Top 10 Reasons Why Sleep Centers Allow APAP's vs CPAP's

Rastaman wrote:Okay, I'm just curious (shamelessly ofcourse) what the top 10 reasons that DME's, doctors, insurance companies, etc. allow you to get an APAP vs CPAP?

1. Pressure need vary during the night, depending on the sleeping position.
2. APAP allows you to use lower pressure for most of the night, moving to high pressure as-needed. Lower pressure=more comfortable=better compliance.
3. Weight gain or loss can make another titration study needed with CPAP. With APAP, you can test your pressure needs at home for yourself.
4. If you can't afford a titration study at all, but can get a prescription for an APAP, you can find the right pressure without a formal study.
5. If you had a "bad" titration study, with barely enough data, the APAP might be a better bet because there is more flexibility to figure out whether the prescribed pressure is correct.
6. Insurance companies sometimes refuse to authorize APAP until they see that CPAP is a "failure." So if you don't use the CPAP because it is so uncomfortable, sometimes they will switch you to APAP.
7. The sleep specialist who read my study recommended an automatic unit without explaining his reasoning. Some doctors just like them.
8. My doctor was excited to see that I can download data from my automatic bipap to monitor my own therapy.
9. Some doctors are willing to prescribe what the patient wants, if he/she has a half-way good reason.

Well, that is 9 instead of 10... and a couple are repeats of earlier posts. Maybe someone else can get us one more reason.

Moogy .

Well, that is 9 instead of 10... and a couple are repeats of earlier posts. Maybe someone else can get us one more reason.

Because that is the treatment I want.

"I deserve the very best!"

or, as my wife would say "I'm worth it!"



Den

I guess I did what the insurance company wanted - I just bought my auto out of pocket rather than get bogged down with all their red tape. I'll tell you, my setting on the CPAP was 8. I have the software and reader for the Respironics Auto and it is ranging from the 7 at the bottom of the range I set ot for all the way up to a few minutes a night at 11. So does that mean a constant setting of 8 was doing me much good when the machine said I needed 10 or 11 to get rid of symptoms during the night? I don;t think so. I'm not a Dr. and I have the greatest respect for ones who are responsive to needs of their patients, but get the auto even if you have to change Drs.

I did but I had to go from Respironics to Resmed to do that, according to my DME. I asked for a Remstar Auto and she said she didn't have any of those (even non m-series) and they would replace it with a S8 Autoset Vantage. Great little machine. No C-flex in auto mode though. I don't know if I even miss it though. And saying that means I probably don't miss it. It would just be nice to have. But I feel lucky just having the auto period!!!

I do think they might've had my setting at 13 as a "happy medium" because the lowest it's been is 15.4 and the highest is 17.2 and it's set for 8 to 17.