Changes To CPAP.com Prescription Policy

[dvejr]

This may be the most annoying thread I've ever read. Lots of whiners and chest-beaters jumping in. Woe is me, the DME/Govt/Ins Co/Sleep doc is a moron....

A doctor in my family tells me that a mask is a potentially-dangerous device. (Having occasionally blocked my exhaust vents by accident, I can see why.) That their sales are limited to those persons who have been prescribed respiratory therapy with an approved machine, and used "under a physician's guidance", is not nonsensical.

CPAP.com's policy statement might have confused some readers. I thought it meant that I could buy a mask if I had a prescription for a mask - or for a CPAP machine, which of course would be useless WITHOUT a mask.

Doug

[6PtStar]

Can anyone tell me why a Guest (some guest) would take a shot at one of the best-liked people on the forum?

Hmmm, the Guest seems to have a combination of peculiar feelings, hostility, animosity, & envy. Strong emotions like that usually equate to a good case of jealousy.

Jan

Because he is trying to convince everyone that he is smarter than the average BEAR!!!

Jerry

[ricochetv1]

Can anyone tell me why a Guest (some guest) would take a shot at one of the best-liked people on the forum?

Hmmm, the Guest seems to have a combination of peculiar feelings, hostility, animosity, & envy. Strong emotions like that usually equate to a good case of jealousy.

Jan

Because he is trying to convince everyone that he is smarter than the average BEAR!!!

Jerry

It's my theory that each and every one of us is an idiot. It's simply a matter of to what degree, and whether or not we can get away with it.

[jnk]

I don't know why this forum lets "guests" post. Other forums I've been on require that users register to post. We wouldn't have all these "troll" posts if cpaptalk required registration for posting.... Just my cranky opinion though. My therapy has not yet been optimized.

I hear ya, twokatmew. But . . .

My first post was as a guest. Ozij's first post was as a guest.

As rested gal said in this thread, viewtopic.php?f=1&t=40526&st=0&sk=t&sd= ... 15#p355234 :

I do hope the solution will continue to allow guest posting. Many newcomers are not message board savvy at first and need the posting process to be as easy as possible for their first attempts at getting help.

So, in the spirit of encouraging newbies to ask questions, as easily as possible, about a therapy that may save their lives, I hope guest posts continue to be allowed, myself.

jeff

[jnk]

This may be the most annoying thread I've ever read. . . .

Doug,

I think you need to read more threads.

jeff

[-SWS]

That their sales are limited to those persons who have been prescribed respiratory therapy with an approved machine, and used "under a physician's guidance", is not nonsensical.

The majority of people in this thread seem to agree that a CPAP machine warrants a prescription and thus physician care. So maybe you're annoyed because of this position you seem to maintain:

A doctor in my family tells me that a mask is a potentially-dangerous device. (Having occasionally blocked my exhaust vents by accident, I can see why.)

Let's see. The CPAP machine and mask go together as a functional pair. Right? And you have already received a prescription for your CPAP machine which can only be used with a mask.

So just how does that second prescription help you with your exhaust-vent blocking problem anyway?

[The Texan]

I don't know why this forum lets "guests" post. Other forums I've been on require that users register to post. We wouldn't have all these "troll" posts if cpaptalk required registration for posting.... Just my cranky opinion though. My therapy has not yet been optimized.

I totally agree with you. Let the guest read all they want, but if they want to post, then make them register and assume an identity. As it stands now, there is no way to ban a guest if they post nasty or erroneous information, as they are incognito. I moderate a smaller Military forum and there is no way anyone can post without an identity. This particular guest is very abrasive in my humble opinion and has no right to belittle others as he is doing without fear, as he is immune from any form of punishment.
Bob

[ozij]

Nobody on this forum gets as belittled by members and those flyby guest - and rightly so. When they're abusive, or disruptive, they can be, and have been, banned by forumadmin.

I can better handle handle the thought of another idiot showing his true colors here, than the thought of even one person, too shy to register, who could not ask their question and drifted away.

So just how does that second prescription help you with your exhaust-vent blocking problem anyway?

I was wondering about that too.
Also wondering if carving knives, which may give you bad cuts indvertantly, need prescriptions...
What about all those cleaning chemical (fat remover, bleach) - they can be very dangerous.

Speaking of the dangers of masks: Shouldn't they have warning saying "keep out of the reach of children"?

O.

