Goodbye Resmed. Prices double 9/4/06

I bet our compliance rates of the people who spend time reading this forum are way above the norm for the Brick & Mortar DMEs. And they stand a better chance of getting the true information. Jim

Wulfman wrote:Hmmmmm......Let's see.....

Facts:
The majority of CPAP equipment is sold through brick & mortar DME suppliers.

According to studies, a large percentage of CPAP users are non-compliant.

My conclusions:
A large percentage of brick & mortar DMEs are the source of the problem (and not the solution) to CPAP therapy being successful.

Facts:
Most OSA Support Groups (like AWAKE) are few and far between.
It takes time and money to travel to these places.

Fact:
Most people have computers and access to the Internet.

Conclusions:
More CPAP users need to find their way to the online forums to be more compliant......because they're already using the Internet and they can spend more time learning about their therapy than they would ever get at group meetings.
They would get to hear from a larger number of people with the same conditions. (How many employees of DME shops actually suffer from OSA/CSA?)

Anybody else agree?

Den

But this couldn't be! The local DMEs are just losing their shirt bending over backwards for their cpap patients... and those fly-by-night internet providers are just selling out of their garage, so they certainly could not be providing a forum for cpap support that actually works. Why should I believe you when I can believe all those smart folks at ResMed?

... because the numbers from the folks at ResMed just don't add up... that is unless you are talking about the number of dollars they extract from us cpap users... that adds up real fast.

Den, your math is impecable!

Den,

Very valid points made.

And I, too, agree with Jim when he talks about being compliant because of this site in particular. I know it was my salvation and my compliance had NOTHING to do with my DME. They just provided the initial machine and mask. And I'm one of the ones who actually gets along with and likes my DME, which is the "dreaded" Apria. But if I had to say why I stayed on the machine and where I got my answers, it would be right here, on the Internet, on THIS site. I actually informed my own DME on things he didn't know that I learned here that he was grateful to learn from me.

I don't understand why there just can't be more than one way to skin a cat without having to make the Internet way so difficult now, especially for the people who have no insurance and can't go the route of a DME even if they wanted to. And if Resmed isn't making enough profit for their liking, maybe they should try keeping up with the other manufacturers who seem to be more creative than they have been lately. Yes, they do have some great equipment to offer, case in point, the UMFF. But in this market, you can't stand still and rest on your already presented products. Innovation will take you closer to a more productive and lucrative bottom line.

Goofproof wrote:I bet our compliance rates of the people who spend time reading this forum are way above the norm for the Brick & Mortar DMEs. And they stand a better chance of getting the true information. Jim

It's too bad that somebody doesn't fund a study of the compliance of XPAP users that find their way to the forums. Could be they're afraid of what they might find???

Den

I don't even understand why xPAP is a prescribed device. AFAIK you can't hurt yourself if you "mess up" with one. So why require a prescription in the first place? These things are dirt simple to use, and tracking the numbers and adjusting accordingly is easy!

Sleepless on LI wrote:I don't understand why there just can't be more than one way to skin a cat.......

OMG!!! Lori, you're going to have all the PETA folks after us now......

Sleepless on LI wrote:But in this market, you can't stand still and rest on your already presented products. Innovation will take you closer to a more productive and lucrative bottom line.

Yes, I agree......"If you build it, they will come."

Best wishes,

Den

JCraig wrote:I don't even understand why xPAP is a prescribed device. AFAIK you can't hurt yourself if you "mess up" with one. So why require a prescription in the first place? These things are dirt simple to use, and tracking the numbers and adjusting accordingly is easy!

Probably because it has traditionally been diagnosed by physicians......who have a lock on the prescription pads.....and a strong influence with elected representatives.
I'm sure there are any number of reasons, but those are what popped into my mind at the moment.
But, I agree with you. Who knows, they may get them exempted at some point in the future. There's a whole lot of money in it now for the medical profession and I'm sure they would fight it tooth and nail.

Den

Well, one thing that might not be good if XPAP becomes non-prescription is that insurance plans might not cover it anymore. I was on a prescription drug that became non-prescription. Insurance no longer covered it and the cost to me getting it OTC went through the roof. I wonder if we shouldn't be careful what we wish for.

I use OneTouch strips to test my blood/sugar levels. They are not prescription and you can purchase them over the counter. However, I have to get my doctor to write me a prescription for them so my insurance will repay me for the purchase.