Prescription For Particular Brand?

Went in for my sleep study. I have very severe sleep apnea (100 events/hr).

So, the actual doctor who reviews my results calls me in for an appointment. That appointment just consisted of him writing me a prescription and referring me to a local DME. The prescription is for a Respironics CPAP w/C-Flex. I logged onto cpap.com and ordered last night.

I did this for two reasons: 1. the DME he referred me to is run by a bunch of slimeballs and isn't accepted by my insurance and 2. my insurance has a huge deductible anyway, so I'll end up having to pay for the whole thing anyway.

The doctor learned of my ordering online and get very upset and called me, leaving me a message about how, in doing this, I wouldn't get the "education" and "benefits" of dealing with a dealer locally. Honestly, he came across as quite aggressive and abrasive in insisting that I go to this particular company regardless of my insurance/deductible issues. I won't be returning to this doctor.

Now, all that being said, since my prescription is for a specific brand and type of machine, does that mean I'll need to stick with this brand unless I can get a new prescription? Should I just ask my primary care doctor, when I go back to him in 2 mos for a regular checkup, for a "patient's choice" cpap/mask prescription? I assume he'll need to read over the sleep study results, so he'll want to request these medical records first...

Argh, did you order the "Plus"? It won't give you any data except hours of compliance. See if you can't still change with the "Pro" version which will give you AHI, Flow Limitations, etc...
Re your doctor and DME, from what you have told us, you were right to get as far away from them as possible

Yeah, makes you wonder what incentive the doctor would that would cause him/her to be so abrasive about your not choosing that DME provider?

See if you can adjust your order NOW at cpap.com if you did, indeed, order a PLUS model. You want a model that will provide you with full efficacy data, and that one does NOT do that.

Ordering online upsets the medical mafia. You're not supposed to be saving money and taking care of yourself. You're supposed to be keeping the members of the local medical mafia well paid.

That said, if you set the machine up wrong, you can screw up your therapy. A good local DME can give you a lot of help as well. In particular, being able to try on and change masks can be very valuable. Unfortunately, a lot of local DMEs give you really bad service.

How did the doctor find out you ordered online?

I agree about the PLUS model. See if you can stop shipment on the PLUS model and change. Get an Auto or at the very least a PRO model. The Auto doesn't cost that much more and can do anything the PRO or PLUS can.

The PLUS will work just fine, but the PRO or AUTO will record data that you or your doctor can use to see if you're still having apneas or other breathing problems. It's worth a lot more than the cost difference.

Also, just FYI, if you want an auto machine you can still get one with the prescription as written. An auto machine is still a type of CPAP.

Does yur prescription tell you at what pressure to use? If not go to the dme and get a copy of you r titration report (it belongs to you) then we can tell you how to set up your cpap......here's hopeing that you were able to change to a data capable machine.....fingers crossed.
You did the right thing by doing this on your own, I'll bet the doc gets a kickback from the dme or perhaps he OWNs it Some dmes and docs are great but then there are those that think they are God's gift to the cpap world and no matter what you say or do ...you are wrong. Yup..you did a good thing !!!!!

Thanks for all the replies. My prescription does have the pressure listed - 17. He even wrote the C-flex as setting 3, though I know I can change that.

I didn't get the Pro or any extended data-capable machines. I actually intend on purchasing a second machine (possibly used/refurbished) if I can tolerate the therapy. That's why I'm curious about the particular branding of the prescription. I plan on getting the sleep lab to send over the results of my test to my primary care doc to see if he can rewrite my prescription for "patient's choice" in my mask and machine in a couple months when I go in for my 6 month check up.

Seriously. Spend the extra $160 and get the Pro, even if you're just "tasting" CPAP. You have a much better chance of making it work if you have data. Actually, the $240 for the Auto is worth the extra cost for the same reasons.

You're unlikely to find a good replacement machine for the price difference later.

However, the Plus is a heck of a lot better than nothing if you have apnea.

Thanks for the advice. I want to start my therapy ASAP, and that extra $160 was a bit more than I wanted to pay at the moment. Perhaps I'll save some cash up over the next couple of weeks and invest in a better machine, but for now, with 100 events/hr, I'm just looking forward to getting started a feeling a bit better.

For what it's worth, with 20 years of experience at this, I can honestly say that I find the online sellers more responsive and doing a better job at patient education than any of the DMEs that I have used over the years. If my current insurance would allow me, I would only use the online sellers.

Here's hoping you find a good seller and good gear to end up getting great sleep!