Is yearly appt. with sleep Dr. necessary??

Have an appt. coming up next month and just thinking,seems like a waste of time, money, gas; 90+ miles round trip.

Last couple times I've been it's just, "how you doing, having any problems? Looks like your numbers are good no need to change the Rx." Yeah, never mind I haven't been on the prescribed pressures in ages and even now still trying to find that magical set-up. The one where I feel as good as the numbers say.

I'm consistently below 2 AHI .. I know "what's he complaining about?" But we all know the #'s don't tell it all.

Anyway, Is the only reason for going so I will have an updated Rx. should I happen to need it?? Insurance demands it or ???

My initial Rx says it's for life. Does yours?

I have not seen my sleep doctor since my diagnosis in 2008. I manage my own therapy. If I have a concern, often my PCP can help me. If I need a prescription, my PCP doctor handles it.

Are you using SleepyHead software (can download free from here)? It'll give you a better idea of what might be going right or wrong.

Haven't seen anyone in years and years!

My RX also says it's for a lifetime... however, insurance does demand new RX periodically. I got a letter from the sleep doc the other day, "it's time for a return visit so please call to make an appointment that is convenient for you." I called, answered a few questions, and was told that based on my answers, a return visit would not be necessary; a new RX will be sent to me so that I can continue to purchase supplies.

It does seem silly, since my RX is "lifetime." Every clinic handles these things differently, so we just have to go with the flow because of the rules.

Your insurance may or may not require a follow up visit as evidence for continued use and coverage of any cpap supplies.
When in doubt...ask the insurance company directly. I know there is a short list in my DME's office posted for patients to see explaining that these companies below require an annual doctor follow up. It's a very short list and my Medicare isn't on it and I haven't seen the doc since Aug 2009.

Thanks to all for the replies.

Yes I do have sleepyhead, tho I don't think the latest version (9.3).....Understand all of it??? Not even close!!

My Rx. just says cpap supplies as needed, doesn't say for life or any other time frame just when it was written. But last year when I ordered P10 from cpap.com they didn't ask for a new Rx. as I was expecting them to. So unless the insurance co. needs me to make a yearly visit for God knows why, sounds like I can save us both some money and me a lot of time.

Thanks again: Steve

Thank you Pugsy, you posted while I was trying to type, think of what I was trying to say. You and so many more here are such a blessing to so many people..You all deserve a great big THANK YOU!! Your comment did jog some of my few remaining brain cells and I do know I Have to Have verification of compliance for my health card that you must have with a CDL drivers license.
Don't know if Dr. for the health card physical would take a print out from sleepyhead or not??? I'm thinking probably not especially since my SD card or something went berserk and I'm showing nothing for like 4 months.

Thanks again: Steve

If you have a CDL...you have no choice but to go see the doc to get the license renewed.
The doc probably won't be familiar with SleepyHead but you could use ResScan which he should be familiar with. To keep the CDL current you have to prove not only continued compliance but prove the therapy is working. The CDL licensing doc may either want to contact the sleep doc or see a copy of the reports.

I can get you ResScan easily enough but what's the deal with the data card? You are going to need some sort of report showing that the therapy is working and the OSA is well treated.

Yes Pugsy you are definitely correct, as usual; the rules, laws covering CDL's get more stringent all the time. Not long ago a health card was good for 2 years, now it is down to 1 year and the state has to have the new one before the old one expires so in reality it is less than a year... Should clarify, it's still 2 years unless you have some of these conditions.

As for the SD card...DUNNO, I sometimes have to take it out and reinsert several times to get it to read at all. Been thinking I would get a new card but figured it might cause a problem with whoever has to read the thing for compliance or ???

Suggestions ??? ..... Easier to ask for forgiveness than permission....Yeah, that's what I thought too

If the card is useless, the Autoset's display will show days of usage up to a year--unless it is messed up, too.

Go get a new SD card. They aren't expensive.
Insert it in your S9 and the machine will write the data that it stores in its internal memory to the SD card.
It's summary data but that includes average AHI for in the past. It should cover CDL wanting proof that your therapy is effective.
Then start gathering the detailed data on that SD card for the recent stuff and that will be further proof.
Don't wait till the last minute..you know that.
And yes...the gov't has really tightened up on the rules and regs for the medical cards.

