It appears that there is a high degree of interest in this subject, as there should be. It impacts many of us in a way that Fresenius is extremely remiss in causing. Since my last post on this subject, I have filed two more formal complaints which I will outline how to do below. I also learned from an anonymous source from my local clinic that they are in the process of authoring a Product Complaint Form for those who desire to file the same at their next scheduled clinic visit. This is indeed progress on a local front. You might check if your local clinic is taking the same incentive or urge it to do so. On to my recent filings:
- I filed an online complaint with Medicare.gov. The URL is: https://www.medicare.gov/my/medicare-complaint This is a pretty simple form that starts with your Medicare number and goes from there. It has its idiosyncracies, however. When I entered all the correct info from my card it said it couldn’t find me so I had to select file / go on without this info which worked OK. A second entry that screwed up the works is you are limited to 1500 CHARACTERS to file your complaint. Seems I had much more. I wrote what I wanted to write, then used Poe’s AI to condense this to 1500 characters or less. The result was then pasted back into the Medicare complaint form. Lastly, the form REQUIRED entry of something named “plan Control ID.” Having no idea what this is for this situation and after doing some poking around via Google I just entered “Unknown” which it accepted. The foregoing applies to those of us who are on Medicare. For those who are not:
- CMS is another way to file a complaint. I also filed there using the following URL: https://www.cms.gov/medical-bill-rights/help/submit-a-complaint/get-started For those who would rather talk their way through this, the Help Desk phone number is 800-886-3059. Under CMS, you can file a complaint if you are using other than Medicare insurance.
Keep in mind that in all cases except a direct complaint to Fresenius, I outlined a procedure for in yesterday’s blog, we are forcing a square peg into a round hole here. We are discussing a medical device that has been changed to our detriment so keep that in mind. While we may seem to be powerless in this situation, I do not share this and will continue to endeavor to fight tooth and nail for what is only right for us and our care. We are not the enemy here. Hang in there with me and file complaints.
This is the text of what I filed to Medicare:
Fresenius Medical supports my peritoneal dialysis needs, providing equipment and care. The Liberty Cycler machine uses a cassette that connects to my catheter and drains spent fluid. Before August 2024, the drain and patient lines were 20 feet long, allowing me to use the toilet and manage dialysis tasks comfortably. However, Fresenius unilaterally reduced these lines to 15 feet without consulting patients. Although they now offer a 20-foot drain line extension for purchase, the patient line remains at 15 feet, making it impossible for me and others to reach the toilet.
Despite repeated requests for the return of the original cassettes with 20-foot leads, Fresenius has not responded. I have filed complaints with my local Fresenius clinic, completed their online complaint form, and reported the issue to CMS. Fresenius is billing Medicare over $100,000 monthly for my care, which I find unsatisfactory and unethical.
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