Cpap.com Offers a Home Sleep Test

General Discussion on any topic relating to CPAP and/or Sleep Apnea.
Janknitz
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Cpap.com Offers a Home Sleep Test

Post by Janknitz » Fri Oct 22, 2021 7:36 pm

I apologize if this is old news but today I just noticed that CPAP.com offers a low cost home sleep test now: https://www.cpap.com/home-sleep-apnea-test

We see people come here who can't or don't want to spend thousands of dollars and a miserable night doing an in lab test, and it seems like this would be a great way to diagnose "run of the mill" OSA There is a telemedicine consult with a board certified sleep physician and then it supposedly reports Pulse Rate, AHI, SpO2, Total Sleep Time, and Respiratory Events, and fits on a finger. An app transmits the data to be interpreted by the sleep physician. All for $169.

I know there are mixed feelings about such tests. But my opinion is making testing accessible and affordable may help a lot of people who otherwise might not get testing or treatment have access. It might also be a way for people who think their apnea is "cured" because they lost weight to see if that's really the case before they dump their CPAP machines.

I do think there will be people who might deny their apnea because of the inherent conflict of interest in having a CPAP provider also be the testing provider, but we see that anyway. They always have the option to confirm with a more expensive test.

It will be interesting to see if this is a game changer for the people who come here to try to learn if they have OSA or not.
What you need to know before you meet your DME http://tinyurl.com/2arffqx
Taming the Mirage Quattro http://tinyurl.com/2ft3lh8
Swift FX Fitting Guide http://tinyurl.com/22ur9ts
Don't Pay that Upcharge! http://tinyurl.com/2ck48rm

LindaF5775
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Joined: Mon Oct 18, 2021 2:22 pm

Re: Cpap.com Offers a Home Sleep Test

Post by LindaF5775 » Sun Oct 24, 2021 10:26 am

My husband and I just did the home sleep test through CPAP.com, and we were very satisfied with the process. Now, I'll qualify that with a disclaimer: We've been on CPAP therapy for 10 years, and were originally diagnosed through the overnight sleep test where we went to the sleep center, got goo-ed up and plugged in like The Borg in Star Trek, and spent the night knowing we were being watched over by a disembodied voice. This time, we only needed new equipment so for us it was perfect, but if someone's never been diagnosed it may not necessarily fit their needs.

Here's how it worked:

- We placed the orders on CPAP.com (I needed to set up a separate account for my husband) and paid the $169 each.
- We were sent pre-appointment questionnaires to fill out, with the questions you'd expect - general health, any issues with sleep, any health issues, medications, etc.
- We were contacted to make our appointment, which is short, convenient, and done in a Telemed format (we used my laptop, but I understand you can do it with a FaceTime-type phone call, too).
- At the scheduled time, the call was facilitated by a medical assistant and we were linked to the doctor. It took about 10 minutes, probably because, again, we'd already been diagnosed and using equipment for a decade. At one point, they ask you to open your mouth as wide as possible and lean right up to your video camera, which made me laugh out loud because it felt so silly. But I guess they want to see what your throat looks like.
- We were sent a little pulse ox-ish sensor that gets taped around your left index finger at night. You can get up, go to the bathroom, etc.; you just have to make sure you don't get it wet.
- We had to download an app to our smartphones and keep that within six feet of us on the nights we did the tests (mine was two nights, my husband's one - probably only one for him because he has cardiac issues).
- In the morning, it reported our data for the night to the cloud somewhere. They did ask us to keep the finger-thing in case we needed to do the tests for more nights, but neither of us needed to.
- A few days later, we received our report and our prescription. At that time, you can also set up a follow-up appointment with the sleep doctor for an additional $99, if you want. (We didn't use that option.)
- We ordered our new equipment, they shipped it to us, and we're set.

Now this is going to sound weird (or financially stupid, remains to be seen), but we also went this route because your insurance doesn't get involved in any of the process. If you want to be reimbursed for the study/equipment/whatever they might cover, you have to do that all yourself afterward. Dealing with our insurance company the first time was an absolute nightmare, which is why we've been paying for our supplies on our own through CPAP.com for about nine years. So we chose to just go ahead and pay for the appointment, the machines, and new mask on our own. Luckily, we could afford it, and it was heaven not having to deal with the insurance company, so it's worth it to us. YMMV.

I hope this helps for anyone who is considering the home test (and I'd be happy to answer any other questions). Like I said, whether it's worth it depends on your situation, but we'd do it again in a hot second.

