Tired of the waiting game

[sleepybug]

I had my split sleep study a little over a week ago, and they put the mask on me 1/2 way through the night. The waiting is killing me! The doctor has 3 weeks from the study to call and make an appointment to go over the results. In the mean time... I am not sleeping well, waking up with headaches, and I am losing my patients. I think part of the problem was I felt great after being on the cpap for 4 hours.

Any advise on speeding up the process? I know this is unlikely, but I have to give it a shot.

Thanks!

Cory

[Muse-Inc]

Call the doc's office and see what's going on! I called 3 times to ck on progress. Took 10 days from PSG for my ins to approve CPAP (I knew I needed CPAP based on how well I sleep in the study), then I went in got my equipment and training and reminder to call if I had any problems. Doc's appt was 60 days away to go over results and see how I was adjusting to life as a hose-head

[spacetoast]

I called my doctor 2 weeks after the sleep study and he went over it on the phone with me. He told me he was going to write a prescription for the machine and contact a local DME (durable medical equipment) provider. When I didn't hear from them, I called the DME and they told me that they never got anything from my doc.

By this point, I had found this forum. I then called my insurance company to ask for a list of providers and started to call them about pricing on the machines. Wouldn't you know it, but not one of them was able to give me a price without starting the process! So, to me, it was like I had to agree to go through them before finding out how much it was going to cost.

One guy at one place actually told me to shop online and buy it out of pocket since it would be cheaper with my $500 deductible. So I did. I asked my Dr.'s office to fax me my prescription and bought my machine online from cpap.com (the sponser of this site). I also asked the sleep center where I had my study to fax me the results of the test too (I didn't it for purchasing equipment, but I just wanted to have it.)

Now I'm going to try to submit my purchase of the machine to my insurance and see if I can get them to pay for a new mask from one of the DMEs that they work with (since I should have met my deductible).

Good luck with everything, Cory!

Curtis

[sifr]

I know the feeling! The DME supposedly has my prescription now, and I'm patiently waiting for them to call and schedule time to give me my equipment. In the meantime, I'm working at home today, after waking up and taking a two-hour nap this morning.

I'm going to call my DME after I get out of this meeting. They've had the prescription for 3 days now, which is, IMO, more than adequate time.

[carbonman]

Any advise on speeding up the process? I know this is unlikely, but I have to give it a shot.
Thanks! Cory

..bitch..moan...complain...be a PITA....

....til someone says,
"Get this PITA a machine and get'm out of here."

It's your life.

[sifr]

Dammit.

Just called the DME, who claimed that all they have so far is the authorization, and that they're still waiting for the prescription and sleep study.

All of this was supposed to be faxed over to them last Tuesday. And this is supposedly the GOOD DME in the area!


All I want is my stupid machine so I can start my treatment. I just went off on what is probably some powerless flunky at the DME.

[pitrow]

I had my split sleep study a little over a week ago, and they put the mask on me 1/2 way through the night. The waiting is killing me! The doctor has 3 weeks from the study to call and make an appointment to go over the results. In the mean time... I am not sleeping well, waking up with headaches, and I am losing my patients. I think part of the problem was I felt great after being on the cpap for 4 hours.

Any advise on speeding up the process? I know this is unlikely, but I have to give it a shot.

Thanks!

Cory

A friend of mine gave me very good advice when he found out I was diagnosed with OSA (he was diagnosed a couple years ago).

"Go on craigslist, buy a C-Pap and move forward. Much-much cheaper and lot less bull-sh_t!! Why wait 14 days, you could sleep well tonight.... Believe my words, I am speaking from personal experience. [A mutual friend] just bought a machine on Craigs and started using his last week. He is in total La-La land now. A move you will never look back on---after you get used to it!!!!!!!!!!!!! Good luck, stick with it, you won't regret it!!!!! Sleep is coming!!!!"

If I had to do it again, with the support of this forum, I'd follow his advice.

[sifr]

This is ridiculous.

So, when I spoke with the DME this morning, they said they had the authorization, and needed the prescription and sleep study before they could schedule me to get my equipment.

In fact, when I spoke with them this morning, they claimed they had just gotten off the phone with the DME, and the sleep center had just faxed the information.

Fast forward to just now, when I'm on the phone with the director of the sleep center, demanding to know why that information wasn't, in fact, faxed.


And, to add insult to injury, they just called me back and offered to give me a loaner "sometime next week". By then, I'll actually have the machine from my DME (assuming they didn't lie again about faxing the information!)

[DoriC]

I'm patiently waiting for them to call and schedule time to give me my equipment.
I'm going to call my DME after I get out of this meeting. They've had the prescription for 3 days now, which is, IMO, more than adequate time.

Forget being patient, this is medical treatment you're waiting for. You know the old saying about the "squeaky wheel gets the oil"?

[sifr]

I'm patiently waiting for them to call and schedule time to give me my equipment.
I'm going to call my DME after I get out of this meeting. They've had the prescription for 3 days now, which is, IMO, more than adequate time.

Forget being patient, this is medical treatment you're waiting for. You know the old saying about the "squeaky wheel gets the oil"?

Believe me, I squeak. I squeak firmly and consistently. I've squeaked at least 6 times just today.

If more patients weren't so pliant, maybe they're realize they can't get away with as much as they try to.

[sleepybug]

I had my split sleep study a little over a week ago, and they put the mask on me 1/2 way through the night. The waiting is killing me! The doctor has 3 weeks from the study to call and make an appointment to go over the results. In the mean time... I am not sleeping well, waking up with headaches, and I am losing my patients. I think part of the problem was I felt great after being on the cpap for 4 hours.

Any advise on speeding up the process? I know this is unlikely, but I have to give it a shot.

Thanks!

Cory

I call the doctor's office and spoke to a nurse. I told here I wanted to check on the status of my results because I am not sleeping well at all. She said she will call the Sleep Center and ask them to "rush" it so we can get the ball rolling. So I will call her on Friday so see if there has been any progress. Lets cross our fingers.

[sifr]

Got my equipment this morning.

They tried to charge me for the hose and filter the unit came with, but I caught them. I told them I was surprised they didn't try to charge me for the case and smart card. The guy said, "We used to."


They DID get away with charging me for the headgear that came with my mask, because I didn't catch it in time.