CPAP providers who don't require a sleep study?

Seth,

From was I was able to read, the DME that you got your last machine from with insurance no longer sells CPAPs, but is still in business. If that's the case, they probably sold their CPAP business and should be able to refer you to the purchaser of that business (sort of like a doctor selling a practice or a pharmacy selling its prescriptions).

Note that you should try to go through insurance if at all possible. Why leave money on the table?

BTW, why do you not have access to your original sleep study? If the doctor who ordered it is no longer practicing (or no longer practicing in your state), (s)he - or the estate - most likely sold the practice. The new owners of that practice should have your records for quote a few years.

D.H. wrote:Seth,

From was I was able to read, the DME that you got your last machine from with insurance no longer sells CPAPs, but is still in business. If that's the case, they probably sold their CPAP business and should be able to refer you to the purchaser of that business (sort of like a doctor selling a practice or a pharmacy selling its prescriptions).

Note that you should try to go through insurance if at all possible. Why leave money on the table?

BTW, why do you not have access to your original sleep study? If the doctor who ordered it is no longer practicing (or no longer practicing in your state), (s)he - or the estate - most likely sold the practice. The new owners of that practice should have your records for quote a few years.

I don't even remember what city it was done in, so really have no way to track the study down.

seth wrote:Unless there is a 'light' sleep study that doesn't require me to spend a night without the CPAP, I am just going to buy one out of pocket.

There is one "maybe"...and it's a fairly big maybe.
Split sleep study....where if you meet criteria for OSA they put you on cpap as soon as you meet criteria (and criteria is whatever the sleep lab uses for split study diagnosis enough to warrant putting you on a cpap that night).
It's a maybe because you might not meet whatever criteria they might use during the required time frame. It can be as little as 2 hours to meet criteria but you need to do it soon enough for the titration second part of the split night study.
If for some reason you don't meet criteria soon enough to allow enough time for the cpap titration they won't do it. Happened to me is why I mention it. Doctor order a split study but when I finally met criteria there wasn't enough time left to do the titration....I had problems getting to sleep and staying asleep.

I mention split study as an option. To be honest I think if it didn't take food off my table to buy it myself and say "screw the damn DME" I would just buy a new machine privately and be done with the DME side of things. Sometimes the hassle factor elimination is just worth it to do things myself. By buying it myself I get exactly what I want and when I want it.
I have done all my machine purchases privately...my insurance has never paid for a machine. I preferred to avoid all the hassles especially the hassle of the DME not wanting to provide what I wanted. Plus I don't have to deal with all the compliance crap.
In my case I have shopped smart and pretty much any machine I bought and paid for out of pocket cost me about what my co pay would have been if I used my insurance...or in some cases less.
For me the hassle factor weighs heavily and I just prefer to avoid it whenever I can.

Pugsy wrote:[
There is one "maybe"...and it's a fairly big maybe.
Split sleep study....where if you meet criteria for OSA they put you on cpap as soon as you meet criteria (and criteria is whatever the sleep lab uses for split study diagnosis enough to warrant putting you on a cpap that night).
It's a maybe because you might not meet whatever criteria they might use during the required time frame. It can be as little as 2 hours to meet criteria but you need to do it soon enough for the titration second part of the split night study.
If for some reason you don't meet criteria soon enough to allow enough time for the cpap titration they won't do it. Happened to me is why I mention it. Doctor order a split study but when I finally met criteria there wasn't enough time left to do the titration....I had problems getting to sleep and staying asleep.

I mention split study as an option. To be honest I think if it didn't take food off my table to buy it myself and say "screw the damn DME" I would just buy a new machine privately and be done with the DME side of things. Sometimes the hassle factor elimination is just worth it to do things myself. By buying it myself I get exactly what I want and when I want it.
I have done all my machine purchases privately...my insurance has never paid for a machine. I preferred to avoid all the hassles especially the hassle of the DME not wanting to provide what I wanted. Plus I don't have to deal with all the compliance crap.
In my case I have shopped smart and pretty much any machine I bought and paid for out of pocket cost me about what my co pay would have been if I used my insurance...or in some cases less.
For me the hassle factor weighs heavily and I just prefer to avoid it whenever I can.

That is close to where I am at now. If my PCP doesn't come up with some alternative, I will go ahead and just buy it.

seth wrote:That is close to where I am at now. If my PCP doesn't come up with some alternative, I will go ahead and just buy it.

Couple of points ...
1. If you do go for a sleep study the doc has to order the split-nite study.
2. If Medicare is in your future the diagnostic portion of the study has to be a min. of 120 minutes min. make certain this is clear before the study.
3. You must know by now the reason to request a copy of your sleep study results AND the Drs Order (DWO) Detailed Written Order for the equipment.
4. Fax, mail, or upload the DWO to cpap dot com and any other DME's you may want to do business with in the future for masks or machines.
5. Make copies to keep on hand.

I am rootin for you.

Guest wrote: Couple of points ...
1. If you do go for a sleep study the doc has to order the split-nite study.
2. If Medicare is in your future the diagnostic portion of the study has to be a min. of 120 minutes min. make certain this is clear before the study.
3. You must know by now the reason to request a copy of your sleep study results AND the Drs Order (DWO) Detailed Written Order for the equipment.
4. Fax, mail, or upload the DWO to cpap dot com and any other DME's you may want to do business with in the future for masks or machines.
5. Make copies to keep on hand.

I am rootin for you.

Thanks, appreciated.