Medicare pays for my stepdad to have a home concentrator and the tanks that are for going out of the house, with enough of them to ensure that he has oxygen in the event of a power outage or ?
How can they ensure he has enough to last in the event of a power outage though? Sometimes it goes out for days. How much do they give him? With these PG&E blackouts, some of our friends were without power for 3 days. Medicare gives my mom the tanks that last 2 hours each and she gets 4. She can take them down to lincare and exchange them once they are all empty.
TNtechie thanks for that info! That is so helpful to those on oxygen or with loved ones on oxygen. Not sure if those of you outside of California are aware but PG&E has been cutting off power to people in certain counties here because of high winds and the possibility the power lines could spark a fire (because they’ve failed to adequately maintain them and inspect them over the years. They are responsible for the devasting fire in the Napa area and are trying to avoid it happening again!). They’ve just announced that someone dependent on oxygen died 12 minutes after PG&E shut off their power!! They don’t know if it’s the cause of his death though, it is possible he had a medical emergency before the power was shut off. Generators are not cheap, at least not to me. The little one we bought last year when MIL was dependent on oxygen and a big storm was coming, cost $500!! And it was a little gas powered generator from Harbor freight! A lot of people in this state don’t have an extra $500 laying around to buy a generator! And I am telling you from personal experience, Medicare doesn’t always give you enough tanks! We just gave my mom the generator over the summer because her area is subject to rolling blackouts when it’s hot (because too many people use electricity) and a few times she almost ran out of oxygen before the power came back on because they only give her a few portable tanks! The person who died was in a rural area too so even though we’ve had advanced warning about the power outages, they may not have had anywhere to go!!!
Just remember that although an in home UPS will power small appliances and charge the cell phone very well, it won't run the fridge or an air conditioner like that $500 generator will. But at the least, even a small UPS should give you a couple of hours to call your electric company or other help.
BTW: check how many watts your appliance uses before purchasing your UPS. Most portable oxygen concentrators use between 50 and 120 watts (as compared to desktop computers that use 125-250w) so the UPS models I listed above would be big enough to power them for a while. Some in home concentrator models use up to 600w and would need a much larger UPS. If you purchase a smaller one that powers your concentrator for a while and you want longer coverage, you can purchase another small UPS and switch them off as needed or you could purchase a larger UPS.
I strongly recommend hooking everything up and unplugging the UPS from your wall outlet so everything is running off the UPS battery to test the initial setup and then every 3 months or so to determine how long you can expect it to work during an actual outage. My experience is that batteries seem to work with little or no fall off in performance for years and then tend to die (fail to hold a good charge) quickly. So just like testing the batteries in your smoke detectors, you need to test the UPS batteries too.
TNtechie, thanks for sharing this good information on UPS systems. The only types of systems of which I was aware other than larger and much more expensive generators are the solar chargers, but they're probably not very useful in winter and when there's less sun.
I'm checking out the units you recommended. These are of interest to me. At least they could provide communication with the outside world.
Thanks GA. The LED light bulbs with battery backup are good during a power loss too. I installed them in the hall and Mom's bedroom and bath. They are only good for 3-4 hours of continuous 40W light from their small battery but it's wonderful to be able to turn the hall light on (when the power is out) to check on my mom and turn on the UPS fed lamps in the bedrooms. When you turn the wall light switch off, the bulb goes off and saves the battery. With Mom's memory issues, lights that work "normally" from the wall switches are much better than camping lanterns. They are a little expensive (2 for $18) but they can be placed just about anywhere you have regular bulbs now. They are a little longer than a normal bulb so if the bulb fits really tight in the fixture it might not work.
UPS (uninterruptible power supply) systems designed for computers can also work very well for a variety of small in home power needs. UPS systems look like a boxy power strip/surge protector, provide surge protection for all the outlets with about 1/2 to 2/3s of the outlets also being powered from a battery when the home electricity fails. They include a battery which is charged when the electricity is available and then provides power to the plugged in stuff when normal electrical power is unavailable. Most also include 1-2 USB ports that can be used to recharge a phone.
I purchased a small UPS for Mom's room. The UPS can run a lift chair, adjustable bed and an LED lamp for over a week (tested by unplugging the UPS from the wall plus and running everything from the UPS battery). Of course, Mom's chair and bed only need power when actually moving so a UPS to support continuously running an oxygen generator or concentrator would need to be larger because it would not last as long under the higher load. These can even power a CPAP.
For short term power outages, I suggest purchasing one or more basic UPS systems. Because the higher the capacity, the more the battery weighs you may prefer to purchase a couple instead of one larger but heavier unit.
Right now I like the CyberPower ST625U Standby UPS System, 625VA/360W, 8 Outlets, 2 USB Charging Ports, Compact available on Amazon for $55 or the Protector with USB Charger, 600VA, APC Back-UPS (BE600M1) for $60. You can purchase larger units with lots of good choices in the $60-160 range. Make sure you can turn off the alarm (so you can test how long it last with your appliances) and the battery is replaceable as needed in 3-5 years.
Remember when looking at shutdown times that these units were designed to support a power eating computer or game system with a large monitor. They last a lot longer for small appliances or charging cell phones.
JoAnn, you're very fortunate; sounds like your county is very progressive and concerned for older folks who need 24/7 access to electricity for medical devices.
Do you know if they hook up the generators as well?
I'm going to check with my Courty to see if it has anything similar.
In my county they have an Emergency Management Dept. This department keeps a list of people in need of oxygen or anything that electric is involved. They will supply generators to those people who need them in an emergency.
If you live in an area that you feel more comfortable with a generator, it maybe wise to buy one or a concentrator.
