NO CPAP machines available at all!

My supplier has no machines available at all they say. They cannot give me an estimate of when they will. What are my options at this point? Is there a way I could order one via the Internet, or does it take a prescription to get one? I am disillusioned and confused. Am I just out of luck?

Ask your doctor for a copy of your prescription. You can then order one on the internet if you want. However, you will need to check with your insurance company to find out if they will pay for the machine if you order on line. Our site sponsor, cpap.com, has machines available for shipment (Airsense 10 autoset). Check with your insurance company to see which DME suppliers in the local area are in their network. Also ask if there are any online DME suppliers in their network. There is a used machine available in the Oklahoma City area available on Facebook Marketplace:

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/it ... 20163693ce

It will be something to use until you can get a new machine.

oklajohn wrote: ↑

Mon Feb 21, 2022 4:12 pm

My supplier has no machines available at all they say. They cannot give me an estimate of when they will. What are my options at this point? Is there a way I could order one via the Internet, or does it take a prescription to get one? I am disillusioned and confused. Am I just out of luck?

send a pm to forum user lsat. he quite often has machines for sale.

Does anyone know why this shortage exists? I am curious. A guy here waited 15 weeks he says. Looks like they could catch up in that length of time.

oklajohn wrote: ↑

Mon Feb 21, 2022 5:31 pm

Does anyone know why this shortage exists? I am curious. A guy here waited 15 weeks he says. Looks like they could catch up in that length of time.

Part of the problem lies in the just-in-time mindset prevalent in the supply chain. Needed parts are not just lying around in warehouses, they are produced based on projections and financial commitments from those that need them to build their products. No one could have predicted a pandemic coupled with a recall, hence, the products that were available ended up being distributed leaving little to no available stock. This meant that the needed parts had to be manufactured. Given that many of the parts are also used in other products from different industries, in many cases with much larger volume orders, it means that the niche products are slow to get the needed components. This likely contributes to most of the delay in producing more units.

oklajohn wrote: ↑

Mon Feb 21, 2022 5:31 pm

Does anyone know why this shortage exists? I am curious. A guy here waited 15 weeks he says. Looks like they could catch up in that length of time.

just to add on to what jlfinkels said, all of this means that the price has gone up.

oklajohn wrote: ↑

Mon Feb 21, 2022 5:31 pm

Does anyone know why this shortage exists? I am curious.

Another large manufacturer of CPAP machines, last June, recalled over 4,000,000 of their machines (Philips Branded CPAP's) due to foam in the machine that breaks down over time and can be ingested deep into your lungs!!!!

So, world-wide, you have millions of Philips CPAP machine users who scrambled to get another machine (mainly ResMed) coupled with a pandemic, supply chain issues (chip shortage), and boats waiting off the coast of California with supplies.

Watch out for yourself and ensure that whatever DME you choose, that they do NOT try to give you one of the emergency use authorized Chinese made copycat CPAP's. Insist on or wait for a ResMed!

oklajohn wrote: ↑

Mon Feb 21, 2022 5:31 pm

Does anyone know why this shortage exists? I am curious. A guy here waited 15 weeks he says. Looks like they could catch up in that length of time.

Thinking back to 2006/7 I remember it taking 4-6 weeks to get your cpap equipment. At the time I thought it was confirming your insurance so the DME could get paid.

Then I also realized that the DME's just don't stock medical equipment on their shelves and that is likely a good thing.

So the DMEs don't stock these things then you have this covid thing which messed up everything in life followed by one of the largest medical recalls (in my time anyway) explained very well above and now you know what the delays of today are.

People are even selling cars for more than they paid for them not to mention houses.

IMO - you are better off buying a used auto cpap - Resmed - if you can find one and learn to titrate yourself.
Buy a new mask and hose if it's not included in the used pkg. You don't want those used by any means.

This will also get you used to sleeping with a mask on your face for the time req'd by your insurance.

Start by getting a copy of your sleep study.

It's greed, the pandemic, and stupidity.
A perfect storm.
And we know how that movie ended . . .

I have a copy of my sleep study signed by the Dr who did it. Will that be accepted as a prescription? It contains my info, date of sleep study, date signed , his name, his signature, and location. Study has following sections: Sleep History, Technical Description, Interpretation, Impression and Recommendations. Recommendation is for Auto CPAP set at 12.0 -16.0cm/H2O and mask of patient's choice, plus misc info.

That sounds like a prescription.

But every site is different - some may require their own site specific form.
Contact the site prior to ordering and see what they say.

oklajohn wrote: ↑

Mon Feb 21, 2022 8:36 pm

I have a copy of my sleep study signed by the Dr who did it. Will that be accepted as a prescription? It contains my info, date of sleep study, date signed , his name, his signature, and location. Study has following sections: Sleep History, Technical Description, Interpretation, Impression and Recommendations. Recommendation is for Auto CPAP set at 12.0 -16.0cm/H2O and mask of patient's choice, plus misc info.

That sounds like the results of your sleep study which will answer many questions you will have moving forward.

Equipment order is what is often called a script - will specify certain parameters including pressure(s). You can get this written by most any doctor and the DME's will often advise if it needs certain info specified so even your Primary or a dentist can fill in here should that need to happen.

To buy used from Craigslist, this forum, Amazon, etc you won't need the script. Craigslist check in Beauty+hlth section - search for cpap or whatever.

You can compare prices at cpap.com but be careful some people expect Insurance like prices.

CPAP.com will not accept my Sleep Study Report as a prescription, and when I requested one from my Dr. , he talked me out of buying online, saying local supplier would have mine in 3 weeks and call me. Insurance-wise this is the best way to go, I guess since Medicare and my supplement will cover the cost of all the equipment. And the Dr. can keep a close eye on my progress - or lack of. There just "ain't no cpap's to be had" in this part of the Country right now. So I will wait. Bummer!

oklajohn wrote: ↑

Tue Feb 22, 2022 3:30 pm

CPAP.com will not accept my Sleep Study Report as a prescription, and when I requested one from my Dr. , he talked me out of buying online, saying local supplier would have mine in 3 weeks and call me....

That's exactly what my sleep doc and local DME told me ... in early October. By January I was fed up and insisted on a prescription, scanned it and uploaded it to CPAP.com. The had a new machine to me in 4 days.

I sincerely hope you have better luck playing the waiting game.

For the most part, I believe ResMed has been prioritizing DME providers locally over the online shops. I know some people have gotten AS11's through local vendors. My pulmonologist tried to sell me a ResVent iBreeze, which I politely said no thank you. Maybe it's a great CPAP machine, but I prefer ResMed as I've used the brand for >10 years.