We are writing this article to answer the million dollar question: Are portable oxygen concentrators worth the upfront costs?
To clarify, we are a medical equipment company in Denver Colorado, and our specialty is in portable oxygen concentrators (POC). We work closely with these devices everyday along with the folks and families that need them. It is our number one priority to educate, execute, ensure. This means educating everyone that calls, messages, emails, or comments with inquiries about our oxygen devices. Executing the sales process effectively and efficiently, so our customers can get their oxygen device as soon as possible. And lastly ensuring that all of our customers are happy, satisfied, and taking full advantage of their oxygen device.
With all of this in mind, it is important to note that portable oxygen concentrators are not for everyone. An individual’s certain health condition and the criteria set up by their doctor will inform our respiratory specialists in Boca Raton, Florida whether or not they would benefit from owning a portable oxygen concentrator, and which device they will be able to take advantage of most based on their lifestyles.
So for those readers that are eligible for either a pulse flow portable oxygen concentrator or a continuous flow portable oxygen concentrator this blog is for you! We will give you the truth behind buying a portable oxygen concentrator and you can determine for yourself whether or the costs are worth the experience of owning one!
In this article we will talk about:
There are three types of costs you will encounter over time with a portable oxygen concentrator, however, the recurring costs are very minimal if anything they are nonexistent compared to owning a liquid or gas oxygen tank.
The biggest cost, and what scares most oxygens users right off the bat is the upfront costs, and the facts that POC are very rarely covered by insurance or Medicare.
First of all, the upfront costs can be avoided if you purchase the POC from a licensed distributor, such as LPT Medical. Because we offer a multitude of different brands and carry a lot of products, so we are able to offer the lowest prices. LPT Medial carries Inogen portable oxygen concentrators, Philips Respironics, RedMed, among others and we have something that will work for most oxygen patients.
Portable oxygen concentrators costs will depend on the type of device you need, pulse flow devices are typically cheaper than continuous flow devices, because continuous flow devices have to be much more powerful. The ability of a portable oxygen concentrator’s battery will also factor into the price, so a device with very long lasting battery life, may be more expensive than a device with a less powerful battery.
All of this, and more, can be discussed with your respiratory specialist!
If you still can’t afford the upfront costs of a POC, you can work with your respiratory specialist to set up a monthly payment plan.
Payment plans are great for people who want to build healthy credit, and would rather pay a smaller amount over a period of time, than a large sum at one time.
The recurring costs associated with medical equipment are costs that you should avoid if at all possible. You can avoid these costs by being diligent about what you require as far as equipment and what you do not, this all comes down to educating yourself.
For example, when it comes to oxygen equipment, oxygen tanks will cost more the longer you use it, and the costs will never subside. Every time you need to refill the tanks, you are wasting time and money.
With a portable oxygen concentrator, you may have to occasionally pay to have it fixed after the 3 year warranty is up, but luckily, portable oxygen concentrators are very durable, like the SeQual Eclipse 5 was design for the US military, and it is known for being durable and reliable for years and years.
The other great things about working with LPT Medical, when you buy a portable oxygen concentrator is how we will only sell oxygen devices to people who can benefit from the device for years to come. This greatly has to do with the potential to increase your oxygen supply should you ever need to. Some portable oxygen concentrators emit more oxygen and for folks who have a high oxygen prescription we would only recommend a powerful device that has room to support you should you need more oxygen in the future or in the case of a COPD exacerbation.
This section is all about you!!!
What are you getting out of a portable oxygen concentrator? Here is a list of all of the positive things oxygen patients have told us about their POCs.
If this list of lifestyle improvements still doesn’t sway you, POC are also much cheaper than oxygen tanks in the long-run. If you have an oxygen tank, overtime, you will have paid more money towards refilling your tanks every week than you would have if you paid for a rechargeable portable oxygen concentrator that you only have to pay for once.
Of course, like anything in life, nothing is perfect. POCs do not work for everyone, and sometimes the operational capacity or the design just doesn’t fit into an individual’s lifestyle or oxygen requirements. While we are capable of determining whether or not our POCs will cover you medically, you ultimately have to decide if a rechargeable battery powered device is right for you.
There are luckily very few general cons to owning a portable oxygen concentrator. They are user friendly, durable, and if they do malfunction they can be easily fixed or replaced. We are very confident in the products we offer, which is why we are willing to offer such a generous warranty on every new device we sell. We even offer warranties on used and refurbished devices, that is how much we believe in the product.
The key to satisfying any customer is to offer them a product that they can have for a very long time, and if we can do that at a reasonable price, we did our job correctly!
The truth is that portable oxygen concentrators were built to last. Devices like the Inogen One G5, the Caire freestyle comfort, and the Respironics SimplyGo, all have compressors that are rated to last 20,000 hours. The Oxlife Independence Portable Oxygen Concentrator is so low maintenance, pretty much the only thing you need to worry about is changing the filter.
If you currently have an oxygen tank, hopefully after reading this article you can see the difference owning a POC can make in your life. If you are a new oxygen patient reading this, here is a resource to see side by side how owning a POC compares to owning an oxygen tank
Making a large financial decision doesn't have to be stressful. Once you know more about a product it becomes clear how much value something can bring to your life, the decision becomes much easier.
We hope this article gave you some insight in the life of owning a POC. If you still have questions, do not hesitate to call us at 1(800)-946-1201, our respiratory specialists are standing-by to help you sort of the medical jargon, finances, and anything else that might be holding you back from purchasing a POC of you own.
We hope this guide helped you determine whether or not a POC is right for you, and if the costs are worth the luxury of owning one yourself!
If you have any question or concerns please comment below, and feel free to share this blog with family or friends if you think they might be interested.