Total newb - so many questions

[brewgirl68]

Hello, all -

I'm brand-spanking new at this...recv'd dx last week. My "Certificate of Medical Necessity" states that I need an auto-titrating machine at 5-15 pressure. My insurance coverage for DME is not great - have to meet my $2400 deductible, then I pay 50% of the cost of the machine for 10 months (at which time they say it should be paid in full). On the other hand, my health system sells used units for $350 (they quoted a Resperonics), then another $200-250 for mask, tube, etc... Now I'm doing some checking on some of the cpap resale sites, which look like even better pricing. My problem is that I don't know exactly what I'm looking at. For instance:
1.) is "auto set" the same thing as auto titrate?
2.) C-flex and A-flex...my order didn't say anything about either one. Do all machines have one or the other, or do some have neither?

Thanks for the help. I'm sure I'll have *many* more questions along the way!

Cheers

[SewTired]

First, your best bet with your high deductible is to buy from an online retailer - either our sponsor's or another quality online retailer. Buying local will cost you a bundle.

Auto-set is auto titrate. A Respironics 560 series Auto is a great choice for most. Does your health system include a guarantee on their used machines? How many machine hours do they have? You don't want something that's been used to death for your primary machine. You also want to be sure that you get a machine that is set up for a heated hose - has a bigger power brick. While you may not need the heated hose all the time, it is designed to avoid a problem called rain-out that involves too much moisture in the hose and mask.

[brewgirl68]

Thank you!

How do I know if a unit is set up for heated hose? Is that something that is generally highlighted if it has it?

[Julie]

Ask the seller. But my first concern would not be the hose, but whether or not the machine is fully data capable so you can use it with Sleepyhead, rather than just being able to give compliance data, so you can monitor and control your therapy. Some machines use a feature called EPR (exhalation pressure relief) and others call it C or A-flex, but it does the same thing.

[brewgirl68]

Thank you so much!