Frustrated with Apria Healthcare

Apria provides F with his enteral and respiratory supplies.  For the most part we have had great success with the enteral department with Apria.  We've had a couple of problems with our last two orders being accurate, but that was easy to work with.  Respiratory department on the other hand is frustrating and aggravating.

When we initially went on service with Apria to provide our nebulizer and suction supplies they just randomly sent out an order of supplies.  There was no call to inquire about what items we actually needed or what brand or type.  They just packed and shipped an order to us.  We received way too many suction canisters.  F uses a vented yankauer and we were sent unvented.  I ended up donating a lot of the supplies to a doctor who does medical missions.

I try to be very frugal with our supplies.  Not because I HAVE to make them last longer, but because I feel so wasteful if I don't.  I don't think I need to replace a functioning suction canister weekly.  We are not above washing them if they are still good.  I think we make it a habit to throw it out quarterly or when we are just unable to clean it to our standards.  Suction tubing is another story.   So are the small pieces to the suction machine.  Those are changed not cleaned.  Our nebulizer kits are washed and sanitized and we have many of them we rotate through.  I feel as a society we are a wasteful bunch of consumers just for the sake of convenience.

I thought I had it worked out with a contact at Apria.  I sent them photos and item numbers of specific items and they located them for us.  That put us in the position to receive accurate orders with accurate quantities.  REcently I sent my contact an email requesting to place an order for respiratory and suction supplies.  He then forwards it to another individual.  Her reply to my email was that she had shipped our suction and nebulizer kits.  I didn't even tell her specifically what I needed.  I received 4 suction canister kits and other items that I did need.  One item that was new I merely had asked if they could provide.  It was an aerochamber with mask for an inhaler.  I think almost two weeks later I send her a message asking about it.  Her response was it's been shipped.

The order arrives and I receive ANOTHER four suction canister kits and four nebulizer masks with the aerochamber.  Now I have 8 suction canisters. We might actually use four maximum a year!  The nebulizer kit masks don't even fit the nebulizer kits that were sent.  Seriously, Apria, you send me supplies I can't even use AGAIN!  The aerochamber is crappy.  It doesn't fit and the mask falls off tossed in the trash.  What a waste of my insurance dollars.

When I sent the contact at Apria an email asking for an explanation regarding the addition of these unnecessary items.  Her response was she'll credit our account and requested me to send her a list of the items.  My response was if she'd had any care and concern about sending us the correct order in the first place she'd have asked for the list before she sent anything to our home.  I'm so aggravated with them.

This is a problem for me.  Apria is a large company.  From what I understand they are one of the largest in the US.  If they are this wasteful of my insurance dollars how wasteful are they of other's insurance dollars?  With the rising cost of health care and insurance premiums why is this company being so wasteful and careless with these medical supplies?

I should mention I wrote to their corporate office regarding this situation when I we first had this problem with the supplies last year.  You know I NEVER received a reply from them.  I doubt I would if I tried to address it this time.  Customer service is clearly not a priority for them, or at least in our situation and the billing issues are another story...