How frequently does your sleep specialist follow up?

[lbw]

I saw the sleep doc only once a month after I started treatment. Next visit is 1 1/2 yrs! I dropped off report the month after my appointment with my AHI still high and many apnea. Still waiting for a return call 6 months later. Needless to say wont be going back to that clinic, Just waiting to get into another

[Kevin G.]

In my case I see my sleep specialist every 4 to 6 years. This is basically when I feel the need. If I need a prescription for supplies my regular doctor will write a prescription.

I suggest that you take control of your treatment using the sleep specialist as a resource. This means monitoring this forum and experimenting to see what works for you. If you have an APAP machine there is less need to see the doctor to adjust the machine and when you do need to adjust your machine get the manuals and do it your self

This is a different paradigm than is followed in most interactions with the medical establishment. Typically you are a passive patient that has things done to you. With sleep apnea I suggest that the idea of the patient being an active participant in treatment is more appropriate and I believe better medically.

I am going to suggest that after the first couple of visits the doctor is just monitoring your treatment. Medically you would probably be just as well off if you went to the doctor when you felt the need. You have a better idea when something wrong is going on.

Let us assume that it is 6 months till your next appointment and you are having problems are you going to wait for the scheduled appointment. On the other hand you are having no problems when your appointment is scheduled why go in to see the doctor? I do not believe that sleep apnea is one of those conditions that actively progresses and thus needs medical monitoring.

The other scenario that happens is that you are having problems and the soonest that you can get an appointment is in one month. You can passively carry on with your treatment and suffer for the next month. Alternately you can experiment and get input from the forum and likely solve the problem much sooner.

My belief is that the timing of many of these regular visits are influenced more by the doctors needs rather than what you need medically.

So do you want to be passive or need the laying on of hands or do you want to take charge of your treatment. I believe that this new paradigm is very appropriate for sleep apnea.

[ZQuest]

I have not seen my sleep doctor (pulmonologist) since I started on CPAP 2 years ago. I certainly would call him if I thought I had a problem...
thank goodness I don't.

Hello

I've been on Apap therapy for about 9 month's now and i seen the sleep doc twice, once after the first month of therapy and then 3 month's later,my next app. is 6 month's after that. Now this has raised a question on Compliance ie(Insurance coveraged on consumables) How does the insuranced providers know if we have been compliant to therapy if some of us only see our Doctors once a year or even longer? I understand that some of us pay out of pocket for their consumables but what about those of us that depend on insurance coveraged? Does anyone knows how the insurance providers keep track of compliance other than the sleep docs or our Pcp or they just assume that patients are being compliant and pay the dme charges? My sleep doctor only check the Sd card on my machine only once since i started therapy and that was during the first 30 days of compliance and she seem satisfied with the results after that nothing.The machine and supplies that i used were paid by my Ins.provider after the first 30 days of compliance with no rental,dme calls and send consumables as needed every 3 months i pay my co-pay and is done. But how does the insurance carrier knows that i've been compliant? Hmmmm


Phil

[jonnybee]

Never

[robysue]

My diagnostic sleep study was done on August 1.

I've had one follow-up appointment with the doctor himself between the diagnostic sleep study and the titration study, which was done in August 28.

I've had four follow-up appointments with the doctor's PA since starting CPAP/APAP on September 23. And I've got another follow-up with the PA scheduled in January (if I make it that long). Two of the four appointments I've had with the PA were made as "we can squeeze you in tommorrow" appointments after I called to report real problems with adjusting to CPAP/APAP and/or new, disturbing symptoms that cropped up after starting CPAP/APAP. The other two were "regularly scheduled" follow-ups that were scheduled at the end of some previous visit to the doctor or the PA.

(In case you're wondering, the almost month-long delay in getting my CPAP machine was caused by me not being willing to settle for getting a brick from the DME that was recommended by the sleep doctor's office. There was a lot of phone tag going on between me, the doctor's office, my insurance company, and various DMEs in the area before I found one that gave me a choice between a System One Auto and an S9 AutoSet as their two default machines.)

[Tcamillemars]

never...........................