Janknitz
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Location: Northern California

Re: Cpap.com Offers a Home Sleep Test

Post by Janknitz » Sun Oct 24, 2021 9:12 pm

Linda,

Thanks for that great report!
What you need to know before you meet your DME http://tinyurl.com/2arffqx
Taming the Mirage Quattro http://tinyurl.com/2ft3lh8
Swift FX Fitting Guide http://tinyurl.com/22ur9ts
Don't Pay that Upcharge! http://tinyurl.com/2ck48rm

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jlk
Posts: 323
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Location: Oregon

Re: Cpap.com Offers a Home Sleep Test

Post by jlk » Sat Nov 06, 2021 10:33 pm

LindaF5775 wrote:
Sun Oct 24, 2021 10:26 am
My husband and I just did the home sleep test through CPAP.com, and we were very satisfied with the process. Now, I'll qualify that with a disclaimer: We've been on CPAP therapy for 10 years, and were originally diagnosed through the overnight sleep test where we went to the sleep center, got goo-ed up and plugged in like The Borg in Star Trek, and spent the night knowing we were being watched over by a disembodied voice. This time, we only needed new equipment so for us it was perfect, but if someone's never been diagnosed it may not necessarily fit their needs.

Here's how it worked:

- We placed the orders on CPAP.com (I needed to set up a separate account for my husband) and paid the $169 each.
- We were sent pre-appointment questionnaires to fill out, with the questions you'd expect - general health, any issues with sleep, any health issues, medications, etc.
- We were contacted to make our appointment, which is short, convenient, and done in a Telemed format (we used my laptop, but I understand you can do it with a FaceTime-type phone call, too).
- At the scheduled time, the call was facilitated by a medical assistant and we were linked to the doctor. It took about 10 minutes, probably because, again, we'd already been diagnosed and using equipment for a decade. At one point, they ask you to open your mouth as wide as possible and lean right up to your video camera, which made me laugh out loud because it felt so silly. But I guess they want to see what your throat looks like.
- We were sent a little pulse ox-ish sensor that gets taped around your left index finger at night. You can get up, go to the bathroom, etc.; you just have to make sure you don't get it wet.
- We had to download an app to our smartphones and keep that within six feet of us on the nights we did the tests (mine was two nights, my husband's one - probably only one for him because he has cardiac issues).
- In the morning, it reported our data for the night to the cloud somewhere. They did ask us to keep the finger-thing in case we needed to do the tests for more nights, but neither of us needed to.
- A few days later, we received our report and our prescription. At that time, you can also set up a follow-up appointment with the sleep doctor for an additional $99, if you want. (We didn't use that option.)
- We ordered our new equipment, they shipped it to us, and we're set.

Now this is going to sound weird (or financially stupid, remains to be seen), but we also went this route because your insurance doesn't get involved in any of the process. If you want to be reimbursed for the study/equipment/whatever they might cover, you have to do that all yourself afterward. Dealing with our insurance company the first time was an absolute nightmare, which is why we've been paying for our supplies on our own through CPAP.com for about nine years. So we chose to just go ahead and pay for the appointment, the machines, and new mask on our own. Luckily, we could afford it, and it was heaven not having to deal with the insurance company, so it's worth it to us. YMMV.

I hope this helps for anyone who is considering the home test (and I'd be happy to answer any other questions). Like I said, whether it's worth it depends on your situation, but we'd do it again in a hot second.
Thanks for the information. I am very interested in this test. I have not used my CPAP machine except to meet CDL compliance for almost 2 years. I lost around 30 lbs. and got tired of waking up fighting the mask, leaks, disturbing wife...I had not been having events so I quit using it. Currently I am on night 3 to meet compliance for my annual physical. I had 3 events (centrals) on one of those nights, none on the other 2 nights. I discussed not using the CPAP machine with my Dr. at last years physical and he said I need to do a sleep study to be "un-diagnosed". I've read it takes 5 or more episodes per hour to be considered sleep apnea. Does it sound like I can be undiagnosed with this test. I dont want to travel 60 plus miles to a sleep in a lab and spend the money involved with the study. I need to complete my compliance period by Dec. 7...about 20 more nights of compliance for something I no longer benefit from and lose sleep over. Thoughts anyone?

_________________
Mask: Aloha Nasal Pillow CPAP Mask with Headgear
Humidifier: S9™ Series H5i™ Heated Humidifier with Climate Control
Additional Comments: ResScan software

stevenal
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Joined: Fri Jun 10, 2011 2:00 pm

Re: Cpap.com Offers a Home Sleep Test

Post by stevenal » Sun Nov 07, 2021 8:36 am

When I was diagnosed, the overnight oximetry test was only the first step. Next step was the sleep study.

You can buy recording devices on Amazon for much less that can pair with your phone. No prescription needed, and you'll be able to use it anytime you like.
AirSence 10 Autoset, Dreamstation 2 backup, Swift FX, Z1 for travel.

