Please help me navigate the CPAP machine shortage!

[EffervescentErin]

Hi friends. For months, my beloved 7-year-old ResMed AirSense 10 has had a message saying "Motor life exceeded, contact care provider." I've logged 22k hours. I initiated the process of getting a new machine when I saw the message. I've had other issues with the tubing getting "flooded" and making noise/getting caught, but that's really been it.

I've spent weeks and weeks hounding AdaptHealth to get this new machine. At first, the issue was my provider's prescription mentioned a new ResMed machine, so when Adapt didn't have ResMed machines available, it caused a bunch of miscommunications between Adapt and my insurance. I lost a lot of faith in Adapt during this process. When I finally got in to get a new machine, it was a Luna II. I had been informed (though it always felt like they were warning me) that the Luna II is what was available, but I looked up reviews online and it didn't seem terrible.

I felt like a snob, but I turned the machine down for several reasons:
1. Turns out the Luna II is massive. I have a 650 sq. ft. apartment.
2. It doesn't have heated tubing.
3. I feel like a total conspiracy theorist, but I don't trust Adapt. Their incompetence with my prescription shook me. They have other machines on display in their showroom... and I just don't understand how they only have the Luna II.

I know there are other medical equipment retailers in the Twin Cities area, so I called my provider. I can only leave a message, so I left one asking for other medical equipment referrals who would have a machine other than the Luna II and they called me back while I was unable to answer and... gave me Adapt's information. I called and left them another message and haven't heard back.

The TL;DR of this is: I need a new CPAP machine and don't have space for the Luna II (and I want heated tubing, etc.). AdaptHealth is telling me that ONLY Luna IIs are available. Is that accurate? If not, how do I go about finding out what medical supply place has what machines? Lastly, especially if Adapt is being shady, is there a better way to express needing a different machine besides, "I don't want this one because it's too big and doesn't have the features I'm used to?"

[Pugsy]

The shortage is lessening when it comes to ResMed machines....online sellers now are selling the latest ResMed AirSense 11 models. I say that because for a long time online sellers couldn't get the new machine and had very ample supply of the ResMed AirSense 10 models. That tells me that ResMed supplied the DMEs that it needed to supply or online sellers wouldn't have the inventory.

My personal opinion about DMEs who say that "can't" get ResMed machines is either they didn't have contracts with ResMed in the first place so ResMed probably has opted to supply people they had previous contracts with first OR the DMEs now screaming "We can't get ResMed machines" aren't really trying very hard because they have found brands like the Luna (which BTW costs wholesale about 1/3 of what a ResMed costs are very attractive from the net profit angle.

Insurance pays a set amount for cpap/apap machines. Insurance pays by HCPCS billing code and NOT brand and NOT features available. The ResMed AirSense 10 models or AirSense 11 models HCPCS billing code is E0601....the Luna HCPCS billing code is also E0601. Guess which brand they make the most money on????

My personal opinion on the biggest reason that DMEs are now screaming "we can't get ResMed machines" but are offering these cheap chinese knockoffs like the Luna is simply profit margin.

Any reason you want to reject the Luna is a good enough reason including simply "I don't want that brand". You don't have to give them a list. They could get ResMed machines if they tried hard enough and wanted to badly enough.

Do you have the funds available to buy your own machine and bypass your insurance?

Who is your insurance? They may or may not have contracts with other suppliers...like some online suppliers that file insurance who do have ResMed machines available.

The "flooded hose" problem...that's fixable as that's just condensation in the hose but if your current machine is making other weird noises not associated with the water in the hose....that may not be fixable.

[chunkyfrog]

If you have not yet spoken to your insurance company, do so;
and make them give you a complete list of their in-network suppliers--
including those at a "reasonable" distance.
(I will drive as far as 200 miles for the right machine-discomfort be damned!)
Contact them all--until you find one that is cooperative.
Failing that, try secondwindcpap.com for gently used, and cpap.com for new units.

[Xchief30]

Hi, I use Adapthealth out of NJ and they also tried to push the Luna , so did my Pulmonologist. I insisted on an Airsense 11 and was told, back in March that I would need to wait till September. Then I got a phone call that they got a big shipment in and they'll come out in two weeks. Thankfully the Tech called the night before and I reminded him I wanted the 11. He brought it in 5/3 and said there were only two left on the shelf, the rest were Lunas. I think you'll need to insist that your want the Airsense 11. Great machine, much quieter than my recalled System One. Good luck

[zonker]

erin, you're getting excellent advice here which i can't top.

just wanted to chime in with the statement that we in the community don't have a lot of experience with the luna machines. so i consider that right there a strike against those machines.

don't feel in any way embarrassed by wanting what YOU want in a cpap machine. sleeping is very important and we want what we want.

good luck!