Give me Heated Hose 101

[NMchop]

I'm in week 3 of therapy.

Started off great. Felt like a super hero. Then got sick (sinus). Then had a bad spell.
Now seem to be improving.

I have a regular hose.

A friend of mine I just found out is on Cpap too. He told me to get a heated hose.

Now I'm thinking of getting a heated hose.

I guess you have to get an prescription for one as the RT at the DME wouldn't even give me a chin
strap without an RX (I have a nose/mouth mask but I still think the chin strap would help, I wake up
with cotton mouth of the highest order. I have no chin strap still).

I'm wondering if the heated hose helps with cotton mouth?

[herefishy]

The Rx you have on file with the DME should be for CPAP and supplies, no way you need a prescription for every little thing you need.

[AlabamaAl]

The DME said they need a prescription when I wanted to go to a heated hose option too. Luckily one of the members of this forum pointed out that was BS. They only want a prescription so they can bill insurance. Our sponsor has the upgrade kit for 75 bucks. Cheaper than my co pay would have been had the DME provided it with their usual mark up. Yes, the heated hose helps with dry mouth by allowing more moisture to get to the sinus without the problem of rain-out. It is not a cure all, but it did help me.

Here is a link to the product. https://www.cpap.com/productpage/pr-hea ... e-kit.html

They do not require a script for this item.

[Pugsy]

When you have time could you correct the machine information in your profile to avoid confusion later?
It's pointing to the PR System One CPAP Plus model 260 and you have the model 460 so the correction choice would be PR System One Pro CPAP ....look for the word Pro instead of Plus.

Check your machine to see if it is already heated hose capable...needs to have a lid on the humidifier that has a little electric plug in thing on it and the brick power supply needs to be 80 watt...instead of 60 watt.

If your lid and power brick isn't capable of a heated hose then you will need this and no RX is required.
https://www.cpap.com/productpage/pr-hea ... e-kit.html
Your DME could supply this kit if they just would.

If your machine is already heated hose capable then all you need is the heated hose and while the DME might say that a RX is require....it isn't.

The heated hose on your PR S1 machine would enable more customization of the humidity delivery and allow more moisture to be delivered than what is given by the PR S1 in the default mode without heated hose. It also allows for more customization of the air temp in the hose and mask. See this link where they talk about 3 humidity settings available along with the heated air temps available.
https://www.cpap.com/productpage/pr-sys ... ifier.html

That said...I don't know if adding a heated hose will be guaranteed to fix your dry mouth issues....but it might help.
Worth trying.
Dry mouth is normally from mouth breathing and it doesn't take but a tiny bit of mouth breathing to dry out the mouth for some people. Your profile shows a full face mask and the humidifier may not be able to supply enough moisture to rehydrate the mouth.

But it is worth trying...what settings are you using now with the non heated hose?
There may be a way to add more moisture even now without the heated hose. You could change to Classic Mode which delivers considerably more moisture than the default settings that come with the PR S1. The main problem with Classic Mode is that it increases the chances of rain out happening but if it did happen there are ways to reduce it if it occurs.

[NMchop]

I checked, I have a 60 watt power cord.

So it looks like I'd defintely need the other humidifier.

Since I have the prescription, maybe i'll just try Cpap.com?

[NMchop]

When you have time could you correct the machine information in your profile to avoid confusion later?
It's pointing to the PR System One CPAP Plus model 260 and you have the model 460 so the correction choice would be PR System One Pro CPAP ....look for the word Pro instead of Plus.

**Done

Check your machine to see if it is already heated hose capable...needs to have a lid on the humidifier that has a little electric plug in thing on it and the brick power supply needs to be 80 watt...instead of 60 watt.

**It's 60 Watt, so I have the wrong one for heated hose.

If your lid and power brick isn't capable of a heated hose then you will need this and no RX is required.
https://www.cpap.com/productpage/pr-hea ... e-kit.html
Your DME could supply this kit if they just would.

If your machine is already heated hose capable then all you need is the heated hose and while the DME might say that a RX is require....it isn't.

The heated hose on your PR S1 machine would enable more customization of the humidity delivery and allow more moisture to be delivered than what is given by the PR S1 in the default mode without heated hose. It also allows for more customization of the air temp in the hose and mask. See this link where they talk about 3 humidity settings available along with the heated air temps available.
https://www.cpap.com/productpage/pr-sys ... ifier.html

That said...I don't know if adding a heated hose will be guaranteed to fix your dry mouth issues....but it might help.
Worth trying.


Dry mouth is normally from mouth breathing and it doesn't take but a tiny bit of mouth breathing to dry out the mouth for some people. Your profile shows a full face mask and the humidifier may not be able to supply enough moisture to rehydrate the mouth.

*I think I have the humidity set at 3 right now...it blows, kinda of on the cold side but I've been dealing with it.

But it is worth trying...what settings are you using now with the non heated hose?
There may be a way to add more moisture even now without the heated hose. You could change to Classic Mode which delivers considerably more moisture than the default settings that come with the PR S1. The main problem with Classic Mode is that it increases the chances of rain out happening but if it did happen there are ways to reduce it if it occurs.

[Pugsy]

I checked, I have a 60 watt power cord.