Janknitz
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Joined: Sat Mar 20, 2010 1:05 pm
Location: Northern California

Re: Cpap.com Offers a Home Sleep Test

Post by Janknitz » Tue Nov 09, 2021 3:03 pm

Thanks for the information. I am very interested in this test. I have not used my CPAP machine except to meet CDL compliance for almost 2 years. I lost around 30 lbs. and got tired of waking up fighting the mask, leaks, disturbing wife...I had not been having events so I quit using it. Currently I am on night 3 to meet compliance for my annual physical. I had 3 events (centrals) on one of those nights, none on the other 2 nights. I discussed not using the CPAP machine with my Dr. at last years physical and he said I need to do a sleep study to be "un-diagnosed". I've read it takes 5 or more episodes per hour to be considered sleep apnea. Does it sound like I can be undiagnosed with this test. I dont want to travel 60 plus miles to a sleep in a lab and spend the money involved with the study. I need to complete my compliance period by Dec. 7...about 20 more nights of compliance for something I no longer benefit from and lose sleep over. Thoughts anyone?
According to what it says, it meets DOT requirements, but you must check with your employer to see if your employer will accept the results.

AHI on the machine doesn't give you a clue about AHI off the machine, so the test would be a good idea to confirm if you still have apnea issues or not. Centrals on the machine are often what we call "sleep wake junk"--moving around while coming to a less deep level of sleep can look like a central but is not. But that is NO indication of your AHI without CPAP.

And, if a test shows an AHI over 5, are you still going to play compliance games, or keep endangering yourself and everyone else on the road??? The problems you complain of with CPAP are fixable.
What you need to know before you meet your DME http://tinyurl.com/2arffqx
Taming the Mirage Quattro http://tinyurl.com/2ft3lh8
Swift FX Fitting Guide http://tinyurl.com/22ur9ts
Don't Pay that Upcharge! http://tinyurl.com/2ck48rm

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ChicagoGranny
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Re: Cpap.com Offers a Home Sleep Test

Post by ChicagoGranny » Wed Nov 10, 2021 1:01 pm

LindaF5775 wrote:
Sun Oct 24, 2021 10:26 am
We've been on CPAP therapy for 10 years, and were originally diagnosed through the overnight sleep test where we went to the sleep center
Since you had already been diagnosed, why did you undergo another study?

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chunkyfrog
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Re: Cpap.com Offers a Home Sleep Test

Post by chunkyfrog » Thu Nov 11, 2021 11:15 am

ChicagoGranny wrote:
Wed Nov 10, 2021 1:01 pm
LindaF5775 wrote:
Sun Oct 24, 2021 10:26 am
We've been on CPAP therapy for 10 years, and were originally diagnosed through the overnight sleep test where we went to the sleep center
Since you had already been diagnosed, why did you undergo another study?
Apparently, none of the other means of getting a new prescription were considered.

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jlk
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Location: Oregon

Re: Cpap.com Offers a Home Sleep Test

Post by jlk » Thu Nov 11, 2021 11:55 am

Janknitz wrote:
Tue Nov 09, 2021 3:03 pm
Thanks for the information. I am very interested in this test. I have not used my CPAP machine except to meet CDL compliance for almost 2 years. I lost around 30 lbs. and got tired of waking up fighting the mask, leaks, disturbing wife...I had not been having events so I quit using it. Currently I am on night 3 to meet compliance for my annual physical. I had 3 events (centrals) on one of those nights, none on the other 2 nights. I discussed not using the CPAP machine with my Dr. at last years physical and he said I need to do a sleep study to be "un-diagnosed". I've read it takes 5 or more episodes per hour to be considered sleep apnea. Does it sound like I can be undiagnosed with this test. I dont want to travel 60 plus miles to a sleep in a lab and spend the money involved with the study. I need to complete my compliance period by Dec. 7...about 20 more nights of compliance for something I no longer benefit from and lose sleep over. Thoughts anyone?
According to what it says, it meets DOT requirements, but you must check with your employer to see if your employer will accept the results.

AHI on the machine doesn't give you a clue about AHI off the machine, so the test would be a good idea to confirm if you still have apnea issues or not. Centrals on the machine are often what we call "sleep wake junk"--moving around while coming to a less deep level of sleep can look like a central but is not. But that is NO indication of your AHI without CPAP.

And, if a test shows an AHI over 5, are you still going to play compliance games, or keep endangering yourself and everyone else on the road??? The problems you complain of with CPAP are fixable.

