Brand New Diagnosis--Sleep Dr & staff NOT helpful

[PerChancetoDream]

Perchancetodream

THanks for the info. My daughter has the 10 autoset for her and she is doing very well with it. Used can be a gamble until you have your feet wet. If the insurance will kick in enough I would recommend a DME. You will have a warranty and if the machine does not work for you it can be changed. The DME will set up the machine and help you with the mask. The mask can be a real bear for some people. We need to see your prescribed pressures before a machine recommendation.

They wouldn't even tell me settings, grr!  Another thing to get on Monday! They DID say if I come in with a machine someone will come to the front counter and give me a minutes attention on using it.  

(Long story, I was there the day before and was surprised with the $300 I had to pay after insurance for the first month.   I didn't have that much available and wanted to ((lol)) sleep on the decision. I pulled the money together the very next day, and then it jumped to $350 because they decided I couldn't pick up the machine without a brand new copay).  I think their billing person should have made me aware of the extra $50, especially since I stated that my money was very tight or I would have just gotten the one the day of my diagnosis.

I will search DME places Monday. Hopefully,  I can get it a bit cheaper new, but I am going to check out the used thread here, as well.

[Sleeprider]

Perchance, I have to ask, does your copay cover complete ownership of the machine, or is that for the first month? Are there additional rental or purchase charges? What is the basis of $350? Did they break down the invoice for you? Most insurance plans require the DME to sell at a pre-approved price and your copay is a percentage of that amount. You should have a choice of suppliers if you contact your insurance and ask for the list of in-network providers in your area. At least you can shop the price and services.

For setting the machine up, we can easily guide you, and show you how to do that. The forum will also send you a clinician setup manual.

Many of us have acquired used machines. There are the usual risks of buying from someone on Craigslist, and you want to be sure the machine you get is from a smoke free environment and has reasonably low hours. You need to know enough about the machines to be sure you are getting the brand and specific model that you want and is appropriate. It helps to know how to plug the machine in and access the menus to verify the run hours. There are sellers on Craigslist / SearchTempest, that will sell new Resmed Airsense 10 Autoset machines at about $495. These are new machines from a distributor. It's a great deal, but you won't get any support. Supplier #2 sells new and used machines and will back up the purchase and provide custormer support and warranty service.

[Hydrangea]

So sorry your sleep doctor's office was so rude and slimy. You are most certainly not alone in that department. Mine was terrible, too... extremely money-driven, and completely uncaring toward the patient.

Consider yourself spared from them, and cut your ties (after you get your RX from them).

YOU are in the driver's seat.

[PerChancetoDream]

So sorry your sleep doctor's office was so rude and slimy.  You are most certainly not alone in that department. Mine was terrible, too... extremely money-driven, and completely uncaring toward the patient.

Consider yourself spared from them, and cut your ties (after you get your RX from them).

YOU are in the driver's seat.

Thank you for acknowledging this!  I don't get why people are like that...I guess I am naive. Sorry your Dr was like mine. Yuck!

I was able to find a neighbor on Nextdoor. com with a ResMed 10, and I just bought it off her.  She never liked it, and had a bunch of extra parts.  I am going to read the directions in a few minutes,  and see if I can figure it out.

[Hydrangea]

Fantastic!

[DeepBreathing]

Hi PerChancetoDream. Can you tell us the specific model of the machine you have? It will be CPAP, Elite, Autoset or Autoset For Her. The name will be printed near the lower left corner.

To get access to all the settings and menus, you'll need to get hold of the clinical manual. Go to the link CPAP Setup Manuals at the top of this page and follow the instructions. Note that there are hundreds of manuals listed, so follow the instructions exactly to make life easier for our elves. You'll receive the manual by email.

Best of luck!

[PerChancetoDream]

Oh, wow! That is a lot of different ResMed machines. The one I bought is AirSense 10 Autoset.

I got a copy of my Rx emailed to me, and the Drs patronizing notes, and did see the setting he suggested was 7 cm.

Then, someone else from the office called to CANCEL my follow up appt (since I didn't leave with one of their machines in Fri). I was able to tell her I already got one and that X from their office just emailed me the settings .

At least the first person I spoke to was nice.

I am going to try to get some of my settings put into my signature.

[gwc2795]

PerChancetoDream

Way to go!!

[Hydrangea]

Wowza. So they are refusing to provide you medical care because you didn't buy a machine from them?

PLEASE leave them a negative Yelp review. I did for my sleep "doctor", and it feels so good to know my cautionary warning is out there for others to learn from.

[Sleeprider]

One of the biggest problems in the sleep medicine field are integrated practices where the doctor has financial interest in the testing, diagnosis and sales of CPAP equipment. You did a good job of escaping the trap. Usually this setup is designed to separate you from the maximum amount of money possible. I would never buy my equipment from the doctor that is responsible for my care. Almost nothing good is going to come from that conflict of interest.