Oxygen Machine for Home Use

Reasons to Get a Portable Oxygen Concentrator for home use.

Best Oxygen Machine for Home Use

Everyone has different reasons for wanting to upgrade to the convenience of a portable oxygen concentrator. But typically it’s for one of the following reasons:

Portable oxygen concentrator airplane travel

One of the biggest restrictions of standard oxygen tanks is that they are not FAA approved, requiring you to arrange for oxygen delivery at your destination and something for your trip out there. A task that is both tedious and stressful.

Possibly causing you to forgo traveling at all and miss out on important family events, dream vacations, and romantic getaways. When upgrading to a portable oxygen concentrator you will gain the ability to fly anywhere to visit family or friends while receiving oxygen treatment thanks to the FAA approval.

Daily use of the portable oxygen concentrator

With a portable oxygen concentrator, there is no need to schedule refills or predict the number of tanks you will need for the week. Instead, a POC can be used every day thanks to rechargeable batteries.

Once the battery is low simply swap out for an extra battery, or charge the battery while using the unit with the AC power supply through any of your home’s wall outlets.

While many units also give you the ability to power and even charge the concentrator in your vehicle with a DC power supply.

Not to mention that a POC will give you the freedom to exercise regularly, socialize, run errands, enjoy hobbies, attend pulmonary rehab, and much more with little to no restrictions.

Oxygen concentrator vs oxygen tank

Oxygen tanks are bulky, ugly, cumbersome, and restrictive. Not to mention the constant headache of scheduling regular tank refills or replacements.

When you have COPD or another respiratory disease you already have enough to worry about. You want to focus on improving the quality of life with your respiratory disease not constantly worrying about if your supply of tanks will last or if your delivery will arrive on time.

Tanks are also wasteful and tend to leak oxygen, which is potentially very dangerous. As you probably already know, oxygen is flammable and you need to take extra precautions with your tanks or liquid oxygen.

With a portable oxygen concentrator you can have peace of mind knowing your concentrator isn’t leaking oxygen into your car or the room you’re in and you drastically reduce your chances of an oxygen-related fire with a concentrator.

In fact, you would need to hold an open flame near your nasal cannula or smoke a cigarette while using your concentrator to risk having an oxygen-related fire.

How much does oxygen cost per month?

Owning Your Concentrator Outright

Instead of having to pay a monthly fee for renting oxygen tanks or having your insurance pay a monthly fee, a lot of oxygen patients want to own their equipment outright.

Most insurance companies and Medicare classify portable oxygen concentrators as a luxury device, especially if they have already rented you tanks and a home concentrator.

With a portable oxygen concentrator, you have the ability to seamlessly change your flow rate to your precise needs, the option to extend battery life, customize alarm settings, use accessories that enhance portable use by minimizing strain, and select POC’s are even CPAP/BiPAP compatible.

Owning your oxygen equipment also gives you the ability to upgrade to a newer unit at any time you see fit. Whether your flow rate gets increased or a newer, lighter model comes out you can upgrade on your own time.

Does medicare cover portable oxygen concentrators?

Dealing with medicare or your insurance for durable medical equipment (DME) is frustrating and confusing. Often times patients run into the problem of Medicare not covering the exact POC they want, or not covering a POC in all because they are viewed as nonessential.

You will also be tasked with finding a reputable company that deals with Medicare. Once you are able to find one, you may only rent the unit in 5-year cycles and never have the option to purchase the concentrator outright. Then you and/or your insurance company are faced with paying a recurring monthly fee for something that you will never be able to keep.

If you are new to oxygen and you have not been supplied anything by a DME through your insurance or Medicare plan you have a much better chance of getting a portable concentrator paid for by your insurance company or Medicare.

If you have already been provided supplemental oxygen tanks or liquid oxygen Medicare and insurance are going to classify portable oxygen concentrators as luxury devices since they have already provided you with a portable oxygen setup.

How to choose oxygen concentrator?

Once you begin the journey of finding the best portable oxygen concentrator for your medical oxygen needs, there are a few things that you need to keep in mind.

1. Find a portable oxygen machine that completely meets your lifestyle and medical oxygen needs.
   • Do you need pulse or continuous flow, CPAP/BiPAP compatibility, or the ability to charge in the car?
   • You should also take into consideration that as your disease progresses your flow settings may change so it may be smart to purchase a POC with higher flow settings.
2. How will you be using the POC daily?
   • Will, it only be used during times of peak physical activity and while traveling or will you be using it 24/7?
   • Keep your personal and respiratory health goals in mind while comparing different oxygen concentrators.
   • Instead of simply basing your purchasing decision on which unit is the lightest or offers the longest battery life.
3. Thoroughly research all oxygen concentrators online
   • Read product reviews from patients because there is no better way to get insight into a concentrator than from a current user
   • Educate yourself on POC’s by watching product videos
   • Find a concentrator that will meet your medical oxygen needs of today and in the future as the disease progresses
4. Do your due diligence on portable oxygen concentrator distributors
   1. Ensure you are dealing with a reputable company that values its patients by checking reviews from previous and current customers.
   2. Specifically reviews and testimonials discussing delivery time, customer service, product education assistance, and overall satisfaction. A legitimate place to search for company reviews is on the Better Business Bureau (BBB.org).
   3. What services do they offer that you may need? Such as a buy-back program, FREE lifetime tech support, or a full-service repair center.
   4. Keep in mind that just because a company may have the lowest pricing, doesn’t mean they are the best or most legitimate option. This is why looking at reviews, testimonials, and company reputation before buying is extremely important.

How to get a portable oxygen concentrator?

How to Purchase a Portable Oxygen Concentrator?

Not just anyone can go out and buy a portable oxygen concentrator. The only way to legally purchase a POC according to federal law is to have a written prescription for medical-grade oxygen from your doctor. If you do not have an oxygen prescription, we will be unable to sell a concentrator to you as they are regulated by the FDA and FAA.

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