Is my DME Full of You Know What?

mdkohm · Post by **mdkohm** » Mon May 08, 2006 4:45 pm

I called Respironics back to get a model number, and it appears that the RemStar Auto M will not be released for another week or so. Lori was mistaken.

If you go to Respironics.com and click on the RemStar (not the M series) and then click any of the devices on the RemStar page, you will be re-directed to the RemStar M equipment. This makes me think that they will be releasing the new models very soon (and this is the original reason I called them).

UPDATE

I went to my doctor's office to find out for sure that he wanted me on the Auto machine permanetely (and to pick up a detailed copy of my sleep study) and guess who I ran into at the office?

My DME's Regional Sales Executive happened to be in town visiting local doctors and just happened to be in my doctor's office. This is no small coincidence since I live in a pretty big city (St. Louis) and he is in town from Kansas City and we just happen in the same place at the same time.

When I told the resp. therapist my story she said "You need to talk to this guy." The Sales Executive is the boss of the guy who fed me the line of bull (see post that started this thread).

He says he will ensure that I get the new RemStar M Auto when it is available even if the DME eats some of the cost. And he is going to deal with the office manager I dealt with earlier today. Sounds good, but I will belive it when I see it.

By the way. This I had never meat this guy (or the office manager I talked to on the phone) before. Fate put us in the same place at the same time. LOL.

Sleepy Dog Lover · Post by **Sleepy Dog Lover** » Mon May 08, 2006 5:15 pm

Hope you got a business card, or at least a name.

Thats the perfect place to run into the guy too, he doesn't want to be embarassed at the doctors office or he will lose their business.

mdkohm · Post by **mdkohm** » Mon May 08, 2006 7:01 pm

Exactly. I did get his business card. He wanted to do whatever I needed to make sure I was going to keep quite.

He said someone will contact me tomorrow morning. I plan to follow up with him just to make sure.

I post an update after I hear from them.

NightHawkeye · Post by **NightHawkeye** » Mon May 08, 2006 7:03 pm

mdkohm wrote:Exactly. I did get his business card. He wanted to do whatever I needed to make sure I was going to keep quite.

ROTFL. Excellent work.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon May 08, 2006 8:20 pm

[quote="mdkohm"]I called Respironics back to get a model number, and it appears that the RemStar Auto M will not be released for another week or so. Lori was mistaken.

If you go to Respironics.com and click on the RemStar (not the M series) and then click any of the devices on the RemStar page, you will be re-directed to the RemStar M equipment. This makes me think that they will be releasing the new models very soon (and this is the original reason I called them).

UPDATE

I went to my doctor's office to find out for sure that he wanted me on the Auto machine permanetely (and to pick up a detailed copy of my sleep study) and guess who I ran into at the office?

My DME's Regional Sales Executive happened to be in town visiting local doctors and just happened to be in my doctor's office. This is no small coincidence since I live in a pretty big city (St. Louis) and he is in town from Kansas City and we just happen in the same place at the same time.

When I told the resp. therapist my story she said "You need to talk to this guy." The Sales Executive is the boss of the guy who fed me the line of bull (see post that started this thread).

He says he will ensure that I get the new RemStar M Auto when it is available even if the DME eats some of the cost. And he is going to deal with the office manager I dealt with earlier today. Sounds good, but I will belive it when I see it.

By the way. This I had never meat this guy (or the office manager I talked to on the phone) before. Fate put us in the same place at the same time. LOL.

Can you share with us exactly "WHO" your DME is?

Is it the dreaded Apria ????

Tim

mdkohm · Post by **mdkohm** » Mon May 08, 2006 8:25 pm

I want to give them a chance to correct their mistake before I start naming names.

But I can tell you it is not Apria.

DME_Guy · Post by **DME_Guy** » Mon May 08, 2006 10:08 pm

I hate to break it to you guys, but the DME is correct. The company I work for was surprised audited by the police department. The looked at every CPAP patient file we had and got names and addresses of patients with an APAP. They arrested 30 of them today for having illegal CPAP equipment and stripped 15 MDs of their medical license for prescribing an illegal device. They will probably have to do jail time too. We must get these people off the streets to make sleep therapy a more profitable business for.....I mean get them off the streets to make the world a better place.

