April 2015

How Medicare and Insurance Works for Oxygen Therapy

Many people with COPD and other chronic medical conditions need to use oxygen therapy on a daily basis. In some cases, medicare will cover a portion of the costs of oxygen therapy equipment, as long as the requirements are met. Private health insurance plans work the same way, but it depends on the company, and which medical supply companies accept policies with which companies.

With all of the requirements and variables involved in getting your oxygen therapy equipment covered, you might have plenty of questions. In this mini online guide, we will try to answer as many of your potential questions as possible. We would be happy to answer any questions in our custom service department.

April 30, 2015September 19, 2018 Scott Ridl

Medicare’s New Rules for Paying for Oxygen Equipment

Just like with most laws for how medical coverage works, these laws are subject to change. The newest set of medicare rules started on January 1, 2009. Don’t worry – you will still be able to get your oxygen equipment covered, and the rules that changed have only resulted in minor changes.

Changes in How Medicare Pays for Oxygen Equipment

The old law used to state that after the first 36 months of your medicare coverage, you would own your oxygen equipment. That would mean that if medicare helped you pay for a stationary oxygen concentrator, after 36 months you would be the owner of that oxygen concentrator. Once you no longer require the concentrator, or if you get a different one, you would need to return it to the medical supplier.

April 30, 2015August 28, 2020 Scott Ridl

May is Older Americans Month

In 1963, The Administration for Community Living (ACL), through the Department of Health and Human Services, named May Older Americans Month, so we can both honor and learn about better ways to care for our seniors. That year, only 17 million Americans were still living over the age of 65. According to the Census Bureau report in 2010, there were 40.3 million living well into their golden years.

Many seniors dealt with poverty in decades past, when many of the programs that aide them today didn’t exist yet. We know a lot more now about health and medical sciences, as well. Even though living conditions have gotten better over the years, it’s still important to keep learning about new ways for Americans to live long and happy lives.

April 29, 2015March 6, 2019 Scott Ridl

Miracle Man and Oxygen Therapy Patient Gets a Second Chance at Life

Bob Jacobs is a man of faith, with a loving wife and a renewed appreciation for life, after he was brought back from the brink of death 11 times. He now uses a home oxygen concentrator that we were happy to provide him with, and is alive and well in his home in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin.

On a fateful day in March 2013, Bob suffered a sudden cardiac arrest because of ventricular fibrillation. The lower chambers in his heart started to function erratically, fluttering instead of beating like they are supposed to, due to a change in electric activity.

April 28, 2015August 26, 2020 Scott Ridl

Finding a New Doctor When the One You Have Isn’t Right for You

Sometimes it becomes necessary to find a new specialist or primary care physician, because they just aren’t doing the job that they should be. Sometimes it’s because of a major misdiagnosis that lead to problems, or a number of issues that have been mounting over time, and you’ve decided it’s time to find a new doctor. It’s important to know when you should leave, and how you should go about finding a new doctor that will meet your needs.

Signs You Should Switch Doctors

If you feel like your doctor isn’t listening to you, this is a major problem. There might be a case where you notice something going on with yourself, and you bring it up to your doctor, and they just seem to brush it off.

This isn’t how doctors should respond to any of your concerns, because who else knows how you feel better than you do? Important tests and screenings can be ran if the patient speaks up about a symptom that isn’t apparent to your doctor at first glance.

April 27, 2015August 29, 2020 Scott Ridl

Oxygen Therapy Safety – How to Prevent Fires and Other Hazards

Oxygen concentrators are very safe to use, but just like with any piece of electrical or mechanical equipment they require some basic safety measures you will need to take if you are using one. Any electronic device can be a potential fire hazard, and fire is fueled by oxygen, which is produced in a pure form by oxygen concentrators. It easy to prevent fire or other hazards from happening.

April 27, 2015August 30, 2020 Scott Ridl

What is Hypoxia?

The word hypoxia means “low oxygen”. To put in other words, hypoxia is the reduced supply or availability of oxygen to the body tissues. Hypoxia can be generalized, affecting the whole body or it can be localized, confined to one part or region of the body. What makes hypoxia so dangerous is its ability to permanently damage body organs, like the brain. That’s because cells require an uninterrupted supply of oxygen to thrive. Once they lose that, they start to wither.

To understand hypoxia, you must know a little about how oxygen is supplied to different body parts. Our lungs are the main sites for gaseous exchange in the body. Each lung is composed of a huge number of tiny air pockets or sacs called “alveoli”, which are covered with extremely small blood vessels called the capillaries. When air is inhaled into the lungs, the oxygen present in it moves through the walls of alveoli into the blood present in the capillaries and from there into the blood circulation. From here onwards, oxygen is transported to the tissues of body through the hemoglobin (a protein) in red blood cells. Once hemoglobin takes oxygen to the target tissues, oxygen detaches itself from hemoglobin and is utilized by body tissues.

April 20, 2015July 25, 2023 Scott Ridl

How to Get Your Oxygen Therapy Supplies with Medicare

If your COPD or other lung condition is severe enough, your doctor will prescribe the use of medical oxygen therapy. Medicare, which covers necessary medications and supplies to people over the age of 65, or in some cases, under the age of 65, will cover the costs if you are eligible. With COPD, you will definitely need oxygen therapy to stay healthy, just as any other kind of medicine works. There are a few other requirements you will need to meet to have your oxygen therapy supplies covered under medicare.

What are the Medicare Requirements?

When your doctor determines that you need medical oxygen therapy to function in day-to-day life, he or she will write you a prescription for all the things you will need. You will need prescriptions for all of the supplies you need, this includes the oxygen concentrator as well as all of the filters, batteries and tubing, to purchase them and have them covered by medicare.

Medicare will request your medical records, to make sure you physician has specifically documented your need for medical oxygen therapy. Your condition must be well-documented for them to approve your claim.

April 19, 2015August 28, 2020 Scott Ridl

Take Control of Your Health by Following These Simple Tips

Taking care of yourself is making an investment in your future. All it takes is a few lifestyle changes, and none of them have to be drastic or unpleasant. You’ll thank yourself later, when you can feel the difference in how you feel each day. Here are a few basic things you can do to take control of your health and well-being.

Don’t smoke tobacco. If you’ve been smoking for years, it’s never too late to quit. If you don’t smoke, don’t even start. By quitting or never starting, you can dramatically decrease your risk of dying from cancer or heart disease.

April 10, 2015December 10, 2015 Scott Ridl

Learn About Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption

The ache you feel in your muscles, and the fatigue you feel after a good work out, is due to an event called “excess post-exercise oxygen consumption”, EPOC for short, or more commonly referred to as “afterburn”. The feeling you get after a hard workout, or even a mild one, might not be very comfortable, but it’s an important process when it comes to getting in shape.

This fatigue and slight ache are caused by the rapid burn and decline of oxygen in your body, which happens during and a while after your workout. EPOC refers to the body’s process of restoring the body’s oxygen and stored fuel, as well as the oxygen deficit. This deficit was known as the body’s “oxygen debt” in past decades, and it’s still often called that today.

April 6, 2015August 29, 2020 Scott Ridl

Header Banner