_________________
Mask: Aloha Nasal Pillow CPAP Mask with Headgear
Humidifier: S9™ Series H5i™ Heated Humidifier with Climate Control
Additional Comments: ResScan software

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jlk
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Location: Oregon

Re: Cpap.com Offers a Home Sleep Test

Post by jlk » Thu Nov 11, 2021 6:45 pm

jlk wrote:
Thu Nov 11, 2021 11:55 am
Janknitz wrote:
Tue Nov 09, 2021 3:03 pm
Thanks for the information. I am very interested in this test. I have not used my CPAP machine except to meet CDL compliance for almost 2 years. I lost around 30 lbs. and got tired of waking up fighting the mask, leaks, disturbing wife...I had not been having events so I quit using it. Currently I am on night 3 to meet compliance for my annual physical. I had 3 events (centrals) on one of those nights, none on the other 2 nights. I discussed not using the CPAP machine with my Dr. at last years physical and he said I need to do a sleep study to be "un-diagnosed". I've read it takes 5 or more episodes per hour to be considered sleep apnea. Does it sound like I can be undiagnosed with this test. I dont want to travel 60 plus miles to a sleep in a lab and spend the money involved with the study. I need to complete my compliance period by Dec. 7...about 20 more nights of compliance for something I no longer benefit from and lose sleep over. Thoughts anyone?
According to what it says, it meets DOT requirements, but you must check with your employer to see if your employer will accept the results.

AHI on the machine doesn't give you a clue about AHI off the machine, so the test would be a good idea to confirm if you still have apnea issues or not. Centrals on the machine are often what we call "sleep wake junk"--moving around while coming to a less deep level of sleep can look like a central but is not. But that is NO indication of your AHI without CPAP.

And, if a test shows an AHI over 5, are you still going to play compliance games, or keep endangering yourself and everyone else on the road??? The problems you complain of with CPAP are fixable.
Well, that didn't work.....I typed out a response and got timed out and when I signed back in all my text was gone.

My employer is fine with the home test. There are 5 known "CPAPers" where I work and only 1 of them are anywhere near a 25 BMI, the others are above that. I know weight is not the only cause of apnea but losing almost 30 lbs. has helped me. My Dr. suggested I lose some weight. I changed my diet and feel better. I quit my cholesterol pills because I didn't like the side effects and it took close to a year to get my numbers below what they were on the pills. I do miss my cheese, still eat it but not by the "block" anymore. My Dr. and I still dis-agree on the red meat consumption. I think most studies are done on "store bought" meat. I raise my own beef and chicken and don't feed steroids, hormones, anti-biotics...I have occasional joint "dis-comfort" and think excess sugar is the cause, well, my wife does. LOL

In 8 nights of recent compliance I had a total of 19 centrals and 5 obstructive apneas. The centrals appear in clusters as they have for 16 +/- years. They only happened on 4 of the nights recent data. The obstructive episodes all happened on Sunday 11-7. The first 2 happened within 45 minutes of masking up. One happened about 2:30 am before a bathroom break and the last 2 happened 5 minutes before taking the mask off. Not sure if talking with mask on caused any of those? Something I ate? I felt great on Monday with no tiredness. I have been happy to hit my recliner in the evening but have been working 10 to 12 hour days. Only driving for 4 to 5 of those hours each day. I was having very few episodes when I quit masking up many months ago.

I appreciate your response on this and all the people on this site I gathered information from for several years. It has been very beneficial to me. It has got to be tremendously helpful to literally thousands of people. I have even brought apnea articles to 2 different Dr's I had as they were not too familiar with apnea and were interested in my therapy. Lately I just get told "keep up what you are doing".

_________________
Mask: Aloha Nasal Pillow CPAP Mask with Headgear
Humidifier: S9™ Series H5i™ Heated Humidifier with Climate Control
Additional Comments: ResScan software

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ChicagoGranny
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Re: Cpap.com Offers a Home Sleep Test

Post by ChicagoGranny » Fri Nov 12, 2021 12:57 pm

jlk wrote:
Thu Nov 11, 2021 6:45 pm
I raise my own beef and chicken and don't feed steroids, hormones, anti-biotics ...
The type of steroids you are referring to are hormones. Every cow you raise is loaded with hormones. All beef you eat contains hormones regardless of how it is fed and raised.

It is illegal to feed or inject hormones into poultry.

jlk wrote:
Thu Nov 11, 2021 6:45 pm
anti-biotics.
All meat, poultry and dairy foods sold in the U.S. are free of antibiotic residues, as required by federal law.
jlk wrote:
Thu Nov 11, 2021 6:45 pm
My Dr. and I still dis-agree on the red meat consumption.
Are you familiar with non-human sialic acid which is found in cows, pigs and sheep?

jlk wrote:
Thu Nov 11, 2021 6:45 pm
I know weight is not the only cause of apnea but losing almost 30 lbs. has helped me. I changed my diet and feel better.
Good for you! I hope you are one of the uncommon ones whose apnea is resolved.