Medicare will pay 80%, the remaining 20% should be covered some by the secondary policy. No generator is needed. Oxygen companies designate one tall tank for emergency use & will include this on their inventory when making visits to the person’s home. You want an oxygen concentrator. This uses room air to make more oxygen thus prevents the need to switch out tanks
I’ve found that each person is given varies. My MIL had a home concentrator and a medium sized green bottle metal bottle. That’s all Medicare would approve. My mother has a home concentrator, a portable concentrator and I think 4 small metal bottles that last a few hours each. If the power is out for days, which happens in this state often, you need a generator for sure.
Not a generator, but they will provide enough oxygen tanks to ensure that you have enough oxygen to get you through.
Talk to the oxygen provided and find out how long it takes to get refills in the event of a power outage.
My step-dad is provided 8 tanks with a 4 hour expectancy based on his needs. They have been really great about keeping all of the tanks full as often as needed.
The number of tanks provided was determined by the turn around for getting him filled tanks in the event of an emergency.
Worried, you made a good point, making me realize I didn't even distinguish between generator and concentrator.
So, to correct my post, Mommomjo, if what you really want is a standby generator in the event of power failure, WorriedinCal is right. Those can cost thousands of dollars.
If you mean a stationary concentrator which provides oxygen, Medicare will pay for that.
I apologize for not making that distinction and inadvertently offering what could be construed as misleading information.
Worried, thanks for raising that distinction in your post.
My mon was told this year that Medicare will not pay for a generator for her oxygen concentrator because a generator is not considered medical equipment.
As of last year, yes it would, if they're both scripted for by a physician. In our case it was the pulmonary doctor who ordered both.
As to oxygen, are you familiar with the portables as well as the tanks? You'd probably want E tanks and a concentrator for home use. For traveling, such as to medical appointments, a portable unit is better, and easier to handle, but it doesn't have as much capacity (i.e., doesn't last as long) vczas a stationary concentrator.
The nebulizer will include the vials, probably of albuterol and ipratropium bromide, which would also be refilled by the DME supplier as needed.
The person who died was in a rural area too so even though we’ve had advanced warning about the power outages, they may not have had anywhere to go!!!
BTW: check how many watts your appliance uses before purchasing your UPS. Most portable oxygen concentrators use between 50 and 120 watts (as compared to desktop computers that use 125-250w) so the UPS models I listed above would be big enough to power them for a while. Some in home concentrator models use up to 600w and would need a much larger UPS. If you purchase a smaller one that powers your concentrator for a while and you want longer coverage, you can purchase another small UPS and switch them off as needed or you could purchase a larger UPS.
I strongly recommend hooking everything up and unplugging the UPS from your wall outlet so everything is running off the UPS battery to test the initial setup and then every 3 months or so to determine how long you can expect it to work during an actual outage. My experience is that batteries seem to work with little or no fall off in performance for years and then tend to die (fail to hold a good charge) quickly. So just like testing the batteries in your smoke detectors, you need to test the UPS batteries too.
I'm checking out the units you recommended. These are of interest to me. At least they could provide communication with the outside world.
I purchased a small UPS for Mom's room. The UPS can run a lift chair, adjustable bed and an LED lamp for over a week (tested by unplugging the UPS from the wall plus and running everything from the UPS battery). Of course, Mom's chair and bed only need power when actually moving so a UPS to support continuously running an oxygen generator or concentrator would need to be larger because it would not last as long under the higher load. These can even power a CPAP.
For short term power outages, I suggest purchasing one or more basic UPS systems. Because the higher the capacity, the more the battery weighs you may prefer to purchase a couple instead of one larger but heavier unit.
Right now I like the CyberPower ST625U Standby UPS System, 625VA/360W, 8 Outlets, 2 USB Charging Ports, Compact available on Amazon for $55 or the Protector with USB Charger, 600VA, APC Back-UPS (BE600M1) for $60. You can purchase larger units with lots of good choices in the $60-160 range. Make sure you can turn off the alarm (so you can test how long it last with your appliances) and the battery is replaceable as needed in 3-5 years.
Remember when looking at shutdown times that these units were designed to support a power eating computer or game system with a large monitor. They last a lot longer for small appliances or charging cell phones.
Do you know if they hook up the generators as well?
I'm going to check with my Courty to see if it has anything similar.
If you live in an area that you feel more comfortable with a generator, it maybe wise to buy one or a concentrator.
No generator is needed. Oxygen companies designate one tall tank for emergency use & will include this on their inventory when making visits to the person’s home.
You want an oxygen concentrator. This uses room air to make more oxygen thus prevents the need to switch out tanks
Talk to the oxygen provided and find out how long it takes to get refills in the event of a power outage.
My step-dad is provided 8 tanks with a 4 hour expectancy based on his needs. They have been really great about keeping all of the tanks full as often as needed.
The number of tanks provided was determined by the turn around for getting him filled tanks in the event of an emergency.
So, to correct my post, Mommomjo, if what you really want is a standby generator in the event of power failure, WorriedinCal is right. Those can cost thousands of dollars.
If you mean a stationary concentrator which provides oxygen, Medicare will pay for that.
I apologize for not making that distinction and inadvertently offering what could be construed as misleading information.
Worried, thanks for raising that distinction in your post.
Its not on the list of “what’s covered” either https://www.medicare.gov/coverage/is-your-test-item-or-service-covered
As to oxygen, are you familiar with the portables as well as the tanks? You'd probably want E tanks and a concentrator for home use. For traveling, such as to medical appointments, a portable unit is better, and easier to handle, but it doesn't have as much capacity (i.e., doesn't last as long) vczas a stationary concentrator.
The nebulizer will include the vials, probably of albuterol and ipratropium bromide, which would also be refilled by the DME supplier as needed.