A Forum For All Things CPAP
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tiredNorlando wrote:I am new here, so I am still learning, but just so you know amazon has dreamstation auto pap for under $400 right now...I actually just purchased one last night!
You might not have this problem on a lower setting. I have the max automatic setting with the heated hose.MssDarla wrote:D.H. wrote:I have a Phillips Respironics Dream Station Auto CPAP. It’s my fourth machine since 1999; the others were all “bricks.” Here is my review, the good and the bad.
Disadvantages:
• Machine is a bit larger than the major competing machine.
• Sometimes, there is a burning smell, especially after a potty break. I’m pretty sure it’s harmless.
• Frequently, the water does not last the whole night. I generally wake up at least once overnight, so I refill it at that time. This might not work for everybody.
• Some have complained about the brightness of the display when you turn it off and back on, such as for a potty break. I don’t find this a problem. In fact, I use the light to reattach my mask to the hose.
• The “full” line on the water tank is hard to see.
• The machine is somewhat noisier when used without the humidifier attached.
• The power cord has a proprietary signal, so you cannot use a different cord, even if the voltage, wattage, amperage, and fitting are all identical. This means that if you need a replacement cord (or a spare cord), you have to get the cord specific to Dream Stations. If you want to use a battery (such as for camping and electrical outages), you have to buy an $80 proprietary device to generate this signal.
refilling the water during the night would be a problem for me,, once I'm a wake ,, I'm up for good.. so glad you mentioned it, I cant sleep thru a whole night now, even this morning been up since 2 am / with machine on
Exactly, You made the better choice. JimJulie wrote:Be careful - what you get from Cpap.com will be covered for problems in future... can you say the same about the Amazon one? And will that one even still be there tomorrow?
You made up your mind to get what's a very good machine... maybe stop shopping and looking around. There will always be something else that looks 'greener' if you keep looking, but you also need to consider what the consequences might be.
Then you'd be making a blunder- ResMed uses a special plug and requires a $85 DC-DC converter to run on 12V. Philips Respironics uses a 12V cord that costs $24 to $30, depending on the model. I've heard someone say that Philips uses a special plug for the new models, but even so the $30 is not too much for a high quality 12V cord. I think D.H. is confused about the models.xxyzx wrote:=================D.H. wrote: • The power cord has a proprietary signal, so you cannot use a different cord, even if the voltage, wattage, amperage, and fitting are all identical. This means that if you need a replacement cord (or a spare cord), you have to get the cord specific to Dream Stations. If you want to use a battery (such as for camping and electrical outages), you have to buy an $80 proprietary device to generate this signal.
that power cord is a deal breaker for me
thanks for the warning
i am now ruling out philips for resmed devices instead
What you pay, depends on your insurance. You will typically be charged a percentage of what the insurance pays the doctor. They always bill everything seperately, hoping the insurance will pay more. The $263 is the water reservoir. Look at the EOB and see how much they actually paid the doctor. Your portion is based on what the insurance pays, not what the doctor billed the insurance.BonnieD wrote:I recently purchased Air Sense 10 thru the doctor's office. I received the expl of benefits from the insurance. Seems the doctor added on charges for parts that normally come with a cpap machine. (The machine costs $975.) The Dr. added on $263 for a humidifier and $69 for tubing. (These come with the machine !) The Dr. Is not charging for the water chamber (So I save about $24 --- hehe.) . In the past, I've bought mask/headgear/cushions thru Home Medical Systems. I wish I did that this time : HMS is a lot cheaper than what the doctor charged. The prices that I mentioned are the Insurance company's contracted prices. .... Is it typical for a doctor's office to charge for cpap machine parts that already come with the cpap machine ? I've seen that I could have bought this machine for $883 online. Looks like I am going to pay around $1300.
BonnieD wrote:I recently purchased Air Sense 10 thru the doctor's office. I received the expl of benefits from the insurance. Seems the doctor added on charges for parts that normally come with a cpap machine. (The machine costs $975.) The Dr. added on $263 for a humidifier and $69 for tubing. (These come with the machine !) The Dr. Is not charging for the water chamber (So I save about $24 --- hehe.) . In the past, I've bought mask/headgear/cushions thru Home Medical Systems. I wish I did that this time : HMS is a lot cheaper than what the doctor charged. The prices that I mentioned are the Insurance company's contracted prices. .... Is it typical for a doctor's office to charge for cpap machine parts that already come with the cpap machine ? I've seen that I could have bought this machine for $883 online. Looks like I am going to pay around $1300.