Getting a copy of sleep study results and prescription

I would most DEFINITELY get a copy of the study results in FULL along with the Rx issued by the doctor. You will need these should you have to go into hospital for another reason.... to verify that you require APAP while in hospital. I take a small amount of oxygen infused into my air line and presented to me during the night to keep my SpO2 about 95% all night so that going into REM sleep does not awaken me due to low SpO2. The hospital will want a copy of your information in order to administer oxygen, but then they will trip over their feet to make you comfy. Keep your gear off the floor and wiped down with YOUR OWN disinfectant wipes as there are loads of germs and bacteria floating around.

You will also require your Rx should you wish to purchase gear online. My doc sent me to MediGas for oxygen. They only rent the gear out and it is $400 a month and my co-pay is $100. BS. I ordered an oxygen concentrator (a better one) online for a grand total of about $700 delivered. Seems to me it paid for itself in 7 months. And I have been using it for five years now and have a spare to boot. They required a copy of my Rx.

This is information you are entitled to and if you are not get results I would VISIT THEM PERSONALLY explaining the situation and telling them that you are happy to wait for the copies while they prepare them and then DO NOT LEAVE. You will be amazed at how fast they can drum them up when you are watching them drink coffee and eat donuts and chat about aunt Martha's gall bladder stuff.

Good luck.

Since when has the earth revolved around the sun? Next you will tell me that the earth is not flat. My serious question is: why do all the globes show the northern hemisphere on top? Why do we say up is good and down is bad and condemn half the world to live in the bad half? There is no up and down in space. I think I will start a movement demanding that every other globe show the southern hemisphere on top.

lastlib wrote:Since when has the earth revolved around the sun? Next you will tell me that the earth is not flat. My serious question is: why do all the globes show the northern hemisphere on top? Why do we say up is good and down is bad and condemn half the world to live in the bad half? There is no up and down in space. I think I will start a movement demanding that every other globe show the southern hemisphere on top.

Well said, my friend, well said.

O.k., here's the scoop:

My original prescription was for 10cm. That was sent to a DME that turned out to be "out of network," but that DME gave me a Respironics 560 A-flex. I ended up having to take that back and find an in-network DME.

The DME I'm with gave me the Elite. I haven't heard from anyone about my CPAP use since; no follow up calls from anyone. So I'm on my own with this (and they wonder why so many people have trouble with CPAP?).

I have had aerophagia off and on since getting my Elite. It sometimes wakes me up several times a night. Last night I was up 3 times because of it. In addition, my sleep study says that 100% of my respiratory events happened when I was supine. I've tried lowering my pressure to 8cm, but I've awakened on my back a few times since doing that.

So, I'm no doctor, but I'm thinking "gee, wouldn't it be great to use a lower default pressure, and have a machine that can ramp up when I sleep on my back?" Maybe that would lessen the aerophagia a bit?

I called my sleep doc's office and left a message asking whether he could write a prescription for an Autoset, and heard nothing after 2 days. Today I called my DME, and talked to the RT, asking if I could move up to the Autoset. I gave her the above rationale, and said "will I need to get a new prescription to get an Autoset?" She said "well, we did get the prescription from the doctor. I called them to find out why they gave it to you, and your doctor's office said they sent it just because you asked for it." Her solution: she wants to give me a used Autoset for a while, then she'll look at the data and see whether I really need the new machine.

So what's the verdict? Time to shop for a new DME?

I'm less than happy with the sleep doc as well. I had to really fight to get a copy of my results, and what I got was a pretty short summary. First they gave me only the results from the titration study. I said "there's no untreated AHI on this." I had to drive to their office just to get that. The office staff then gave me attitude, and finally printed out the baseline study summary. I still have only a short 1.5 page summary, not the kind of detail I've routinely see people here report. WHAT IS GOING ON WITH THESE PEOPLE? I left a message with the doctor's nurse re: getting a new machine, and I never heard back from anyone. I only find out that they did write the prescription for the new machine because the DME let it slip in conversation. Doesn't sound like the DME was motivated to call and let me know they'd gotten the new prescription either.

