Norcal Kaiser CPAP Help

Hello cpaptalk,

i recently was diagnosed with OSA after going through kaiser's sleep study deal. I went through the week long study using a resmed s9 and loved it. After finding out my insurance doesn't cover durable med equipment i went ahead and chose to pay out of pocket through Kaiser/Apria. I was told by the sleep study nurse that i would be receiving the same s9 model i had used during the study but i came home today to find a Respironics REMstar Auto A-Flex System One sitting at my door.

My question is, does this sound right? I liked the S9 very much but am open to using the REMstar Auto A Flex if its of equal quality.

If someone could shed some light on my situation it would be much appreciated, recommendations regarding what i should do with the machine are welcome as well.

Look on the bottom of the blower unit for a 3 digit model number..you mention AFlex...so it is the Auto cpap...great machine.
Will be model 550 or 560. The 560 is the latest model and has the heated hose option.
I have use both brands...the S9 and the PR System One in the bilevel models...minor pros and cons with either machine but none are deal breakers or makers.

If you have the 560 model..
In your equipment profile this is your choice for machine....PR System One 60 Series Auto CPAP
Humidifier choice would be PR System One 60 Series Heated tube humidifier with heated tube....now the heated hose is an option and you might not have it just yet but it can be added later if needed. The heated hose has black end where it plugs into the humidifier.
Non heated hoses are white/gray on both ends.

If you have the 550 model..the main difference between it and the 560 is the heated hose availability.
PR System One Auto CPAP with AFlex
PR System One Heated Humidifier.

Thanks very much for the schooling! It is a 560 model, looks like I'll have to purchase the heated hose if I want to upgrade however, they sent me the standard 6' non heated hose.

Thanks for the response, I look forward to learning a lot on this forum.

Hey there sacho, I'm a NorCal Kaiser patient in Sacramento. I had the same experience, where I was titrated on an S9 Autoset but the only machine I could buy if I went through Kaiser was a Respironics. Since like you my plan doesn't include DME and I had to buy out of pocket, I ended up buying an S9 Autoset through our forum sponsor, cpap.com. I had already started becoming familiar with the S9 and wanted to just stick with that machine. I don't regret my decision at all, but I'll bet you saved some money buying your PR machine. Welcome to the forum.

The heated hose comes with a little upgrade kit...you need the hose of course..plus a different lid for the humidifier and a stouter power supply.
All in a kit and not had to set it up. That's what I had to do with my machine.
https://www.cpap.com/productpage/pr-hea ... e-kit.html
You may or may not even need or what it but if you like cold bedroom...you probably will appreciate the heated hose. With out it the air can get uncomfortably cold going to the nose if you like a cold bedroom.
If you like a 72 or higher bedroom...probably won't need it.

Crapria's deal with Kaiser in NorCal will only cover PR machines, but the machine you got is just fine. IMHO, there's no advantage to spending more for the ResMed unless you want the fancy color screen--is that worth hundreds more dollars?