Secret CPAP....

I'm pretty sure this will be the first post of it's kind

Awhile back I did a sleep study with the VA. I was diagnosed with mild sleep apnea, 7.1 AHI O2 desat was good. They gave me a ResMed CPAP.
I prefer not to disclose the VA treatment to my employer at (for un-related reasons). I had such a hard time getting good sleep I quit using it since I had a new
sleep study scheduled (I know, not a good reason...)

I just did that sleep study for Kaiser last night and they will read my results this afternoon. Most likely I will once again be diagnosed with mild OSA.
The next step is a 3 -5 day sleep study using a CPAP. Problem is my Kaiser plan does not cover CPAP. That is called a supplemental Durable Medical Equipment Rider
and my plan does not have it.

I want to get my treatment from a non VA provider but use my VA issued CPAP. The techs at the VA can monitor my usage and settings, etc.
If settings are changed by Kaiser I think they'd be ok once I explain whats going on. I will have to provide my data to my employer annually.

FINALLY MY TWO QUESTIONS;
1. Will Kaiser or my employer be able to tell where I got the machine from based on the info on the data card or how they link to the machine wirelessly?
2. I also heave Cigna PPO, if I choose to get my CPAP treatment (using my machine) through them what type of medical provider do I contact?
I assume there are docs specializing in sleep medicine is that my best bet?


Thanks !

I think the first step you need to do is understand what Kaiser's expectations are for the machine. I would presume that if they're going to be expecting data from the machine that they have a particular machine in mind. It's also possible they have all they need to work with most machines, but I would check. On VA's awareness of potential changes by the Kaiser folks..hard to say. I don't know what data they get now, or if they can even see such changes. Someone more familiar with your machine, and what data it sends wirelessly to the provider will have to chime in about that part of it.

Oh, and on whether Kaiser can see where the machine came from...I guess it's possible, but why would that matter? They apparently ask you to buy the machine yourself anyway, right (since you don't have the equipment coverage)?

On what what provider in case you go with the Cigna coverage, I'd say a sleep specialist of some sort. I went through my primary care physician, and he's just not very well up to date on cpap therapy.

If Kaiser isn't paying for it, Kaiser doesn't care. If you know how to change your own settings, then change them according to your doc's recommendation. If you don't know how to change your settings, post your machine here and someone can tell you how to get to the clinical settings so you can do so. It may surprise you to know that a LOT of people who go to Kaiser get their machines used off of Craigslist because their coverage doesn't cover the machines at all or adequately. You are not the only one!

Additional Note: Kaiser is able to read the data off of a Resmed machine, so no worries there. If you choose to allow them to link to your machine wirelessly, they will only get a serial number - it won't tell them where you got the machine. So, unless it has VA stamped on the machine, they don't know where you got it.

If you now own the machine that the VA gave you, Kaiser would not tell you not to use it, especially since it seems to be a very new machine. I'm sure that they are fine with that as it saves them from having to pay for it!

I'm not sure about supplies (masks, filters, hoses, etc.), but I would imagine that they'll supply them for the machine that you have. If you don't have coverage for supplies, you can comparison shop on-line.

I'm not sure why you don't want your employer to know. However, absent a valid safety concern, it's probably illegal for them to discriminate against you. Besides that, I don't believe that an insurer can disclose this information to your employer, even if the insurance is through your job.

Cigna loves Crapria ..... er... Apria.

Sheriff

If you get your machine from the VA, you can also get supplies from them. I am not sure if they follow the medicare guidelines for issuing supplies, or not. If they run their cpap program like they do their hearing aid program, you need to get your supplies from them. When I got hearing aids from them several years ago, I had to get my batteries from them. They track usage of the hearing aids by the fact that you order batteries from them. If you don't use their batteries, they will not replace the hearing aids if something goes wrong with them.

You need to download the free sleepyhead software and install it on your PC.
You will then be able to look at the detailed data on your Apap data card.
https://sleep.tnet.com/resources/sleepyhead.
with that information you will be able to find out what is actually going on and if your machine needs to be adjusted.
download the Clinical manual for your Apap here:
https://sleep.tnet.com/home/files/resme ... -guide.pdf
That will tell you how to make changes to your settings after you collect sleepyhead data.

Okie bipap wrote:If you get your machine from the VA, you can also get supplies from them. I am not sure if they follow the medicare guidelines for issuing supplies, or not. If they run their cpap program like they do their hearing aid program, you need to get your supplies from them. When I got hearing aids from them several years ago, I had to get my batteries from them. They track usage of the hearing aids by the fact that you order batteries from them. If you don't use their batteries, they will not replace the hearing aids if something goes wrong with them.

Good point. You got the machine through the VA, so you can get your supplies there even if you see a non-VA doctor. They may want you to prove compliance, but you should be able to do that with little difficulty.