[jonquiljo]

His office said every three months, but unless that is required by insurance, I don't see the purpose unless I am having issues.

Once every 3 months is really a way for them to generate needless revenue by unnecessary office visits.

I saw my sleep Dr. once about a month after I got my machine, to see if all was working well, etc. We talked about nasal ablation procedures and left it that I would see her possibly in several months if I want to her referral for nose work. She has a tight schedule, so I think she just wants patients that need to see her - not to make more money.

[Jersey Girl]

The Nurse Practitioner at my pulmonary/sleep doctor's office sees me every 6 months just to ask how things are going. Once I found a mask that I could live with, all is well. And, they went the extra mile for us to help us get an s9 apap for my husband, event though he has UARS, not sleep apnea like me. Thanks to my doctor and his staff, we are both sleeping peacefully without breaking the bank!

Regards to all,

Jersey Girl

[snoozysue]

I have been using CPAP since April. The doctor saw me again after 6 months and was happy. He said to see him again in 3 years! I would go back earlier if I felt the need to see him. I just presumed he would want to see me more often.
Sue (Australia)

[rested gal]

never...........................

Ditto.

However, since I was my own sleep specialist in the first place, perhaps my answer really should be... "always."

How I got started on cpap:
Jan 25, 2005 subject: not diagnosed yet, many ? brand new here
my story and Poisson's reply with good reasons why a PSG sleep study is important.

My eventual sleep study:
Nov 19, 2005 subject: First Sleep Study...finally! - rested gal
sleepydave on that board goes by the nicknames StillAnotherGuest, Muffy, and NotMuffy here on cpaptalk. Many thanks to him for helping me get a real sleep study.

Here's what a prominent sleep doctor (Dr. Barbara Phillips) who is board certified in both pulmonology and sleep thinks:

"Not Every Patient Needs to Go to the Sleep Lab"
http://www.tnlc.com/Lara/laura/osa/Barb ... t_0830.pdf

That's a Powerpoint presentation Dr. Phillips made at a meeting of the American Lung Association of the Central Coast - November 2004.

[msradar65]

I spoke with the sleep lab personnel today. I was advised that the doctor does not need to see me unless I am having issues. Then I should try my DME first, family doc and then the sleep specialist.

I guess I am ok with that. At least she was honest and told me use my other resources before coming back to them. The sleep doc is expensive.

[jbn3boys]

I've never seen the sleep doctor, and the only time I saw anyone from that office was the night of my sleep study. I had to nearly beg my doctor (pcp) to get a sleep study in the first place. The sleep tech told me the morning of my test that she was sure I would need cpap therapy, and that my results would be ready in a day or two. I made an appointment with my doc three days later. From there, it still took a few days to actually GET the Rx. My doc was willing to write the Rx any way I wanted it, so I was able to get a data capable apap machine. Today when I saw my doc for something else, I told him the cpap was not giving me the results I hoped for, he basically told he knows less about cpap than I do, and that if I have issues, I should go to the DME. Yeah, not gonna happen. It's the DME who set up my auto at a range of 6-20. I think that's just a recipe for disaster, so I wouldn't expect them to be much help. I just pray this self-titration will work, and that I'm not going to end up needed to switch to a bilevel after getting the insurance to convert the rental to a purchase before the end of the year. (That will be a great savings if I stay with this machine, but a huge waste of money if I end up having to switch!)

[Mbarb]

I started in July. I had one visit to the DME to get a download for the Sleep Doc in August. One visit to the sleep doc in late August. She told me I was doing really good and I could skip the six month checkup and come back in a year. Had a second visit to the DME to get a download for insurance. The insurance rented the machine for 2 months and wanted data to prove compliance before buying the machine.

[xenablue]

With my previous DME, I would get a call every 2 weeks to see how I was managing. I have a transponder-thingy on my machine so they know EVERYTHING LOL.
With my new DME, I have only been to their office once, but have been on the phone with the ST a couple of times and outside of their sleep wellness facility, they also have 'stores' where you can go for supplies and speak with someone if you need help.
Mind you, I'm only 8-weeks into CPAP......

Cheers,
xena