Go to the dme office, take your machine with you. Get a copy of your rx, leave the machine (first get a signed receipt for the machine) say "goodbye" and walk out. Now take your rx and go somewhere else. This doctor should have never told the dme that "you asked for it" and they should have never questioned the doctor in the first place.
If you need help with setting up a new machine from a new dme.... just ask here, someone will chime in and get you the assistance you need.
Good luck
Nan

Thanks Nan. Here's my issue with all of this: if I didn't have this group, I wouldn't have even gotten this far. The only time I've spoken to an individual outside of this group is when I called the sleep doc and got to speak with his nurse for 30 seconds by phone (she said if I've got aeriphagia, I should tighten that chinstrap supertight... based on that recommendation, I was waking up in the morning with a nasty headache and soreness on my head!). That's it. I've left voicemail messages, but haven't had conversations with anyone about any of this. When I called to tell the nurse my rationale for wanting the autoset, she didn't call me back. She apparently called my DME. If she thought my rationale was faulty, it would have been nice to hear that directly.

So, at any rate, thanks for being my healthcare team! I've made contact with another DME, and I'm starting the process of moving on. Now I just have to make sure my insurance does get all messed up because of this.

Wildbuc wrote:I can see where I was confused now. The paperwork that came with my Resmed S9 said it was a S9 Elite. However, on the unit itself it says Resmed Autoset. Apparently the wrong paperwork was placed with the machine.

Ah. I was wondering, as it's my understanding that the Elite does not track any data except compliance.

I have a S9 elite... It does have full data capabilities not just compliance.

S9 Elite = cpap
S9 AutoSet = apap

S9 Escape--compliance data only
S9 Escape Auto--compliance and total AHI, no more (a soft brick, but still a brick)

At my first compliance checkup (3 months on cpap) I asked if I could have a copy of my rx. I wanted it to have for a vacation trip my lovely wife is pushing for to Italy. They told me they didn't do that. I don't have another followup appointment for a year! Guess I'll be going in & pushing for a copy.

For all complaints that a person receives unsatisfactory service the methodology is the same. Write a letter demanding a complete copy of every document in your file, then send it by certified mail to both the DME and the Doctor. After doing that, write a letter detailing all your problems with the Doctor and the DME. Send it to the Better Business Bureau, your insurance company, the attorney general of your state, the doctor licensing agency of your state, to every hospital where he has practice privileges, to the medical school from which he graduated and every body else you think will annoy him and the DME. (Perhaps Angie's list) You will have the joy of knowing he will, and the DME will have the opportunity to respond to each complaint. On your copies to him and the DME make sure they know all the places you sent the letter. You must be prepared to get another Doctor and DME.

Well, not gonna happen. My insurance folks talked with the DME and talked with my sleep doc's office, and they've decided that the Autoset isn't necessary.

So, I called the sleep doc and left a message again (never actually get a human being when I call, of course) to find out what my options are. Guess it might be time to make an appt with the sleep doc and actually meet hm?

Still can't figure out why the nurse didn't just call me back and discuss my health issues with me. If she didn't think it was necessary to get the Autoset, fine. She could have just talked to me, and I'd have discussed my symptoms.

Here's hoping I get more sleep (and less aerophagia) tonight.

Iowamv wrote:Well, not gonna happen. My insurance folks talked with the DME and talked with my sleep doc's office, and they've decided that the Autoset isn't necessary.

Sounds to me that the DME & the Sleep Doctor CONVINCED the insurance company that the ResMed S9 AutoSet was not necessary - i.e. the insurance company would have covered it if they had NOT gotten involved.

Neither the DME nor the Sleep Doctor sound like ones I would want on my medical team.

Iowamv wrote:Still can't figure out why the nurse didn't just call me back and discuss my health issues with me. If she didn't think it was necessary to get the Autoset, fine. She could have just talked to me, and I'd have discussed my symptoms.

Here's hoping I get more sleep (and less aerophagia) tonight.

Unfortunately some medical personnel think the average person is a mushroom... feed us s**t and keep us in the dark.

I used to have bad aerophagia for the first couple of months of my cpap therapy, the only way I was able to control it was by having my evening meal before 7.30pm. I also found that I couldn't have ice-cream at night as that would set it off.