On a serious note, I'm sorry to hear about your experience. I have a meeting with my Resmed rep later this week. I'll ask him about not being able to use EPR in auto mode. C-flex is the better technology IMO anyway.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon May 08, 2006 10:35 pm

DME_Guy wrote:We must get these people off the streets to make sleep therapy a more profitable business for.....I mean get them off the streets to make the world a better place.

LOL!

rested gal · Post by **rested gal** » Mon May 08, 2006 10:46 pm

DME_Guy wrote:The looked at every CPAP patient file we had and got names and addresses of patients with an APAP. They arrested 30 of them today for having illegal CPAP equipment and stripped 15 MDs of their medical license for prescribing an illegal device. They will probably have to do jail time too

ROTFL!! You don't happen to have a relative by the name of Orson Welles, do ya, DME_Guy? Love it!!!!

P.S. About this:
"I have a meeting with my Resmed rep later this week. I'll ask him about not being able to use EPR in auto mode."

T'is sad, but true. There's no EPR in auto mode with the S8 Vantage. EPR can be used in CPAP mode only.

Ric · Post by **Ric** » Mon May 08, 2006 10:51 pm

DME_Guy wrote:I hate to break it to you guys, but the DME is correct. The company I work for was surprise-audited by the police department. They looked at every CPAP patient file we had and got names and addresses of patients with an APAP. They arrested 30 of them today for having illegal CPAP equipment and stripped 15 MDs of their medical license for prescribing an illegal device. They will probably have to do jail time too. We must get these people off the streets to make sleep therapy a more profitable business for.....I mean get them off the streets to make the world a better place.

YOU EVIL_DME_Guy !!! I was starting to believe you !!!!

EVIL_DME_Guy wrote:On a serious note, I'm sorry to hear about your experience. I have a meeting with my Resmed rep later this week. I'll ask him about not being able to use EPR in auto mode.

I just printed the following and gave it to a colleague this very morning. IT'S TRUE what they say about no EPR with AUTO for the S8, unless things have changed since this was written:

LINK: Respironics C-Flex vs. Resmed EPR: There Is A Difference
(scroll down part way)

(dang, I'm still ROTFL !!!! you got me)

Dan01 · Post by **Dan01** » Tue May 09, 2006 1:28 am

DMEs are always trying to sell the lowest price equipment for the highest price. My dad got an inferior machine for a total of $1200, with a swift mask. It was the basic Remstar. His portion was only $250. If you look on CPAP.com, I think they had the same model for $350 or $400.

The auto with C-flex is best. If you don't like a feature, you can turn it off.

Here is something:

http://bestsyndication.com/2005/Dan-WIL ... e_cpap.htm

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue May 09, 2006 2:38 am

Sleepy Dog Lover wrote:Hope you got a business card, or at least a name.

Thats the perfect place to run into the guy too, he doesn't want to be embarassed at the doctors office or he will lose their business.

Yep on the business card!, it could have been the doc's Mercedes-Benz dealer

mdkohm · Post by **mdkohm** » Tue May 09, 2006 7:59 am

UPDATE:

Just got a call back from my DME. Looks like the Account Exec. I ran into at the doctor's office has instructed the manager at the DME branch to take care of "whatever I need."

They are calling Respironics to order the RemStar Auto M (or to find out exactly when it will be available).

We'll see how this goes. Looks like I'm making some progress.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon May 22, 2006 5:13 pm

there is no EPR in the S8 aotuset vantage because the autoset is going to "auto" adjust to your breathing, which is what the EPR does

Snoozin' Bluezzz · Post by **Snoozin' Bluezzz** » Mon May 22, 2006 5:41 pm

Anonymous wrote:there is no EPR in the S8 aotuset vantage because the autoset is going to "auto" adjust to your breathing, which is what the EPR does

That is an incorrect statement. EPR is Exhalation Pressure Relief (sic), it lowers the pressure on the exhale, for the entire duration of the exhale, by 1, 2 or 3cm H2O whereas autoset adjusts pressure as necessary to clear predicted apneiac events. There is no EPR on Auto so if the Auto goes to 12cm H2O that will be the exhalation pressure for the entire length of time it stays at 12cm H2O. If there were EPR on auto, as there is C-Flex on auto in the Remstar line, then if the Auto went to 12 and EPR was 3 the exhale pressure would drop to 9. But that is IF there were, and there isn't.

This is how I understand it to work.

David

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