APAP question

[rejlaw]

I have prescription for cpap only. Can I use that RX to purchase an APAP out of my own pocket from CPAP.COM, or do I need a new RX specifically written for an APAP?

[Guest]

Yes, you can buy any machine you want. However, I'm not sure about the heated humidifier, they have a separate Medicad number (E0562, I think).
Why not just give them a call..

[Guest]

You don't need a prescription for the heated humidifier just the main CPAP or APAP machine.

[Guest]

Medicaid numbers mean nothing when you are purchasing out of pocket.

Just need a CPAP prescription which can be used for CPAP or APAP, or an APAP prescription. Doesn't matter.

[Ric]

I have prescription for cpap only. Can I use that RX to purchase an APAP out of my own pocket

Chances are you can use the CPAP prescription to buy an APAP and still get your insurance to pay at least what they would otherwise pay for a CPAP applied to an APAP. Some people offer to pay only the difference out-of-pocket. You shouldn't have to spring for the whole potato. My DME said the APAP cost them $300 more than the CPAP, I offered to split the difference, and they agreed. I really doubt the wholesale prices to them are really that much different, but I was quite alright with letting insurance do their part. (And it is satisfying to watch the moral and ethical arguments dissolve when the profitability is assured).

And yes you CAN use a CPAP prescription to by an APAP for at least one very important reason, an APAP IS A CPAP (with some incredibly useful added functionality).

(And depending on the meaning of "IS").