doctor refuses to give prescription to buy online

[LinkC]

If the doc and the DME are affiliated (as it sounds), there very likely ISN'T a documented prescription. It was probably transmitted orally. HIPAA (not "HIPPA"!) won't get you a thing. You will need talk someone into writing a usable 'script. (You will also need a new sleep doc, IMHO.)

[purple]

Some insurance companies will pay for things they at first deny, if you request a special consideration, which probably needs a prescription from the sleep doc. Sometimes you need a secondary condition for special consideration, like Sleep Apnea and you also have a lung problem, or heart problem and so on. Meaning the machine is not for simple Sleep Apnea but as part of treatment for other problems, which will cost the insurance company more money if the machine is not provided. Emergency trip to ER is and a few days in the hospital is going to cost them more than treating your Sleep Apnea. I dunno, I never tried this one.

Needs to check compliance? Scoff. That is required if you got your equipment through an insurance company.

If you have a usually cooperative relationship with your GP's Clinic. Have them request all the information from the test. I am sure my GP's Staff will happily create a copy for me without charge. This method is both cheaper for you, and the sleep doctor office would likely not refuse a request from your GP. If your GP will not write the script, then start calling DME's and ask if they know a doc who would from the record you have. A lot of DME people are quite nice to chat with, and are not concerned with their company making money on everything they do. Some DME's people might not be so nice, but you only need one, and then you will have found a DME that you might want to work with, if it fits for you. Your insurance company might cover masks after starting treatment.

Then your GP might be more willing to write a script, while you are sitting there with a copy of the sleep doc's report in your hand, (and one still stashed at home). Talk to those on the board here about the right machine, a data capable machine. In my opinion, an auto. Might get first mask from a local DME as they can replace it for the first thirty days for another mask, of a different size, model, or type.

[Vader]

hi, ive been recently diagnosed with moderate sleep apnea, my insurance does not cover cpap, the local providers want over $1700 dollars for a machine, i found affordable machines on cpap dot com, but my doctor refuses to give me a prescription to buy a machine online, says he cant track my progress despite the fact the machine comes with tracking software, has anybody had this problem? any suggestions?

First of all, liquidblu25, I would recommend that you become a member of this forum, and fill out a profile. Seeing you're new to sleep apnea therapy, you will find a real lot of valuable information here at this site.

In North Carolina, where I did my sleep study, the Doc readily handed over my cpap prescription, and he told me to get it filled wherever I'd like. He also said to not give up my original prescription to anyone (only copies) because it is my legal right to keep my original medical document.
Even when I get a prescription for eyeglasses I'm given my own copy of the rx. An optician can't legally keep it either.

If we are hearing the whole story here, I would consider getting another Doctor if he doesn't give you the prescription.

[archangle]

Whether or not you have a strong case for getting a copy of the prescription, I believe you have a very strong legal case for being able to fill a prescription anywhere you want to. I believe it's a BIG no-no for the doctor to dictate where you fill a prescription.

[DaveMunson]

Yes. Fire him and get a new doctor. One who will work with you in reality of the real world. Mine wrote a script so I could get a machine through cpap auctions cause I could not afford the price of going through insurance.

Remember, you are free and no one's slave.

[BernieRay]

... I, for example, cannot install any software whatsoever on the hospital-owned computer on my desk, and the USB ports are disabled so I can't plug in a card reader. It's not kosher to use a private notebook for a patient's clinical information (if I did that then took my own notebook home, I would've violated HIPAA). The way around that is for YOU to bring in YOUR computer with the appropriate software and review the data in the office or send whatever reports a DME would have sent.

If I were you, I'd be having a discussion with the hospital IT staff. Using security policies with disregard for the need to be flexible is interfering with your ability to serve your patients. Ask them to do a risk analysis and be sure that you are allowed to have input into that analysis. If the benefits to you and your patients outweigh the risks, then it is a simple matter to sign a risk acceptance and get what you need. This is a basic practice within the information system security world. If the IT staff doesn't want to, take it to the hospital's board. You're being treated as one sheep in a herd.

Good suggestion about patients bringing in their computers. I do that regularly with all of my doctors.

[mstevens]

... I, for example, cannot install any software whatsoever on the hospital-owned computer on my desk, and the USB ports are disabled so I can't plug in a card reader. It's not kosher to use a private notebook for a patient's clinical information (if I did that then took my own notebook home, I would've violated HIPAA). The way around that is for YOU to bring in YOUR computer with the appropriate software and review the data in the office or send whatever reports a DME would have sent.

