Where can i buy my CPAP machine in Las Vegas ???

General Discussion on any topic relating to CPAP and/or Sleep Apnea.
tobywong
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Where can i buy my CPAP machine in Las Vegas ???

Post by tobywong » Mon Jan 08, 2007 6:30 am

hi, im from ireland and have been recently diagnosed with sleep apnoea. to purchase the cpap machine in ireland costs close to $2000 and after some research i know they can be purchased for a fraction of that price in the US. Im travelling to las vegas on holidays soon and wonder can anyone tell me where i can purchase my cpap machine in vegas ???? thanks for your help!!!!!


greyhound
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Post by greyhound » Mon Jan 08, 2007 6:44 am

As long as you have a perscription, why not order it from cpap.com and have it delivered to a Los Vegas address. I'm sure the hotel you'll be staying at can hold it for you. Or, worst case, pay for the express shipping and have it delivered while you're in the U.S.


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Slinky
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Post by Slinky » Mon Jan 08, 2007 7:45 am

To buy your equipment from a local Las Vegas DME supplier would cost you about the same as it would cost you to buy it in Ireland. The prices that you see online are available only online. The local DME suppliers charge considerably more.

Ours is a strange system. Our govenment health insurance system, Medicare, and our private health insurance companies, with some input from the DME suppliers, decide what is a "reasonable" price for this equipment and service. The insurance companies then negotiate a healthy discount from that price with the DME suppliers they contract with. The negotiated price is set artificially high so as to allow the insurance companies AND the DME suppliers a "reasonable" profit. Obviously the manufacturer and all the middlemen between manufacturer and end-user, the patient, must make some profit to stay in business. If one is eligible to sell via Medicare one cannot bill an individual less than what one would bill Medicare thus the suppliers must sell to the uninsured, self-pay at the same price they bill Medicare and insurance companies. The billing is at the artificial price, not the negotiated price. Online DME suppliers are not held to those rules thus they can sell the equipment at a more more realistic cost/profit ratio. Is that clear as mud?

I told you, ours is a strange system! The uninsured pay more for health products and services than the insureds' insurance company. Do as suggested above, buy online for delivery at your hotel in Vegas.


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tobywong
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Post by tobywong » Mon Jan 08, 2007 8:13 am

my specialist wont issue me wit a presciption to use on line, but will give me a letter of diagnosis . would it be possible to get a doc in the states to issue a prescription which i could then use to purchase my machine online in america and get it delivered home ? my private health insurance in ireland refuse to cover the cost of my machine!!!


mattman
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Post by mattman » Mon Jan 08, 2007 8:22 am

Unfortunately, you are in a bit of a difficult situation.

To purchase a CPAP in the US you will HAVE to have a prescription. That's dictated by the US Government.

The prescription will need to have a doctors name, CPAP, a pressure setting on it and the doctors signature.

While I am unsure exactly what a 'letter of diagnosis' would be, my gut feeling tells me that it won't contain the information above and therefore won't be valid.

While the message above about costs and pricing is accurate, I can feel very comfortable telling you that you would be able to purchase a CPAP machine from a traditional DME provider for much less than $2,000.00. It is absolutely true that you can purchase them for well under $1,000.00 from an online vendor due to the pricing controls set forth by Insurance Company contracts.
However, if your doctor will not write you a prescription for use with an online vendor but WOULD for a traditional DME you may still want to look into that.

While I might disagree with your doctors desires for where you get your equipment but that's not my place to comment on.

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tobywong
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Post by tobywong » Mon Jan 08, 2007 8:28 am

you are correct mattman, the doc will only issue a prescription to the only supplier in ireland who is ripping me off so i wont gratify them to purchase off them. a letter of diagnosis will state that i have the condition ( but i am still waitin on it) .


greyhound
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Post by greyhound » Mon Jan 08, 2007 8:39 am

Can you get a copy of the perscription that is sent to the local supplier? If so, perhaps, you can cancel the "order" or, somehow, make sure the local supplier doesn't fill the perscription. In that case, you can still use the copy of the perscription to order on-line in the US.

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tobywong
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Post by tobywong » Mon Jan 08, 2007 8:42 am

i have a letter that recommends my machine wit a pressure of 10 and it recommends that my supplier supplies me wit it ! do u think this will suffice for my online order???

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oldgearhead
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Post by oldgearhead » Mon Jan 08, 2007 8:48 am


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Slinky
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Post by Slinky » Mon Jan 08, 2007 8:50 am

How long are you going to be in Vegas? Do you already have your "letter of diagnosis" in hand? Do you have friends who live in Vegas? I'm thinking that perhaps if your friend explained your predicament to their Vegas doctor "and" your letter of diagnosis provided enough information to justify to that doctor (if he was sympathetic to your plight) that you do, indeed, need xPAP treatment, he might if you kept an appointment w/him in his office and explained your situation, feel comfortable writing you a script for a PAP machine. Most likely it would have to be an Auto if no pressures are listed in your "letter of diagnosis".

In our area, and I would assume Las Vegas too, we have "afterhours/walk-in" clinics, sort of mini Emergency Care facilities for less than life-threatening health emergencies. A visit to one of those, with "letter of diagnosis" in hand and an explanation of your predicament, MIGHT get you a script for PAP equipment.

BUT - I would think, that the mind set of the doctors just might be that IF you can afford a trip from Ireland to Vegas your priorities might be a bit skewed and you could well afford to pay the $2000 for the PAP equipment in Ireland, even if it meant skipping your trip to Vegas to do so.


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Post by DreamStalker » Mon Jan 08, 2007 8:54 am

Why don't you just call the people at CPAP.COM at their toll free number and ask them what all you need to order a machine for a patient in Ireland?

Perhaps an Rx is not needed for buyers outside the states?

Get your factual info straight from the online vendor.

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tobywong
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Post by tobywong » Mon Jan 08, 2007 8:56 am

slinky its not a case of priorities , it is a case of not being ripped off . ireland is now one of the most expensive places in the world to live and has been dubbed in the media the " rip of republic" . pay a visit to this little country of ours and you will soon see what i mean!!!!

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neversleeps
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Post by neversleeps » Mon Jan 08, 2007 9:05 am

tobywong wrote:my specialist wont issue me wit a presciption to use on line, but will give me a letter of diagnosis.
tobywong,
In Ireland, aren't you legally entitled to get a copy of your prescription?

tobywong
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Post by tobywong » Mon Jan 08, 2007 9:08 am

i aint sure neversleeps!! when i telephoned to enquire they informed me that it was "against the professors ethics to issue a prescription outside his jurisdiction" . this i found hard to believe!!!


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neversleeps
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Post by neversleeps » Mon Jan 08, 2007 9:28 am

I don't know the laws in Ireland, but it should be easy enough for you to find out. Call any doctor or pharmacy and ask if patients are legally entitled to get a copy of their prescription. If so, then immediately call your sleep doctor and demand a copy of your prescription. He is required by law to give it to you. His personal feelings about where he wants you to get your prescription filled are entirely irrelevant.

Once you get your copy, fax it to cpap.com and you can buy the machine of your choice.