[CPAP] Insurance Compliance Period

[Mosquitobait]

They would have given me nothing.  May I suggest that you call the office before your appointment and tell the scheduler/receptionist, that you would like to pick up a copy of your complete study AND the summary when you arrive for your appointment so that you have some moments to review it for questions with the person you see. It is likely not the doctor, but if you are lucky a PA. The NP can't explain such stuff because it's outside of his/her scope).  Do not ask them to mail it because they won't and if they do, it will just be the summary. You want the actual lab data.

[c2workout]

Well I will find out tomorrow about 3:00 pm Eastern time zone, as I am near Detroit, Mi Medical Center area which covers about a 30 Mile radius of Detroit with about 6 Sleep centers .  So I did what you suggested and called and was very polite but clearly insisted that I will be expecting to have MY COPY of the Full reports for both my Home and in Clinic Studies with Graphs and full summaries.   The person mentioned that they will have full access to pull that information up on a screen so you both can review it.    NO I said that is great but I am leaving with MY COPY in hand just to be perfectly clear as to what I am asking for.    And so I repeated my self and asked them if they could repeat back to me what I just asked for.   So when you request this make sure they are very clear what I have requested.  

So I am expecting that they will do exactly what you stated and tell me that it was just such short notice and they will mail it to me.    I.E. the Check is in the mail too!!!  I just wish everyone could just go by one Moto I tell my kids all the time.

"Say what you mean,  Mean what you Say, and Do IT !!!!"   If people would just practice that the world would be so much easier to live with.     Of course you could not go into political field, as that would never fly, as they would not be able to LIE any more.

Anyway everyone I will let you know how this all goes down tomorrow.  So I will go into this Hoping for the best outcome and get what I get but if it is not what I am expecting they will be wishing they listened to me the first time as I will not take NO for the Answer

 

[Sleeprider]

At your initial compliance follow-up your doctor will review compliance data usually provided by the DME. Either you used the machine for 21 days out of 30 at some point, or you didn't. He will ask you how you feel and perhaps, do you feel the therapy is benefiting you? Assuming you do feel better with CPAP, that is the end of that portion of the exam. That is all insurance wants to know, and all your doctor needs to know.

You will be very disappointed if you think your doctor or DME has looked at efficacy data. Asking for complete copies of all tests, results and prescription is your right under HIPAA. I would not spend much time discussing this administrative stuff with your doctor. Ask your important health related questions, discuss any issues or questions related to CPAP settings, data and that you want to control your therapy. Then mention you expect the staff to provide records, but this is not his priority for this visit.

Your profile mostly lists unsure. Is that true?

[c2workout]

Thank you Sleeprider,   Sorry about my Profile not filled out, but I filled it in a little bit more.

If I notice correctly you are involved with the Wiki Tab?   If so do you know if on this forum any one has tried to create say a What's New Heading that may have links or articles to keep the Forum up to date on what may be coming out soon ( Hardware or Software)   for anything to do with Sleep Apnea topics.    Is there any source for the latest reviews i.e. a Road & Track of the CPAP world maybe make one called  Snore & Dream publication.     I have been a CPAP user for almost 20 years  and my first cpap lasted over 18 year or @53,000 Hours. so I am just now using a AirSense10 autoset and can not believe the difference of the technology has taken us over the past two decades from loud to very Quiet, from no recorded information to what to do with all this data now.

Any one please let me know what this forum has as I have not looked at everything yet as I am still wow'ed after waking up when my old faithful CPAP died

Sincerely C2workout.

[Sleeprider]

We're in the same boat. I used a M-Series Auto for 20K hours, before I updated, and I'm pretty sure I won't fall behind too far again.

As far as I know we don't have such a link in the wiki. We keep a sticky thread on what machines are recommended updated in the Main Apnea Forum http://www.apneaboard.com/forums/Thread-...ew-machine. That points to a wiki article that can serve some of the purpose http://www.apneaboard.com/wiki/index.php...ne_Choices

Current development seems to be for portable CPAP and APAP machines with self-contained power supplies, small form factors and no integrated heated humidifier. The machines seem to update about every 4-5 years with a change in models. Also, we are seeing a large number of less expensive Asian entries into the market. There are a number of products I consider "vapor-ware" that propose to do away with CPAP machines and so far I consider most of those scams to raise money on Indigogo and Go Fund Me.

If you want the latest and greatest that applies to you, just ask. FWIW, I think you might already have it. It is a long way from the machines from 2007, and you say 20 years! I didn't even think we had legacy machines that old. Hopefully you're not still using an IBM XT and dial-up telephone (POTS) as well. Anything like this you use for your health is worth keeping updated; so figure about 5-years as the timeline for replacement, not 20.