If I were you, I'd be having a discussion with the hospital IT staff. Using security policies with disregard for the need to be flexible is interfering with your ability to serve your patients. Ask them to do a risk analysis and be sure that you are allowed to have input into that analysis. If the benefits to you and your patients outweigh the risks, then it is a simple matter to sign a risk acceptance and get what you need. This is a basic practice within the information system security world. If the IT staff doesn't want to, take it to the hospital's board. You're being treated as one sheep in a herd.

If I were me, I'd have already had that discussion long ago, both with the IT director and directly with the CEO and each member of the board.

When the head of OB-Gyn gets blocked from doing a search on breastfeeding on a given drug because "breast" is apparently too titillating, when I as the head of the Psychiatry department am blocked from sites that discuss street drugs or Facebook after a high-school kid was killed (and the rest of the kids were posting stuff I needed to be able to monitor), or when the head of Pediatrics is blocked from accessing websites with information about kids' summer camps, it's clear that logic is not going to prevail. For a time, our web filter blocked our electronic prescribing software, including while I was doing training for the primary care doctors with the head of IT in attendance. She was, apparently, not in the least embarrassed by that. Keep in mind, all that nonsense is just with our web filter. My neuropsychologist, who does tests that can only be done on a computer, needs many months of lead time to get a simple update to a test done. We have hundreds to thousands of dollars' worth of test software that hasn't even been installed yet.

[fuzzy96]

wow mr stevens WTF??????? if i wanna see a professional i expect that thier resources are readily available . not blocked by a computer program. real information in real time may mean the difference in life or death.
all i can say is i hope i don't ever come to your hospital !!!!!!!!!!! looks like a lawsuit waiting to happen.

[archangle]

wow mr stevens WTF??????? if i wanna see a professional i expect that thier resources are readily available . not blocked by a computer program. real information in real time may mean the difference in life or death.
all i can say is i hope i don't ever come to your hospital !!!!!!!!!!! looks like a lawsuit waiting to happen.

You're probably going to find this kind of blocking at most hospitals. Also at almost any group practice setting as well. I'm not saying it's right, I'm saying that's what you'll find.

Not doing it is inviting a lawsuit when some computer records get compromised or damaged by a virus or when some piece of network connected hospital equipment malfunctions because of computer malware.

If you are at a facility that doesn't do this, it's probably because it has a bush league IT department (or bush league management) and your medical records and any network attached equipment is at risk.

It may be possible to provide good computer system protection and not block access to important web sites, but I think it will be rare to find such a computer network in a hospital or clinic setting.

[M.D.Hosehead]

When the head of OB-Gyn gets blocked from doing a search on breastfeeding on a given drug because "breast" is apparently too titillating, when I as the head of the Psychiatry department am blocked from sites that discuss street drugs or Facebook after a high-school kid was killed (and the rest of the kids were posting stuff I needed to be able to monitor), or when the head of Pediatrics is blocked from accessing websites with information about kids' summer camps, it's clear that logic is not going to prevail. For a time, our web filter blocked our electronic prescribing software, including while I was doing training for the primary care doctors with the head of IT in attendance. She was, apparently, not in the least embarrassed by that. Keep in mind, all that nonsense is just with our web filter. My neuropsychologist, who does tests that can only be done on a computer, needs many months of lead time to get a simple update to a test done. We have hundreds to thousands of dollars' worth of test software that hasn't even been installed yet.

Incredibly frustrating.
Just wondering about workarounds...can you do searches on your own 4G smartphone or tablet computer, i.e., not connected to the hospital system? Can you search on your tablet/smartphone and email results to your email account at the hospital?

[M.D.Hosehead]

BTW, what happened to the OP? Troll?

[BlackSpinner]

BTW, what happened to the OP? Troll?

It is the weekend! The OP is probably still on hold with their health care provider.

[chunkyfrog]

". . .still on hold" You made a funny. Probably true; and a good point, Blackspinner.
Too many of us have been there, done that; and BURNED the t-shirt.

[GumbyCT]

While I understand the need to block some sites, the users who need legitimate access can be granted permission on their userid logon. I do hope your IT dept wises up. Could it be they simply don't know how to grant the required permissions?

[BlackSpinner]

While I understand the need to block some sites, the users who need legitimate access can be granted permission on their userid logon. I do hope your IT dept wises up. Could it be they simply don't know how to grant the required permissions?

Or the department heads could arrange for the installation of their own wi-fi connections like they did in our company - affectionately referred to as "deathstars". For a while they blocked all Microsoft sites so nobody would tempted to do updates. So no help was available for any of the software.....

My daughter had similar problems - as a buyer she had to check the sites of the competition but that wasn't allowed since "shopping " sites were blocked.