[SaltLakeJan]

Question, I don't know exactly when I will be making purchases - Should I send in my prescriptions now??

Jan

[-SWS]

Also wondering if carving knives, which may give you bad cuts indvertantly, need prescriptions...
What about all those cleaning chemical (fat remover, bleach) - they can be very dangerous.

When I was nine years old I began to cut the grass with a standard-fare gasoline powered lawnmower of the day. True story.

But it might have been far worse. Had I grown up in the eighties or nineties, I might have come in contact with CPAP masks and humidifiers instead... The thought makes me shudder. I might have even mowed the lawn while wearing a mask and carelessly swigging Gatorade out of a humidifier jug. Thank goodness for prescription laws.

Question, I don't know exactly when I will be making purchases - Should I send in my prescriptions now??

That's what I did a couple days ago, Jan. I faxed mine in without buying anything. Then CPAP.COM and CPAPAUCTION.COM both promptly processed my prescriptions for future purchases.

[Kiralynx]

Question, I don't know exactly when I will be making purchases - Should I send in my prescriptions now??

Jan,

Yes. Don't do what I did, which was wait until I spotted the back-up machine I wanted on CPAPAUCTION. There followed several hysterical days when it turned out my original prescription ("CPAP or Bipap as recommended," did not qualify me for the Bipap Auto SV I wanted, and I had to find the copy of the actual ASV prescription, and send that, too. The folks at both CPAP.COM and CPAPAUCTION.COM were very nice and very professional, despite my somewhat hysterical emails.

[dvejr]

Let's see. The CPAP machine and mask go together as a functional pair. Right? And you have already received a prescription for your CPAP machine which can only be used with a mask.

So just how does that second prescription help you with your exhaust-vent blocking problem anyway?

The issue isn't a second or fourth, or tenth prescription. The issue is the vendor you're now approaching for a mask never having seen your first one.

[yardbird]

wow.... a lot of hub-bub over nothin is kinda how I'm seeing this.

Johnny has to follow certain rules. It looks like, since cpap.com already has my machine prescription, that I'll be able to continue to purchase machines, masks, and humidifiers to my heart's content. If I need a script I call my primary care doc (she's MUCH more responsive than my sleep doc) and say, "Can you write me a script for...." and if it's obviously CPAP related, she will write it. Done deal.

[rogelah]

How about requiring guest posters to first slide down a razon blade into a pool of hot lemonade before each post? OUCH!

[-SWS]

The issue isn't a second or fourth, or tenth prescription. The issue is the vendor you're now approaching for a mask never having seen your first one.

I suspect that just may be the "technicality" that's being either informally or even formally thrust at cpap.com---resulting in their change of policy.

But to what end is that humidifier and mask prescription technicality being imposed? To help patients or to help those same corporations who attempted to benefit by pushing Internet-punishing MAP?

Working the patient-side of those humidifier and mask prescription requirements, I see far greater potential for patient adversity here than benefit. In other medically well-respected nations there are no legal CPAP prescription requirements---let alone redundant prescription requirements for humidifiers and masks. But in the good ol' U.S. of A. people who are prescribed CPAP machines are also subjected to redundant prescription technicalities for indispensable and optional accessories. Don't just saddle patients in the U.S. with CPAP prescription requirements. Rather, saddle them with an entire string of requirements. Be darn sure to make CPAP use a veritable little gauntlet of administrative and legal technicalities. Public welfare is somehow benefited by this?

Harsh CPAP realities in any country: 1) compliance is exceedingly challenging (40% compliance rates for this gold standard), 2) humidifiers and especially masks are exceedingly important to help that 40% minority become compliant, and 3) a very large percentage of patients posting here cannot receive adequate clinician or brick-and-mortar DME assistance toward achieving difficult CPAP compliance. But many have achieved compliance because they have managed to easily try various interfaces until they landed on one that works. Take away my two FF models from the market, and I too am among the 60% non-compliant patients heading for medical disaster.

In the meantime, placing more legal humidifier and mask barriers in place amounts to placing more compliance barriers in place. There are no patients benefiting by that additional barrier. But the well-known brick-and-mortar DME/insurance-company/manufacturer bed-partner arrangement benefit$ handsomely by forcing patients off the Internet and back into that same broken system that achieves 40% compliance when independent studies have proven nearly 70% compliance is attainable instead. That's one broken fat-cat system that requires redundant humidifier and mask prescriptions when other countries don't even require a CPAP prescription.