[c2workout]

Sleeprider  I will have to check out the links later tonight.  My first computer was before that IBM XT.  I built my first computer from someone whom had a copy of schematics of a TRS-80 Radio Shack model 1 all with a Wire-Rap technology about 1978-1979, I wish I save a picture of it. Monochrome monitor, Program in Basic, and used a Cassette Recorder for my program storage/harddrive today.  And it worked.  My first CPAP was a  Healthdyne Technologies which was bought out by Phillips Resp. back around when my CPAP was made. It was a Tranquility Quest 7300H I believe that I got sometime in 1998.  Used it until the bearings ceased up in Jan 2017, so I would say I got about 53000 hours out of it.  Not that quiet even new, one pressure I believe it was set to 5mmHg about 6.3 cmH20 on today's scales. Anyway the first week after using it that many years without missing a day, I felt sleeping without it was like I was being smothered with a pillow I felt like I could not get a full breath of air.   This lasted for a few nights until my lungs had to get better at drawing in more air by working harder.  Then I fought with my doctors as they would do the home study and when I failed that test so bad.  They requested I now have an in clinic sleep study, which left to my doctors would have taken another month to schedule but I kick my heals a bit and got in when some one cancelled. Now I though great they order my CPAP   yes and no they requested the company to order me one which take about two week then they will call you to schedule for you to pick it up.    Long story short it took way too long and the end result with the autoset units today my GP could have wrote me the script , I order it online and the cost would have been less than my co pay for the machine and the cost of my part for the medical testing and I would have had my machine in 4 days not close to 1.5 months with me pushing my doctors to get it done.

[Sleeprider]

C2, that's awesome! You are a genuine curmudgeon. Wishing you best of luck on the new machine, and I think you will appreciate the advancements.

[c2workout]

To all whom responded to this original post.    I had my compliance office visit, was told to bring my complete CPAP machine, hoses, mask etc. and I had also call before and requested my FULL report for both the at home type III study and the Titrations study downtown at the sleep study center.   As soon as they called me it and took my weight, the nurse handed me a nice folder with everything I requested.    which was much more information then what the doctors sent me after the tests.   Any way I met with the CNP and I did not bring all my data on my computer to show using Sleepyhead software as from the drift of the forum it would be a total waste of time.   So I did not bring it, beside I broth my complete CPAP with SD card and was guessing they were going to ask me for it to read the data, NOPE!   With the AirSense10 Autoset . ResMed also transmits my data to somewhere...maybe a Cloud somewhere but I would quest anyone with my SN# could also see my data.    They had already pull up a compliance report a day before this apt and it was part of my requested data package that I had requested to be handed to me with I met with them.   So I talked a bit with the CNP and since my home study O2 stat. had gone as low as 65% and I had about 250 mins below 88% in that sleep study my CNP mentioned that they were going to have me add the Oximeter plug in for my CPAP machine and after I use it I could just mail it back.   I told the CNP that I purchased about a week or so ago a CMS50F Oximeter and I have that data so far and my O2 reading are now about 95% of the time in the 90-94% range now.   But I guess they would like to see that for themselves.  So I will see if they mail it to me and if I will use it for just one night , or a week.   Any one whom has my CPAP let me know if you Dr. has ever done this with your therapy treatment.    Just curious it that is the way of the future to collect the data they need without you having to really go see them.    I did get them to give me a couple of different Nasal type mask to see one of these are more comfortable for me.

[Hydrangea]

That's awesome! You're inspiring me to call my sleep study place and ask for more thorough reports.

That's great they let you take multiple masks. Wow!

My sleep dr/DME had me bring in my entire machine for my 1st follow up. I believe now it was to tweak settings if need be (since of course a patient is too incompetent to change his/her own settings). He couldn't figure out why he couldn't get my data to pull up on his screen. I asked if maybe he'd want to pull out the SD card, and he said no because the data should already be in the computer from the cellular transmissions. I reminded him that I have that function removed from my machine. Bwahaha.

[c2workout]

Hydrangea, I just noticed on your profile that one of the nasal mask I picked up today was the DreamWear which I was going to try tonight,  I like that one as far as I can put my eye glasses on to read because it does not have that piece of plastic in the way.    Let me know if you like it for comfort.  The one on my profile I did not like as it seemed for my pressure I needed to have it very tight and I move to much and I was having a issue with leaks if I did not keep it that tight.   So I will try the DreamWear one tonight and see if it likes me and I like it.    Let me know how long you used that one and what you like or do not like about it.


Thanks

C2workout