So it looks like I'd defintely need the other humidifie

You don't need a different (other) humidifier...you just need the upgrade kit to make your existing 60 series humidifier heated hose capable.
If you are using a 60 series blower then I know you are using a 60 series humidifier because the other 50 series humidifier (which you have in your profile right now) won't work with a 60 series blower.

https://www.cpap.com/productpage/pr-hea ... e-kit.html

This link above contains all you need to make your existing humidifier heated hose capable...it comes with the special lid, the 80 watt power supply and a heated hose. I bought it from cpap.com and changed it out myself...easy to do. If I can do it anyone can.
You can still use a non heated hose with the new lid and new power supply if you wish...no need to physically change it back.
I did it last summer when I went to the mountains and didn't want to use the heated hose due to possible power issues.

So the correct choice for the humidifier in your equipment profile would be
PR System One 60 Series heated tube humidifier with heated tube
even though you don't currently use a heated hose...that choice is the only choice of humidifiers that will work with your 60 series machine.

So you already have a 60 series humidifier...all you need to do is a little bit of retrofitting to make it work with a heated hose.

[kcodeblue]

The Rx you have on file with the DME should be for CPAP and supplies, no way you need a prescription for every little thing you need.

Actually, that depends on your insurance. Some insurances require that each item be authorized prior to being dispensed. These items are categorized by their billing codes (HCPC). A CPAP setup and supplies conists of several individual billing codes. A standard tubing is A7037 whereas a heated tubing is A4604 and carries a much higher reimbursement rate to cover the higher cost. Insurances that operate this way will not authorize items unless they are requested by a physician. If the original authorization is for an A7037 (standard), you would need the doctor to request th A4604 (heated) for the insurance to authorize it before it could be dispensed.

[kcodeblue]

The DME said they need a prescription when I wanted to go to a heated hose option too. Luckily one of the members of this forum pointed out that was BS. They only want a prescription so they can bill insurance.

Legally and practically speaking they don't need a separate Rx. But if they want to get paid for it they do! Heated tubing carries a separate billing code than a standard ( A7037 vs A4604) . I don't see the crime in wanting to get paid for a product being provided.

Our sponsor has the upgrade kit for 75 bucks. Cheaper than my co pay would have been had the DME provided it with their usual mark up.

I would find another DME. Our co-pays here for the conversion kit run between $10-20

[palerider]

I would find another DME. Our co-pays here for the conversion kit run between $10-20

aren't co-pays determined by ithe insurance company, not the DME?

[kcodeblue]

aren't co-pays determined by ithe insurance company, not the DME?

You are precisely correct sir. That is why it made no sense when the comment was made that $75 was cheaper than the copay would have been had the DME provided it with their usual "mark up". The DME can't mark up the co-pay, that's fraud. The insurance determines how much they will pay for each piece of equipment, the patient's plan determines what percentage they are responsible for. The only time the DME can mark up anything is when the patient is paying cash.

[palerider]

aren't co-pays determined by ithe insurance company, not the DME?

You are precisely correct sir. That is why it made no sense when the comment was made that $75 was cheaper than the copay would have been had the DME provided it with their usual "mark up". The DME can't mark up the co-pay, that's fraud.

the DME marks up, to outrageous levels, the price of the item, then the insurance company says "you're delusional" we'll pay part of that.

and then the poor sap customer pays whatever the insurance company doesn't.

if the poor sap customer has a sky high deductible, then their portion, which some would refer to as a 'co-pay' even though they're paying 100% of the "allowable" could well be more than the 75$ that online retailers charge for the item.

what do YOU charge for the heated hose conversion kit? (and by "YOU" I mean, whoever you work for, in case that's not obvious)

[Pugsy]

I don't remember what insurance AlabamaAl has (if I ever knew) but perhaps in that situation there was a deductible or something that needed to be met first before co pays kicked in.
And of course a lot of people don't understand billed amount vs allowed amount which may have been the situation here.
Or maybe a really crappy insurance plan is involved. Some people have no coverage for cpap equipment beyond a set dollar amount.

I usually put the upgrade kit out there and let people determine if it is cost effective to go the DME/insurance route or just pay out of pocket for the kit. Not everyone has Medicare and we don't always know exactly what a person's situation/insurance is or if deductibles are a factor or not.
My husband has a $2500 deductible before insurance would ever pay a dime on anything. Doesn't take a rocket scientist to know which way we would go in that situation if the deductible had not been met.

And for some people the "less aggravation" factor is more important than the dollars and that is okay too.
Been there and done that myself on more than one occasion.

[kcodeblue]

what do YOU charge for the heated hose conversion kit? (and by "YOU" I mean, whoever you work for, in case that's not obvious)

If a patient wanted to cash pay for a heated tubing conversion kit I would charge him around $90. If that was too much I would see if we could come down. If not, I would direct them to CPAP.com. I've been sending people there for years that want to cash pay for items. Their prices are great.

[NMchop]

I think I finally have my "equipment" on my profile correct.

I'll try the DME. I want the heated hose. My insurance so far has picked up everything so I
don't think a $10 or $20 charge is going to be an issue. We'll see.

Thanks for the input. It's been very informative.