Lisa Nolden

Review of Respitec Medical Care and Equi...

I have to admit, after seeing the reviews on here,...

I have to admit, after seeing the reviews on here, I was VERY apprehensive about being referred to this company. However, I have interacted with customer service via phone on 3 separate occasions now and all 3 times have been beyond reproach.

For a large portion of my career I had to monitor calls for compliance to customer service and privacy standards. Each one of my calls to this company would have received high marks for both, not perfect by any means but definitely well above average. No one was rude, no one was curt, no one told me they could not help me. Each individual I spoke to was polite, knowledgeable (about their portion of the interaction) and as helpful as they could be.

Let me expand on that "as helpful as they could be" part. So, we, as patients, are informed we need some machine or device to assist our daily lives. We, as patients, sometimes do not understand what has to happen from the moment the Dr. says, " you need xyz" to this item being in our hands/home. It is not an instant process, it is not a quick process. It is not a process solely in control of any one entity in the process. There is a minimum of 3 entities involved (Dr., insurance company, DME company) there could be, and usually is, more entities involved.

Imagine this scenario as a comparison, you are planning a birthday party for anyone in your family. What can go wrong and where? If no one shows up but you sent all the invites and called to make sure they received them, is this your fault? If the party store was out of the particular balloon you wanted, who/what/how could that be overcome? Finally the day of the party arrives, but guests aren't controlling their kids (or themselves), again - who is responsible? Some responsibility falls on the planner for some issues - balloons (check more stores, etc.) ensure directions, date/time are clear on invitation, etc. But what if that type of balloon is no longer being made? It might take a while to find out, not everyone at that store may have known about that type of balloon - it could have been that clerks first day. Finally, the guests themselves have a measure of responsibility to figure out and know how to behave for each situation they are in.

Why did I use that comparison? Cause it fits. Doctors do not know ALL insurance companies criteria; it is the responsibility of the insurance company to make sure the policies are clear and made available, it is then the responsibility of someone in the office to ensure they are reviewed when a prescription is made. Sometimes this is missed and it is caught after the script is sent to be fulfilled. Some responsibility falls on the patient to know what their part in the process entails and, most important, to not assume everyone knows everything.