What is the Big Deal?

This may be threaded somewhere. If so you can just point me to that thread, but I want to know what the big deal is with super secret pressure settings and having to have this overrated air pump "prescribed" before you can obtain one. Is it just a farse to keep the sleep labs and DMEs in business? I don't like people that resort to trickery and misleading tactics to maintain their buisness model. Used car saleman comes to mind.

I know in some instances, the DMEs charge twice as much for equipment as online shops like cpap.com do too. What is up with that. Knowing that all CPAP machines and autos are charged with the same billing code makes that even worse. My local DME didn't even know about the Respironics M-series. HOLY COW!

I'm not bashing the therapy, just the sleep study and equipment industry as a whole. I'm actually happy that I have been diagnosed and hope to revel in the relief and rest that has eluded me thus far.

If I'm way off, I apologize to those this might offend.

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CPAPopedia Keywords Contained In This Post (Click For Definition): respironics, cpap.com, CPAP, DME

FreeLancer74 wrote: .

If I'm way off, I apologize to those this might offend.

Welcome to the club.

rooster wrote:

FreeLancer74 wrote: .

If I'm way off, I apologize to those this might offend.

Welcome to the club.

Ditto!

Den

Well, in all fairness to the local DME suppliers too many of us look at what they BILL to insurance and NOT at our insurance "statements" that show what insurances actually PAY.

That being said, SOME local DME suppliers only charge the insurance reimbursement rate to uninsured patients. BUT some, and they are the real sheisters, charge the insurance BILLABLE rate to uninsured patients and those are the REAL SHEISTERS.

Do we mind bashing local DME suppliers in this forum??? Ha! You gotta be kidding! Not at all.

On the other hand, occasionally someone posts who has had GOOD service from their local DME suppliers and we are always happy for them.

We even have some great DME supplier RTs post in this forum and we very much appreciate their sharing the "other side of the story".

FreeLancer74 wrote:This may be threaded somewhere. If so you can just point me to that thread, but I want to know what the big deal is with super secret pressure settings and having to have this overrated air pump "prescribed" before you can obtain one. Is it just a farse to keep the sleep labs and DMEs in business? I don't like people that resort to trickery and misleading tactics to maintain their buisness model. Used car saleman comes to mind.

I know in some instances, the DMEs charge twice as much for equipment as online shops like cpap.com do too. What is up with that. Knowing that all CPAP machines and autos are charged with the same billing code makes that even worse. My local DME didn't even know about the Respironics M-series. HOLY COW!

I'm not bashing the therapy, just the sleep study and equipment industry as a whole. I'm actually happy that I have been diagnosed and hope to revel in the relief and rest that has eluded me thus far.

If I'm way off, I apologize to those this might offend.

Sounds like you have it all figured out and right on the mark too.

Welcome and best wishes!

... and Slinky makes a good point about there being a few outliers out there (relatively speaking) who do have and listen to their conscience.

[quote="FreeLancer74"] Used car saleman comes to mind.

If I'm way off, I apologize to those this might offend.[quote]

Apology accepted.

MartiniLover............ex-usedcar salesman. I don't like the way they do business either.

I think of it like this: CPAP is a medical device, and not everyone is as well-informed about it as the people here. My guess is that some DMEs feel a responsibility to take care of their patients in the same way that doctors used to -- "Trust me, I'm the doctor." I've also wondered if part of it might be liability -- they don't want to get sued by somebody who didn't know what they were doing messing around with their settings and then maybe having an apnea-induced heart attack or something.

Now, I don't *agree* with the "trust me, I'm the doctor" bit, but I could see that being part of the reason.

Min

And don't believe they don't know about the M series (or any other machine)... that's an old line!

FreeLancer74 wrote:I know in some instances, the DMEs charge twice as much for equipment as online shops like cpap.com do too. What is up with that.

Welcome, you are the next contestant on, "The Price is Whatever the DME Wants to Charge"

No shock here. You will probably be better off buying on line and for getting DME. You might see if your insurance will still allow you to file for reimbursement. I read one here recently that did that... I think their insurance was Atnea.

I know in my case, it amount out to the DME simply SLAMMING on an "extra" $800 and by the time all was said and done, I was the one paying for the CPAP.

Guess I am the odd ball my dme is spot on. A recent example, the sleep study clinic sent me home with a comfortgel nasal mask size small. Turned out I needed medium. Even though dme did not supply mask they were more than happy to exchange it for a medium for me.
The first time I went to dme they brought out a resmed at first, I say I think you might be mistaken and they looked at script and paperwork and out came the a-flex with an aplogy for the confusion!!!
They have called me to see how therapy is going (I am up to 8 hours a night in 9 short days I think), they sponsor support groups where among other things will read and help analyze your data card for free, etc. They gave me a prepaid envelope to mail back data card after a month to confirm compliance I guess.

I too questioned the increase of cost both in these forums and directly to the DME). What I sort of pieced together is with the online sites, they have great prices but they don’t provide services such as respiratory therapists, mask fittings, mask exchange, etc like the DME. Also since DME must carry therapists and other specialists they have greater overhead. Add in the same factors that make retail more expensive than online shopping in general (retail store, insurance, employee head-count, security, etc) and I guess it starts to add up. My m series a-flex cost about twice as much as it would have from buying online, but I only pay 10% w/insurance versus 300 deductible plus 20% from out-of-network. Nother big difference imho is the ability to try on masks and mask sizes.

differentdave wrote:Guess I am the odd ball my dme is spot on. A recent example, the sleep study clinic sent me home with a comfortgel nasal mask size small. Turned out I needed medium. Even though dme did not supply mask they were more than happy to exchange it for a medium for me.
The first time I went to dme they brought out a resmed at first, I say I think you might be mistaken and they looked at script and paperwork and out came the a-flex with an aplogy for the confusion!!!.......

Well differentdave, I think you made it to: http://youtube.com/watch?v=brRsRTTp1Pw.