I definitely do not love the Durham, VA. We have been waiting since early August to have the pwr chair updated with gel pads for his arms, and leg guards to help his leg not splay open. It took 2 and 1/2 months to get a new battery for his chair last winter. I called everyone I could when prosthetics didn't answer the phone, or return calls, called the patient advocate, social work, and wrote the president of the PVA. It was amazing in its frustration.
The Durham VA also would not order the Trilogy machine for him. They insisted on the Astral. The Astral was new on the market but not available at the time the Trilogy was ordered. He got it 6 months after the Trilogy was prescribed. He used a regular bi-pap until he got the Astral. The Astral is not exactly right in its settings. The alarms go off, literally, every 3 minutes. After a month of no sleep finally the guy who ordered it had the rep who sells the Astrals call us to turn off the alarms, which we did, but not there are no alarms. I've asked a number of times to have a respiratory therapist come into the home like maybe once a month, check the settings on the machine, do a FVC, that kind of thing, the request falls on deaf ears. We are 3 hours from the VA. We considered getting the Trilogy via Medicare but it was a $300 a month co-pay OR the company that rents them will suck up the co-pay if we will say we can't afford the co-pay which we do not feel right doing.
For some things the Durham VA had been really good, for respiratory and prostethics they get a failing grade for my veteran. We love that he gets meds by mail, and he gets PT in the home. Primary care is good, and, of course, neurology, Dr Bedlack, is awesome, and tele-health is pretty awesome too, saves a lot of driving.
I do know I have to get on the horn about the upgrades to his pwr wheelchair, but I had a lot on my plate these past two months. It's on my list of to do's for next week as is my mantra to respiratory that we could use support in the home now and then.