What You Need to Know When Choosing a Medical Alert System

Before you make a decision on a medical alert provider, be sure you know what pre-payment requirements are involved.

• There are many medical alert services that advertise no long-term commitment. However, they require a three month minimum service period. Acadian Medical Alert Service offers a month to month contract with no long-term commitment.

The lowest priced service is not always the best and therefore, should not be your only consideration for a medical alert service provider.

• Reputable providers will have a hard time providing qualified medical alert services at below market prices. However, you should not pay for overpriced services, such as $50 a month just because of a celebrity endorsement. Acadian prides itself on its bilingual (English and Spanish) Emergency Medical Dispatch Center, fast response times and almost 40 years of professional and compassionate patient care.

Before a decision is made on a medical alert provider, be sure you understand the cancellation policy.

• Make sure you know what your obligations are in the event you don't need your medical alert service any longer. Some providers charge early cancellation fees and also charge you for return shipping on the medical alarm device. Acadian Medical Alert Services does not have any early cancellation fee because we offer a no risk month to month service plan.

Make sure that you choose a provider that operates its own certified monitoring center.

• Most medical alert service providers outsource the monitoring of their devices. This is quite common due to the expense associated with building, staffing and maintaining their own monitoring facility. Maintaining a high quality of service is nearly impossible when monitoring is outsourced to a third party. Acadian Medical Alert Services owns, operates and maintains redundant UL-2050 and "Five Diamond" certified monitoring centers. We staff our center 24/7 with Emergency Medical Dispatchers. Acadian offers its subscribers the best possible patient care with one of the fastest response times in the industry.

The real test of a medical alert service is what its customers say about it so try and find real customer testimonials.

• Customer testimonials let you evaluate the level of service through the eyes of an existing customer. Acadian has been providing emergency medical care for almost 40 years and has helped save thousands of lives across the country.

Having trained personnel in the monitoring center is a primary concern you should have before you decide which medical alert provider to use.

• In an emergency, when seconds count, having qualified Emergency Medical Trained Dispatchers can mean the difference between life and death. Acadian Medical Alert Systems maintains a 24/7 bilingual (English and Spanish) staff of Emergency Medical Trained Dispatchers (EMD). Every medical alert operator receives extensive training and is certified as an EMD and can provide life support that can help someone provide CPR, the Heimlich maneuver, control bleeding, open an airway, or deliver a baby.

There are always new providers trying to get into the medical alert service business. Before you make a decision, ask each provider how long they have been in business.

• In most things, experience is something that cannot be measured and is extremely important. Going with a service provider with limited experience may prove to be very costly and may put your loved ones at risk. Acadian has been providing quality patient care and monitoring for almot 40 years and has helped save thousands of lives across the country.

When deciding on a medical alert service provider, make sure to find out their repair & replacement policies.

• In this age of electronics, there are times when devices have some kind of manufacture defect that cause the device to not work properly. Many providers will charge you for a repair and or a replacement device as well as shipping. For as long as you are a subscriber with Acadian Medical Alert Systems, we will provide you with unlimited repair and or replacement services.

Make sure that the monitoring center of a potential medical alert service is UL listed.

• Being recognized as an Underwriters Laboratories UL-2050 Listed and "Five Diamond" certified monitoring center is the standard. Being UL listing signifies that the facility continues to meet the high standards of Underwriters Laboratories. You would be well advised to consider only those medical alert services that maintain a UL listing. The redundant Acadian Medical Alert Monitoring Centers maintain a UL-2050 listing and "Five Diamond" certification and are Five Diamond Certified. There are approximately 2,700 central stations in the US that interact with law enforcement, fire and emergency services agencies. Fewer than five percent have achieved Five Diamond status.

When considering a medical alert system, be sure and check how often the system tests itself.

• One of the most important functions of a medical alert system is the testing. Testing of the system on a regular basis alerts you and your monitoring station to a possible problem before it occurs. Acadian's Medical Alert System automatically tests itself and communicates with the Acadian Medical Alert Monitoring Center on a monthly basis. The tests make sure your medical alert system is connected and functioning properly.

Try calling the monitoring center you are evaluating and speak with an operator.

• When you or your loved ones have a need to press the pendant, it is already a tense situation. You want to make sure that the people on the other end of the line cannot only handle any type of emergency, but make the patient feel safe and secure. Our alarm centers are staffed with Emergency Medical Dispatchers. They are caring and compassionate people that truly care for the wellbeing of others.

Choose an emergency medical alert service that can meet your individual needs.

• Try and talk to the customer service department as well as the medical monitoring department. Look for how each member of the organization treats you and your questions. At Acadian, we treat all of our members like they are part of our extended family. This sense of family is reflected in every one of our dedicated employees...from the customer service agent to the medical dispatcher.

Another good way to judge a monitoring service is by the number of subscribers it has.

• You want to make sure that any service you choose can maintain the highest level of service possible. The more the customer base grows, the more pressure to maintain service levels increase on the center. The Acadian Alert Monitoring Centers has over 150,000 subscribers and receives more than 250,000 calls for help each month. With our redundant UL-2050 listed and "Five Diamond" certified monitoring centers and scalability, Acadian can meet all of your monitoring needs.

How well a provider can customize a plan to fit your needs is key.

• Many monitoring companies offer only a fixed plan with no customization. At Acadian, we listen to your needs from the very start so we can better serve you. We encourage all of our new customers to give us a call at 1-877-315-2028 before ordering. Our knowledgeable Customer Service Representatives can discuss your needs so you can get the best medical alert plan to fit your needs.

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