Do this now and hope it is enough....they can require another sleep study with cpap if they want to get crappy about it. So have more than enough proof that you are compliant and therapy is effective in hopes of that satisfying the cdl doc.
Sometimes a letter from sleep doc is enough...sometimes the cdl doc will take the reports as proof and that's enough.
The sleep doc may not be the cdl doc and it is the cdl doc who signs off on the medical card.

Thanks again Pugsy...Sounds like a plan!

Yeah and of course the sleep Doc and the one who does the medical card physicals are two different Drs.
You really wouldn't expect the sleep Dr. to stoop that low

I'm hoping that new card will be sufficient as per your suggestion

steeve wrote:Have an appt. coming up next month and just thinking,seems like a waste of time, money, gas; 90+ miles round trip.

Last couple times I've been it's just, "how you doing, having any problems? Looks like your numbers are good no need to change the Rx." Yeah, never mind I haven't been on the prescribed pressures in ages and even now still trying to find that magical set-up. The one where I feel as good as the numbers say.

I'm consistently below 2 AHI .. I know "what's he complaining about?" But we all know the #'s don't tell it all.

Anyway, Is the only reason for going so I will have an updated Rx. should I happen to need it?? Insurance demands it or ???

First, are you TELLING him you have continuing problems and you aren't satisfied yet that this is the best it's going to be? They aren't mind readers. Check with your insurance company to see if they accept extended prescriptions for supplies. Some do, some don't. Some states don't allow such prescriptions, but the online companies apparently are in states that do allow it.

A lot depends on your provider as well. Seems you haven't told him you are changing your prescription yourself, so yeah, why bother going? My sleep doctor (or at least the director of the sleep clinic), knows I change mine and just gave me parameters when I should contact them. I have issues other than apnea involved though (looks like I'm going to need prescription meds for this damn RLS).

SewTired wrote:

steeve wrote:Have an appt. coming up next month and just thinking,seems like a waste of time, money, gas; 90+ miles round trip.

Last couple times I've been it's just, "how you doing, having any problems? Looks like your numbers are good no need to change the Rx." Yeah, never mind I haven't been on the prescribed pressures in ages and even now still trying to find that magical set-up. The one where I feel as good as the numbers say.

I'm consistently below 2 AHI .. I know "what's he complaining about?" But we all know the #'s don't tell it all.

Anyway, Is the only reason for going so I will have an updated Rx. should I happen to need it?? Insurance demands it or ???

First, are you TELLING him you have continuing problems and you aren't satisfied yet that this is the best it's going to be? They aren't mind readers. Check with your insurance company to see if they accept extended prescriptions for supplies. Some do, some don't. Some states don't allow such prescriptions, but the online companies apparently are in states that do allow it.

A lot depends on your provider as well. Seems you haven't told him you are changing your prescription yourself, so yeah, why bother going? My sleep doctor (or at least the director of the sleep clinic), knows I change mine and just gave me parameters when I should contact them. I have issues other than apnea involved though (looks like I'm going to need prescription meds for this damn RLS).

Yes of course I've tried to tell the" NP" who I see that this just isn't helping that much, haven't seen the Sleep Dr. since initially starting cpap. That is when I get the "Oh your numbers look good, no need to change things" No they're not mind readers are obviously paper or sd card readers either. They are the ones who set my pressure at 7 per the sleep study and if they bothered to look they'd see that with the apap set 8/14 the pressure goes immediately up to the 12 range.
As for the insurance co. the only thing they have paid for in the last year and a half is what they pay for an office visit after my co-pay.. Don't really see the need in going to DME to get supplies when my deductible is much more than I'll spend just buying my supplies from our Host.

I know if it weren't for the help of knowledgeable people here I'd have thrown my hands up a long time ago and then threw that xpap in the closet

Sorry SewTired don't mean to come off rude or harsh, but it really gets me that the people who are getting paid have helped very little and then the selfless people here who aren't making a nickle have helped tremendously!!