Out of state, left mask home

[Guest]

I'm out of state for two days. I took my machine but left my mask home. It's been a while since I got parts replaced, so I'm wondering if I can ask a provider here (in Cali, I live in WA) to provide me one and have my insurance cover it. Anyone have any idea?

[Sleeprider]

Where in California are you? What kind of mask do you use? Who is your DME at home?

[Guest]

I use a few different ones. Swift LT and another one. I'm between SD and LA. Why? I go to a sleep clinic at a hospital in Seattle.

[KatieW]

This is a recent post of someone in a situation similar to yours.

viewtopic/t47356/Desperately-seeking-hu ... -Area.html

You probably need a RX to buy locally. Can someone fax that to you? As to whether your insurance will cover it, that depends on your insurance. Can you give them a call?

Or call your sleep clinic in Seattle and get them to overnight express you a new mask? Or someone at home to overnight express your regular mask?

Good luck with this.

[TheDuke]

I recently experienced a similar problem-I had disconnected my BiPAP cables to facilitate packing the machine for travel to a very remote area near Taos, NM (Angel Fire) and in my early morning haste to get ready the cabling was left at home. My daughter lives in our town, and she retrieved the items and FedExxed them to me at Angel Fire and I only missed a single night's use.

This was a real boon because I was staying in the West for almost three weeks.

TheDuke

[lmorchard]

This is a recent post of someone in a situation similar to yours.

viewtopic/t47356/Desperately-seeking-hu ... -Area.html

Hey, I recognize that thread! I'd say the first thing you need is your prescription. If you don't have a copy on hand, the next thing is to call your doctor and see if they'll fax it to you or a local DME. None of the 5 or so DMEs I talked to in the Bay Area would even have much of a conversation with me without a copy of my prescription in their hands—not even to tell me whether or not they had what I needed in stock.

As for insurance... well, I have nothing on that, since the part I was looking for (a small adapter or a humidifier chamber) is much cheaper than a complete mask. Paying out of pocket was fine for me, but I could see a mask being a different story.

If you could get someone from home to overnight your mask to you, that might be the best thing. But, even if you managed that, I'd still try looking around to get a new mask just in case something happened to your old one en route

[mattman]

Call your current DME provider and speak with them. They will may very well be able to work with a company in the area where you are now and arrange either some loaner equipment or can help provide any documentation needed if it comes to that.

Worst case scenario ask your current provider if they can arrange to have a place that's local to you give you a mask and bill your regular DME.

[bearded_two]

This is the one and only situation where using Apria can be a good thing. There is probably an Apria store near where you are staying; they can call your home Apria store and get the script -- and bill your insurance just as you had gotten it at your home Apria.

[bearded_two]

I keep a spare mask in the suitcase that I normally check when I fly -- I always automatically have a spare mask with me when I travel.