My mama has Sleep Apnea!

Gerryk wrote:Don't worry we won't let her send out your childhood pictures. Gerry

Oh yes we will!

Kathy

My mom is still doing great. She has been wearing the mask every night, all night. How do I check the 7 day averages on an M-Series Auto? Is it still possible to get the Encore software?

You can get Encore Viewer software for your mother, and the card reader, from cpap.com.

It comes as a bundle. It is the same information as Encore Pro.

You said she has an M Series so this is the software.

Did you get the Providers Setup Guide? I think it was offered to you on this thread.

The 7 day average should appear on the LCD screen. Push the right arrow button and scroll through the information. I'm not sure how many screens there are but when you have been through them, you will be back at the home screen with the Resprionics logo.

You have to enable some of the information by going into the setup menu and for that you need the Providers setup guide. If you don't have it, PM me your email address and I can send it as an attachment.

Glad she is doing so well.

Thanks, Hawthorne. I'll PM you now. I may wait to change any settings on the machine until she is out of her Medicare probationary period (30 days) and the machine is actually hers.

Hi everyone... HELP!

My mom seems to be headed in the rental nightmare. I know I've read about it on here but don't really know much about it, and I couldn't find a succint post on it.

My questions are:

1. How does this rental thing work with Medicare?
2. What are they trying to make her do?
3. What should she do instead?

It seems to me she should be able to own her machine right-out. My mom is going to call Medicare today to see if there are alternatives to this rental crap and also to see if they will reimburse her (even partially) for an online purchase.

P.S. Our baby is doing great. My wife felt a foot or hand yesterday for the first time, not just flutters/bubbles! If I'm not around much it's because I'm reading baby books, scheduling hospital tours/classes and SLEEPING!

P.P.S. I seem to backsliding on symptoms a bit but my numbers are good. Could just be temporary digestive issues or stress.

Medicare rents until purchase. Purchase price is spread out over 13 months. They pay 80% and if you don't have a secondary insurance you'll be responsible for 20%. Within the first 90 days you'll be required to provide (through your DME) a compliance download. Download must show that your using your machine 4 hours a night at least 70% of the time (over 30 days). If you are they will continue paying until purchased, if not they can refuse to continue paying making you the responsible party.

Thanks rjjayrt. My mom does have supplemental insurance. She has been compliant since day one. I believe the literature says she needs to use it for 4 hours per night, 21 days minimum, which would be 70%. She's already done that. So the rental cost is covered 80% by Medicare? They want to charge her $200/month for 13 months! $2,600 for an M-Series Auto? That can't be right.

If that's true, I think she'd be better off telling them to shove it, giving the machine back, and then just buying her own machine from CPAP.com or CPAPauction.com, personally.

tattooyu wrote:... How does this rental thing work with Medicare? ...

Well, to find out how it will work for your mom, go to:

http://www.medicare.gov/Coverage/Home.asp#NewSearch

Select the state and then select "Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) Device". Click on "View Results>". It will bring up results specific for your state. I doubt they differ from state to state. For my state it notes:

You pay 20% of Medicare-approved amounts.

CPAPs are in the Capped Rental category of DME; that means you may choose to rent or purchase a CPAP. For more information, you may call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227).

Obviously the DME would prefer the continuous rental approach. But the purchase would almost certainly be cheaper for her. I don't know if any online DMEs have a medicare number and are participating DMEs. If so, you will be able to get Medicare reimbursement for the unit.

Hope that helps.

By the way, congrats on the baby. While the stress can make sleep and other things more "interesting", the rewards definitely offset the struggles. Best wishes to you and your wife!