The Repair Game

Ronin52,

If you would like, we can take a look at your Respironics unit. We don't require a prescription for repair of a unit already owned .

GumbyCT wrote:Is this the place that wrote your 1st prescription? Make a written request for a copy of that script from who ever wrote it. AND a copy of your sleep study report. Always do this to have "in hand" for any future medical issues. You never know when you will need copies of your medical records.

Good Luck

Yep. Great advice! I'll do that. I thought I could trust these guys. Wrong!

Ronin52 wrote:I thought I could trust these guys. Wrong!

Trust, BUT Verify.

You will be surprised to see what they wrote that they never said to you. It's all about CYA for them.

ozij wrote:Ronin,
After 5 years, your pressure needs may have changed. Have you had any follow up since? If you haven't, perhaps giving you a replacement machine with your 5 year old Rx may be something the clinic simply does not want to do - for meical reasons.

A simple DME on the other hand is forbidden to change pressures without an Rx -- so they can most probably set your old Rx on a replacement machine. I would not recommend you take this path for the long run -- 5 years is a long time with the same Rx, and your machine is obsolete.

Many members of this forum have machines that track therapy quality data, and they change their own pressure based on that data and what they've learned about OSA. Those of us who do so (I'm one of them) consider monitoring and treating their OSA similar to monitoring and treating diabetes. There's free software out there to use for tracking the data in detail - e.g. sleepyhead - though I don't know if it does the M-Series machines.

So, if I were you, I'd defintiely by a new, data tracking machine ASAP, consider a follow up sleep study, and then see if my old machine can be fixed and kept as a backup.

I don't think a clinic that suggests a followup sleep study after five years is a racket. And I can well imagine a situation where a clinic refuses to do anything for a recalcitrant patient who has refused all follow ups. Not saying this is your case - I don't know of course - but, if they had been trying to get a patient to come to followups, and that patient kept refusing, or ignoring their calls, I think there is a case for calling it medically irresponsible to do anything with that patient unless they had a repeat sleep study.

You can go "underground" to buy your own machine - but if you haven't done so, do spend some time in studying how to properly control your therapy.

I am properly controlling my therapy -- which means I don't justmindlessly agree with anything a Doctor or clinic wants me to spend money on. When a clinic or a doctor who works for the center requires another sleep study when I state flatly that I am having NO problems and NOTHING has changed, they are highly suspect. It's like doctors who send patients for unnecesary MRI's because they own the MRI being used (and billed for).

If anything changes in my sleep patterns, I would ask for another sleep study. Being forced to have one is like the "Free Computer Checkup" racket. You think they are giving away the service for free? Of course not. They will find something wrong that you "need to fix." -- Like "buy a new CPAP -- your Insurance company will pay for it, anyway." Unnecessary medical care and expensive testing like this is one of the reasons that as a self-employed professional, I pay $2000/month for insurance. (And everyone knows it's getting much, much worse.)

I have regular cancer screenings, because cancer cannot be reliably self-detected. ...But I am an intelligent adult and I can tell how well I'm sleeping. ...And if I can't, my wife will tell me. She's the one who got me using a CPAP in the first place... Using a CPAP is definitely life-enhancing, but again, it's not rocket science, nor does it need to be sold, managed, treated and priced like a potentially life-threatening device. It's not.

I appreciate your telling me that data can be tracked objectively by the user, though. Neither my Doctor nor DME told me anything about that. In fact, I've only heard from the clinic for "annual checkups" for my CPAP. These consisted of taking time off work so they could read the data card, test the pressure, then try to sell me new masks and/or peripherals. After the third "check up", I stopped going. I will make sure I get a data recording model next time and make sure I have the software to read and track it.

accurate wrote:Ronin52,

If you would like, we can take a look at your Respironics unit. We don't require a prescription for repair of a unit already owned .

BTW "Shingebiss" and "Ronin52" are both me. Somehow, when I signed up last night, it didn't pick up the Shigebiss username. Tonight it does, and won't let me use the Ronin52 to keep the thread clear. Sorry.

@Accurate. I sent an email to your company last night requesting information on pricing and how to send in a unit. I did not get a response. My complaint to the hospital that oversees this sleep clinic got good results, and now I have a loaner and they are sending my unit in for an repair estimate. (Maybe your company, I hope.)

To everyone who has responsed, Thank You!. You have given me a lot of great advice! I will definitely change how I manage my CPAP use.

(P.S. Shingebiss and Ronin52 are both the same person. ...An unintentional goof.)

If/when you get your M Series machine back....if it is the M Series Pro Cpap machine (should state plainly on the blower) it does offer full data.
You need the Smart card ($12 if you don't have one) and the Infineer DT3500 card reader ($40).
Should you wish to investigate the data from this machine I can help with the software.
There is no reason to not have the data available if you want it. So you can think about it.

The newer models PR System One machine have a SD card so there is no need for the DT3500. Should you ever get one of those machines. I used a M series APAP for nearly 2 years. Only reason I changed last spring was the desire for the additional data that the PR S1 machine offered that the M series didn't.

Find a local TV reapir guy. There are some still around and they may have the parts in stock to fix most electrical problems cpap machines should develop.

You can't get cpap without a picserrption and the picserrption should indicate the pressure or at least a range if you want to get an autopap. The pressure is recommended by the sleep lab based on the results of your test. The DME has to set it according to the picserrption. And if you're clever you can access the setup screens and see (and/or change) the pressure yourself.