Greetings all,

I have pretty severe problems......not breathing sometimes.....
and am scheduled for my 2nd study in a couple of weeks.
Where did most of you get your machine and masks?
online or through the doctor or hospital?

I had no choice but to get mine through Kaiser's sleep lab in house DME. Their prices were totally jacked up compared to cpap.com though what my insurance covered was still enough to make it cheaper than getting the machine completely out of pocket.

Good luck on getting the right machine for you.

Thanks Admiral,
I can't see anything in my insurance that limits where I can buy my
stuff. I think its pretty sorry that you are locked in to only one place.
I think I can take whatever the study recommends and a prescription,
and buy anywhere. As long as I understand that my insurance may
not cover as much of the cost.

Welcome, KHarris!!!!

It's a lot to ask when you are sleep deprived (or even when you aren't), but you may want to get a clearer understanding of your insurance.

1. If they have in-network and out-of-network providers would be important to know.

2. If they have in-network providers you can get a list of the DME's in your area that qualify. Then try to find out whether they can and will provide you with the equipment you choose. Find out the cost, including copays and deductibles. If you have a high deductible and don't have a lot of other medical expenses, this can be a big factor.

3. Compare this to the out-of-network provider costs. For example, if you purchase your machine on cpap.com it costs much less than through most DME's. If you have a high deductible, it may cost less. Just make sure you get both the copay and deductible figures when figuring it out.

4. Find out how many masks they will let you try on. If they will only let you try on one, ask them about the return policy. They may let you try only one other mask in a 30 day period as one DME I recently intereviewed for a family member. I'd quiz them hard about this area. Like which models do you carry? How many can I try on? What is your mask return policy? etc.

5. If your insurance will cover most of the cost, and if the DME is good at letting you try on a lot of masks, even if they only provide a basic el-cheapo machine, you may do well to go with them for the mask fittings. You can use the the basic machine as your backup and buy your own out of pocket. You can buy new at cpap.com or used. I've had good luck getting lightly used machines for a very reasonable cost. The only problem with this is that you might not be able to monitor your treatment from the start, which I feel is pretty important. You need a FULLY data capable machine to do this (not just compliance data). You will need to buy the software on your own.

6. Expect them to lie. If they don't, be pleasantly surprised .

If you can locate a good place to try on masks (usually a local hospital that does mask fittings and will let you try on several) that changes things. You can then buy your machine online without worrying about how to make the mask work for you. For most people, it's the mask that is the hard part. But getting a FULLY data capable machine is right up there in my book.

Good luck and come back for help in making this succeed.