Third-party sellers endanger patient safety.

—Via AAHomecare, WASHINGTON, D.C. (December 14, 2017)—AAHomecare has learned that third party sellers in North Dakota (and possibly other states) have been advertising and selling through Amazon.com CPAP devices without a prescription or any other medical supervision. Such sales are likely in violation of state and federal laws, as well as Amazon’s own restrictions on the sale of prescription devices.

AAHomecare is working with outside counsel to develop a strategy to curb this practice, starting with asking Amazon to enforce their own policies and comply with all applicable state and federal regulations. The Association also plans to reach out directly to third-party sellers and state and Federal regulators to ask them to make sure that HME products that require a prescription are not available on Amazon.com or other online marketplaces. AAHomecare’s counsel will continue to explore the scope of medical and consumer protection regulations that are applicable to these illegal online sales so they can be quickly resolved in the future.

Visit aahomecare.org for more information.