Confused re: CPAP Prescription in Canada

You do need a prescription to order a mask from an online supplier to be shipped to Canada.

US online suppliers are not allowed to ship Resmed or Philips Respironics masks or machine to individuals in Canada anymore.

You can get Fisher and Paykel, Devilbiss and other makes of masks and machine shipped from a US supplier to Canada. As I said, a prescription is needed. Just be sure to buy from one who ships via the Postal Service or you may end up paying a hefty brokerage fee to a Courier company. Our hosts here ( cpap.com) ship via the Postal Service to Canada. I have bought quite a bit from them in my 12+ years with sleep apnea because it is so complicated here in Ontario.

There are a few Canadian online suppliers as was mentioned by other Canadian posters here.

thankyou for that reply. Do I still need a prescription to order a mask from a Canadian supplier? they are sure much cheaper than my local outlet....

In Ontario, you don't need a prescription to order masks from a local seller. I'm not sure about other provinces though. A supplier that I sometimes use here told me that, unlike the U.S. (which requires a prescription for machines & masks), in Canada we don't need an RX to order masks within Canada. We just need a RX for the machine. However, if you plan on ordering a mask from a U.S. company, then you will need an RX.

teleute ... here's a link to Alberta Health Services, Treating Obstructive Sleep Apnea: http://www.albertahealthservices.ca/5092.asp

Toward the bottom of the page it says:

"Costs for CPAP Therapy

Currently, CPAP treatment is not covered through Alberta Health.
If you have extra medical insurance (Manulife, Great West Life, Blue Cross) talk to your insurance representative to see if your CPAP equipment is covered.
If you do not have insurance, CPAP providers usually offer affordable payment plans, or may even have a reconditioned unit at a discounted price.
The Lung Association Sleep Apnea Society has an assistance plan that you can apply for. Information is available from the Sleep Centre.
AISH and Social Services will provide funding if you have had the appropriate diagnostic testing performed.

CPAP costs approximately $1,800 to $2,500 in Alberta including a mask.

If our physician diagnoses you with Obstructive Sleep Apnea we will refer you to one of the local companies that provide CPAP. They will contact you to start a 1 month trial of CPAP. During this trial the company will educate you, fit you with a mask that will work for you and provide any troubleshooting as required.

After this CPAP trial, you will likely have a follow-up appointment with the physician or our CPAP Clinic. At this appointment we will determine if you received a benefit from CPAP and make a long-term plan for treating your OSA."

Just to clarify my earlier comments about not needing a prescription to purchase a CPAP in Alberta. I purchased a new machine on Nov 22nd without a prescription as my Doctor was not in her office. I was concerned as I did not have a valid prescription and have never used this DME before, however the Resp Tech informed me that he did not need a prescription in Alberta, however his code of conduct rules applied. My Doctor does not know which DME I was using and my DME does not know my Doctors name. I received the prescription from the doctor on Nov 23rd and sent it to my insurance company. The DME does not have a copy.

Chris

Curiouser and curiouser. I called multiple DMEs in town, and they said people almost never come in with prescriptions. (One clarified further, and said that they'd only have the prescription in hand if they'd had a titration sleep study done already, which we haven't.) They have the study results, and the DME reviews them and sets them up with a trial period. After the trial period, they write up a recommendation saying "This is what we think patient X should have, based on the trial results" and send it to the GP to sign as an official prescription. The more helpful one also clarified that the initial consult with them is free, and the trial has a rate of $40-60/week. However, if you buy the unit from them, they waive that trial fee.

So it looks like here, most of the sleep places just do the initial "do you need one" study, and then the suppliers, rather than just selling the equipment, also do all of the consultation/trial components as well. Which seems like a potential conflict of interest still, but... Still have a few calls to make, though - AB Health's clinic here in town didn't answer their phone, so I left a message.

As others have pointed out, the process is quite different in Ontario. I needed a referral from my GP for a sleep study (it was two weeks from the referral to the study.) Following the study, I was diagnosed with an AHI over 40. The sleep doctor handed me a prescription for a four week APAP trial. I went to a DME in the same medical building and they handed me a System One APAP at no charge. Took it home and used it for six weeks (I had to extend the trial because of scheduling a titration study took a bit longer than expected.) I had the titration study, and based on the study and APAP data (both were in agreement) I was handed another prescription, this time for a CPAP with a pressure setting of 9 cmH2O. Went back downstairs and bought a System One Pro CPAP, mask, hose, etc. The total bill was nearly $1700, but the Province of Ontario covered $780. My company benefits covered everything else except the SD data card.

So, I in the end I needed one referral (from my GP for the initial sleep study) and two prescriptions -- one for an APAP trial and another for my own CPAP.

Who decided what type of machine you'd use in the trial, and the pressure settings? The sleep doc, or the DME?

The equipment used for my sister trial the Tech picked the equipment as it was used. If She completed the trial, She would have worked with the Tech to pick the new equipment. As I've got some experience, the Tech let me pick my own equipment, however he did give me his recommendation and opinion on the entire range of products available.

PM me if you need any opinions on DME's in Calgary or methods I've found to make the system work better for me.

Chris

teleute on Thu Dec 05, 2013 9:19 pm
Who decided what type of machine you'd use in the trial, and the pressure settings? The sleep doc, or the DME?

The sleep doc usually decides what your pressure should be based on the titration study results (at least here in Ontario). It obviously works differently in Alberta.

Others have mentioned in different threads that there is an 18 month wait for sleep studies in Alberta. Maybe this is why they're using this method of getting patients machines ... because otherwise it would take too long? And since Alberta Health doesn't have an ADP system or any program to help pay for machines, it's a more open and unregulated set-up?

Weird ...

ReadyforRest wrote:[
Others have mentioned in different threads that there is an 18 month wait for sleep studies in Alberta. .

This does not include private studies done via peoples insurance or self paid. It also depends on your location.

Weird...Chris, I'm trying to PM you, but the captcha image refuses to show up, so I can't send it. Anyway, was sending "Hi! Yes, we'd definitely appreciate any advice you have re: the DMEs in Calgary. I've talked to a couple of them so far and made a few initial impressions, but this weird system makes it very difficult to shop around, as it were. Also, how have you found the prices compared to the online vendors? I mean, I assume they're more, but are they at least a quasi-reasonable amount more, or like 2-3x? Thanks!"

I sent you a PM with my contact info.

The prices in Calgary for an auto machine with humidifier and mask generally range from $2100 to $2400 depending on the supplier and mask. Online prices in the US can be quite a bit cheaper with sales etc I wouldn`t be suprised to find them in the 30% to 40% range of Canadian prices. Check out the host of the site cpap.com to get an idea of pricing. I`ve had no issues with them shipping to Calgary. The biggest problem with online purchasing CPAP equipment is the masks as the fit is different for everyone.

Chris

Yes but if you want to order from our hosts or any other U.S. site, you need an RX. teleute, you need to ask your GP for an RX so you can order supplies from wherever you want.

Just to clarify....I am a Saskatchewan resident, and its here in Saskatchewan that the wait is 18+ months for a sleep lab study..so my doctor told me anyway.
but transparently if you have one of these study's the gov. of Sk will pay for the cpap unit...if you can't wait like me than you pay out of pocket.
Sure different depending on where you live isn't it.
thanks everyone for the info on needing a prescription to purchase from online Canadian suppliers....