Buying online?

[CzechCzar]

I went through the lengthy and expensive process to get diagnosed with sleep apnea. Those processes alone have cost me a cool 3 grand. My doctor recommended I go to a place to pick up my CPAP machine - a Philips System One Pro. That is going to cost me another $2.5k. Luckily, you can return it for a refund within a month.

I got my machine on Friday. Awesome sleep this weekend. I looked around the internet, and there a quite a few sites selling these types of machines for around $500. Used is $250.

In terms of money, it is a no brainer. My only hesitation is in trying to duplicate the settings that my sleep apnea doctor sent over to the store. Does anyone know whether this is difficult?

[BlackSpinner]

get a copy of your prescription and it has the setting on it. You will need it to buy online.
The manuals are all available on line if you want to check what your current machine is set to.

They are dead easy to set - they have to be otherwise the DME staff would be in deep doodoo.

[bwexler]

If you can program your DVR and post a question here you should have no problem.
The hardest part may be asking your doctor for a copy of your prescription and a complete copy of your sleep study, which you should have no matter what.

[JDS74]

I bought my first CPAP a little over three years ago from a local branch of a national DME organization.
Keeping up with their erratic billing practices was a nightmare. Then I had an equipment malfunction that ended up with Philips replacing the machine over the protests of the local DME. During that process, I bought my second identical machine online. The local DME tried to fob off on me a ResMed loaner without a humidifier stating that even though the prescription required it, a humidifier was optional and they would sell me ResMed one for $500 that would be useless when my repaired/replaced Respironics machine came back.

I purchased my current AutoSV advanced machine online and haven't had any problems.

So, go for saving the money.

Get a copy of the scrip from your doctor. Make a copy for the online vendor, and order your machine. They will set it up to the prescription requirements and you'll be good to go.

[CzechCzar]

Wow, awesome guys. Quick response!!! Yeah, I was thinking that it was waaaaaaaaay too expensive. Can't wait to be a part of this community!!

[archangle]

The medical mafia wants you to buy everything from made men, not over the internet.

A local brick and mortar DME has some advantages.

[*]Advice, setup, and repair. Loaner machines
[*]Being able to try different masks.
[*]Doctors often want the DME to read the data off your machine and then send him the report. Doctor often don't know squat about CPAP machines.
[*]Insurance wants to work with the local DME, and often won't pay for online purchases.
[*]If you need "certification" for a driver's license, employment, etc., you may have to go to a local DME to read your data, and they won't do it if you didn't buy from them.

Unfortunately, some DMEs are stupid, greedy, and downright dishonest.

[Let me sleep]

Go to You Tube. It will show you how to read
your settings from your current machine.
And
how to set them on a new machine.

[torontoCPAPguy]

I ONLY buy online. To say that one saves up to 75% is an understatement. I buy ALL of my supplies online as well and have even purchased by oxygen concentrator online. I bought a backup for everything to be safe but it has been 4 years and all still works A1. Think I may sell it all and go to the backup gear, and buy another set of backup gear. Blows my mind that I would have to RENT my O2 concentrator at a cost of $100 a month with the government paying another $300 (total $400 to the supplier, every MONTH!) when I can buy the same machine online for about $700 delivered. Go figure.