jnk wrote:Can someone explain to me how those changes over the years have helped their customers, the DMEs?
Let's start with the smaller lighter prettier concept.
As technology has improved the ability to make the design smaller has been easier. Making it smaller also cost less in packaging, shipping and raw material costs. That lowers over all price to build, therefore price to sell. You'll notice that none of this is passed on to you and I. The prettier is very much what you say, its the customer saying I want it in Pink instead of black. So indirectly, you are right some minor changes have come about as the result of customers asking for one model over another. Keep in mind that most of the users of this forum are more advanced and are shopping *features* instead of cosmetics...we are asking for things that the "normal" customer never even knew existed.
Reliability???
Easy, lower warranty costs. The ins companies will only allow a new machine every 5 years...They know that if they make a machine that breaks down less often, they'll show more profit.
Comfort???
Comfort=compliance=dollars. If you don't use the machine, you don't buy new filters/masks/hoses/snugglies/etc.
Data from the screen?
Again, a phone call is cheaper than a in store customer. Notice that there is a number on all of the machines for the DME to Verify you aren't lying to them about the hours of use/leak/AHI/ETC. Do you think that data was put there for the user? if so, why the number to verify the authenticity of the report? What it comes down to is that the DME can report to the insurance company and doctor whether or not you are using the machine. If they don't have to come to your house, or you don't have to go to their office to gain the information, they save money.
In the end it really does come down to money. If the doctors hadn't demanded the ability to evaluate at a level more than hours of use, there would have never been data compliant machines. IF the DME's hadn't demanded that the data be hard to get to, users would be reading their own data with ease. If you look at most of the features of the machines we use today, you'll find that it really is about generating a revenue stream for the doctors and DME's. Its less about the comfort and convenience of the customer. If that comfort and convenience can cause improved profitability, you'll find it on the machine, if it doesn't, you'll search harder to find it.
If less of us had OSA, there wouldn't exist any machine to help us at all. A good example from recent headlines. The Swine flu has a vaccine that may or may not work, and treatment options. It was a very big deal to the medical world, so much so that it made the news. I just checked the CDC and there have been just over 11,000 cases confirmed in the US with 17 deaths. Malaria kills over 3000 people per day...let me repeat. Malaria kills 3000 people per DAY, yet the swine flu makes the news. WHY? Money my friend, its all about the money. They (the drug companies) stand to make BILLIONS on the swine flu "pandemic" but they don't have that same potential with Malaria.
Admittedly, this is a very pessimistic view of the system, and while it may be an extreme view, I don't believe its far off the mark.
