly as the H, or K which hold 20-30 times the
e tank.

They over bill the HMO's and require you to pay the balance even when the HMO picks the provider. Don't be surprised that within several months you get a bill from these folks for several hundred dollars.

Don't pay it, they always write it off.

Lee