To All Our Patients –
Thank you for your continued patience and support as Quality DME navigates through this unprecedented time. As much as we would like this outreach to be one that brings good news about the recall, there are no changes to report. We are making frequent inquires to our representatives from Philips to try to gather information for our patients, but have been met repeatedly with the same response:
“A timeline for the recall is not available yet. We will notify the DME suppliers and the patients as soon as more information is available.”
However, we would like to share more about what’s going on ‘behind the scenes’ and provide our patients with insight into industry activity that heavily impacts the recall situation.
The Philips Respironics recall has created an environment where demand for a safe therapy device is greater than ever. Quality DME wants nothing more than to provide every patient with access to safe and reliable PAP therapy. In what could be called a ‘Perfect Storm,’ we are also facing supply chain shortages from the other major manufacturer, ResMed. Due to an international shortage of microprocessors, ResMed is unable to keep up with the massive increase in demand. The result is a colossal shortage of therapy devices throughout the United States and the world.
Quality DME, along with all other DME providers around the country will have limited access to PAP therapy devices because of this shortage. We must make difficult decisions on how we utilize the reduced inventory available based on supply constraints, patient severity, patient access, and the ability to serve those without a PAP therapy device. We are aware of the frustration this may cause and would not make these decisions if we were not forced.
We will continue to seek information from Philips regarding the recall. We will provide therapy to as many patients as our inventory allows and continue to be here to provide the best solutions available. We are confident in the resources we provide to our patients, and we will get through this challenging time together.
We realize you may have unanswered questions and we encourage you to email us at recall@qualitydme.com for assistance. We understand the importance of transparency and will continue to share information as soon as it becomes available.
Sincerely,
Mike Austin
President, Quality DME, Inc.
