Sleep Doc Wants Me to Bring Machine? *UPDATE*

jacobsbd wrote:They might just need to power it and see the data without connecting anything to the network

If doctor is only going to look at the efficacy data on the LCD, then he won't be my doctor after Thursday, I can tell you that.

Mine told me to bring it in case they need to adjust the settings. No sense sending the patient to the dme if they can do it right there. And they assume most people don't know how or care.

zoocrewphoto wrote:Mine told me to bring it in case they need to adjust the settings. No sense sending the patient to the dme if they can do it right there. And they assume most people don't know how or care.

This is fairly common nowadays for the Sleep Center wanting patients to bring in their Machines especially with all the changes in Medicare rules.
They need to check the hours on the unit, the pressures, and in case any changes need to be made to the pressure, it can be made right there in the office instead of
going to your DME company.
The sleep center where I go, there are actually Respiratory Therapists who work there that check the equipment and do the downloads for the doctors, and do mask fits, so it is real convenient.

Well, there is good news in your future. After bringing in the machine a couple of times, they told me that I could bring in just the SD card next time. Even though it isn't very often, it's still a pain to take apart, pack up, and unpack and put back together when I get it home again, all for nothing. Not like I was going to a tropical paradise for a vacation or something *smile*.

However, the first time I brought in only the card, the office staff person that reminded me about the appointment insisted that I bring in the machine. I just let that one go, it was easier, and saved time *smile*. Actually went out and got an anti-static case for the SD card, so that I didn't have to worry about static electricity when carrying it around. I have a few of those anti-static bags that would have served, but the case was easier to just stick in my pocket and not worry about it.

My machine is on loan from us taxpayers and VA wants to see it every year to make sure I haven't sold it, I guess. Could still be subletting it for cash, I suppose, but would need card to show satisfactory use compliance.

Some DME's might not know how to download from the memory card

My sleep doctor asks me to bring my machine and mask any time that I come in. Since I did not get my machine from them, I was pretty sure that they could not read my SD card or change the program settings - and I was right. Fortunately I took a copy of my Sleepyhead printout and they were quite happy with that.

While I was there, they conducted a manometer test to verify that the calibration of the machine was acceptable. Then they asked me to put on my mask and breathe off it so that they could watch the pressure values on the screen to verify that the Flex settings were acceptable and so that they could see/hear that my mask was not leaking too much.

Finally, at no time did they ask to remove my machine from my presence. Since they were not familiar with it, they even insisted that I assemble, operate and disassemble it since they had no idea how to do it.

My sleep doctor just has me bring my SD card to follow up visits. On my first follow up she made a pressure change on the SD card before, then sent the change to the DME so they wouldn't change it back. So I think the SD card is enough if they have the correct software and don't plan to check your machine's pressure output or mask fit or something (which sounds more like what a DME would do, not a doctor, although for some folks they are the same thing).

Then the DME ended up sending me the change on an SD card, and asked for the old one back lol. On my second follow up I had messed with the pressures and improved my sleep quality & data greatly, and thankfully the doctor was just fine with it, and even went so far as to say she was glad I changed the settings myself and was doing so much better with the CPAP (ie. adjusting to it well; haven't seen too much benefit yet, but enough to want to continue). She didn't send a change to the DME, so if I end up going in there with my machine and they check the pressure, I'll just have to change it back. Best wishes.

To the comment about not trusting a sleep doctor who looked at the data on the LED screen. My last set of insurance/sleep doctor, I never saw the doctor, he/she could have a huge facial tattoo for all I knew. I asked to see the doctor but was never able to set up an appointment.

Long story, I was about to report them to the state board when I found out we were changing companies

So, went to the VA yesterday to give the doctor everything I have so for on my ASV... The doctor turned out to be a lady sitting in a room on facebook (the doctor was in the ICU with a patient) This lady asked me what she was suppose to do??? I told her the doctor wanted my data, she said leave the machine here and I promptly take out the SD card, hand it to her and walk out of the room with my machine Now that I have an ASv and it is working for me I don't want it out of my site.. LOL

library lady wrote:I had to do that too, no idea why they needed the whole thing. They gave it a paper luggage tag with my name on it before they took it away.. but I did get the same one back... I have a little "tattoo" on it so I know it's mine. You can use almost anything to mark it with... put it in an unobtrusive place... like the bottom where mine is, or you could even use your humidity knob to mark the setting you usually like it at.

Library Lady:

Couldn't you just record the machine's serial number or do you still recommend placing some markings somewhere on the machine? I would assume that each machine has a different serial number or is that not the case?


Stevoreno_55
MS Gulf Coast
06/14/14

To those of you who were asked by your doctor's office to bring in your machines for whatever reason; were your doctors pulmonologists or neurologists or were some of them general practicing doctors? In all the years I've been on CPAP I've never been asked to bring in my machine or my machine's memory card to the doctor's office; my most recent machine is the only machine which came equipped with a smart card; my Philips Respironics DS400S CPAP.

I just finished going through a new sleep study on June 4th; I'm still waiting on a copy of my titration report from the hospital based sleep lab where I was tested and I hope to get a copy of that report soon so I can get a new machine soon. I don't know yet if it'll be a new CPAP or possibly a Bi-PAP because the tech told me on the morning that I woke up from titration that I had hit 20cm at one point during the night.


Stevoreno_55
MS Gulf Coast
06/14/14

Stevoreno_55 wrote:To those of you who were asked by your doctor's office to bring in your machines for whatever reason; were your doctors pulmonologists or neurologists or were some of them general practicing doctors?

My doctor is an internist specializing in sleep medicine. He is board certified in internal medicine and did a post-residency internship in sleep medicine.

Stevoreno_55 wrote:In all the years I've been on CPAP I've never been asked to bring in my machine or my machine's memory card to the doctor's office

How, then, does your medical team determine the efficacy of your treatment?

If they data on the SD card can not be read for some reason. Then there is some kind of data on the machine itself that that they can download. So they tell me.

I believe they want to be helpful. but I would prefer not to let anyone else touch my machine. My Precious.

It would be a good idea to put your name on sd card also