CPAP Without A Prescription?

I'm the mom of a 27 year old male suffering a sleep disorder who was just turned down by his medical insurance based on it being a pre-existing disorder. We can't do much about this except to appeal, look for a state job and a cpap. The question right now is, how to find the right cpap without a doctor's presecription and fitting?

Howdy,

This question came through the CPAPopedia and I'm posting it here for the community to help out on.

By Federal Regulations CPAP Machines require prescriptions.

Johnny

Perhaps the physician that diagnosed the condition would write a prescription. Unfortunaley as Johnny indicated, machines cannot be dispensed without an RX, this is the FDA regulations distributors and DME companies must follow .

SleepyTimeGal

Suggestion - visit a dr. - preferably a sleep specialist - you have to - no prescritpion - no cpap. But, ask them to set you up with an Auto titrating CPAP - you will have to pay out of pocket, but that way they can get an idea of where he stands and titrate from there. These machines have data cards that record and track events, and they also respond to those events in altering the pressure. So, using these data cards, they can get an idea of where he stands.

Other options are charity programs set up by the American Seep associatio. Check their website.


Just a suggestion. Jen

Guest, if your son has plain vanilla OSA, and you or any of your friends have a doctor friend with common sense, you might be able to convince the doctor to prescribe an autopap machine for your son - without jumping through hoops. All the Rx has to have on it is the word "cpap". Doesn't even have to have a pressure specified.

Armed with that one word on a prescription, you can order an autopap machine from an online store cpap supplies store like cpap.com. The clinician's setup instructions will be in the box with it, so you can set the pressure range how you want it.

I'd strongly suggest you also buy software for the machine, so your son can monitor his own treatment.

That's the route I went to get myself an autopap and software. No insurance, no sleep study, no doctor. Not the ideal way for everyone, of course. Worked very well for me - with the advice of several wonderfully smart, experienced people who helped me tweak my treatment via the message boards.

Here are two links you might find interesting. The first one is a prominent sleep doctor's power point presentation in favor of prescribing an autopap instead of an expensive sleep study for patients who have very obvious OSA (obstructive sleep apnea) but are uninsured or otherwise find that a sleep study is completely out of reach.

A link posted by Mikesus in March, 2005 http://www.alaccoast.org/pdf/Phillips_0830.pdf

Powerpoint presentation at a meeting of the American Lung Association of the Central Coast - November 2004

That smart sleep doctor is:
Barbara Phillips, MD, MSPH, FCCP
Professor, Division of Pulmonary Critical Care and Sleep Medicine
Director of the Samaritan Sleep Center
Department of Internal Medicine
University of KY College of Medicine
Lexington, KY

In your son's case, perhaps he's already had the study or at least a screening, but just can't get any farther toward buying a machine at the kind of prices you see at local DMEs ( Home Health care stores.) Perhaps you all can swing the much less expensive online store prices.. It sounded as if getting the Rx is the only hitch at this point. As one poster said, perhaps the doctor who diagnosed him would simply write the scrip.

Here's how I went about getting my prescription, thanks to a good old family G.P. I wasn't even his patient, but he knew me through having treated my parents and grandparents over the years. I didn't even have to go in for an office visit. I simply explained over the phone what I wanted and why. That good man faxed the Rx to me. I faxed it to an online store and have had absolutely successful treatment ever since.

Jan 25, 2005 Subject: not diagnosed yet, many ? brand new here

I guess I was thinking that if this is a pre-existing condition. It was diagnosed at some point. Go back to that MD, an office visit isn't that expensive or maybe even call the clinic and leave a message for the MD who diagnosed, tell him/her the situation about not being able to afford another sleep study, etc., and see if they will just write you a script.

That is one way to handle it, there are lots of ways...

Don't forget buying from individuals, auctions like eBay,Yahoo and Amazon etc. Where there is awill there is a way!

Give yahoo a try http://search.auctions.shopping.yahoo.c ... ap&auccat=

Keep looking. New items are added daily.

Good luck

Chris