Repairs: Reduce hassles 

Q. How can I reduce the hassle of CPAP repairs after a unit becomes patient-owned? 

A. With a short capped-rental period and an often-long course of therapy, repair of patient-owned CPAP devices is a frequent frustration for HME dealers. In the past, manufacturers regularly replaced warranty CPAPs instead of repairing them, but in today’s climate the practice is becoming less common. Here’s some advice for handling repairs of patient-owned CPAP units both in- and out-of-warranty. 

Reconsider status quo: A dealer’s typical approach to a patient-owned warranty repair is to provide a loaner, send the device to the manufacturer, submit to insurance, facilitate the estimate and repair, and return the unit to the patient. That process often takes 60 days or longer, yet payers will only reimburse one month of a short-term CPAP rental, leaving dealers to eat the fees – or charge the patient – for the rest. By using an authorized warranty repair center instead, dealers can cut that turnaround time in half or more, alleviate some of the hassle and improve patient experience. 

Know the codes: Short-term rentals are covered under K0462, parts under E1399, and repair labor under K0739 in 15-minute intervals. The first two require claim narratives, making submissions for each repair a time-consuming venture. To make the process quicker and easier for dealers, Repair Authority groups parts as kits (requiring fewer line items) and provides order notes that help dealers craft repair claim narratives.    

An out-of-warranty alternative: Post-warranty, CPAP patients can find themselves waiting three, five or even more years before their insurer will cover a new unit. At Repair Authority, we saw demand for a retail repair option for such patients and created CPAP Medic, a direct-to-patient CPAP repair service with turnaround times of less than a week. 

Dan Meyer is chief revenue officer at Repair Authority. Reach him at [email protected] or 440.334.2172.