Doctor data access for compliance verification?

[NelsonM]

What does a doctor need for data access to verify CPAP compliance? I have a ResMed 10 Autoset, MyAir is working for me already. I'm new to CPAP, about six weeks, I use the machine all night every night.

I think normally the DME who sells the machine sets this up. But I bought my machine via one of the vendors that's on the forum list. They sell new machines only with prescriptions, but they didn't do any sort of setup for data access like a traditional DME vendor might. Their support team says "we do not work with Dr.'s or DME's to register SN's of devices for their access.  You'll want to reach out directly to them for that." Fair enough, I'm happy with the purchase I made.

But now I have to help my sleep doctor or their subcontractor get access to my data. The receptionist at the doctor's office had no idea how to do that. Any guesses what they need? I've given them the device serial number already, maybe that's enough? Is there some privacy-protecting step where I have to authorize ResMed to provide data access to my doctor?

I'm trying to get this in place before the actual compliance visit. As a backup I printed out usage reports from the MyAir website and the ResScan software. But given this whole process has an adversarial aspect to it, I'm expecting to be told they only trust data they download themselves.

[ubersteiny]

They need the serial number of your device to access the data. However, if they didn't know that is what they needed, then I doubt they have the ResMed software that's used to collect the data.

[Nightynite]

The My air app has a report you can print out and take to your Dr.

Just look at the History and in the upper right hand corner you will see Report.

[staceyburke]

There would be no adversarial approach at all. They MAKE MONEY if you are compliant. They just can’t take someone’s word. There are people out there that would get the machine and the next day sell it for whatever they could get

Your print off from myAir is all they want to put it In Their files.

[NelsonM]

To follow up: getting my doctor access to my machine's data is looking impossible. My sleep clinic doctor says they need the DME provider to set it up. But I bought from an online vendor that doesn't do all the DME vendor rigamarole, they just sold me the machine I wanted and said I was on my own. I finally did talk to someone at the doctor's office who understood it all and said this was just a problem if you "bought a machine yourself" and she didn't really have a resolution for me. (The doctor is at the UCSF sleep clinic, btw, I trust they know what they're doing.)

The good news is my doctor is OK with the situation. I created a compliance report on my own using ResScan and sent it to them and they accepted it without question. My main goal is just to make sure my doctor has a record that I'm being treated successfully; I've got that covered. They say they are fine with me continuing to provide them the data. It helps that my treatment is going very smoothly and simply, I don't anticipate needing much doctoring.

I have no idea what my insurance company thinks. They've ignored my attempt to make a claim for the machine I bought and I haven't tried getting insistent on the phone about it yet. Fortunately I don't care too much if the insurance company approves the claim; my deductible is so high they won't meaningfully cover it anyway. I'd rather pay $800 for a machine out of pocket than $1200 through a DME.

One thing I'm unclear about that may explain some of this problem: the subscription fee for ResMed's data service. I get the impression that ResMed charges someone monthly per patient for online access to data. And somehow the DME provider is in the loop for that payment as is your insurance company. That may be part of why bypassing that middleman is so difficult.

I'm writing this down mostly as a warning; if you're a new CPAP user and buy a machine outside the DME system, your insurance company might not cover it and your doctor might not get data access. I'm OK with that but other folks might not be.

[NelsonM]

Got the bill, my 20 minute "compliance verification visit" (via video) was billed at $575. Insurance struck out $220 of that and paid another $260 leaving me my $95 co-pay. The video visit was actually pretty good with an expert nurse practitioner; if I needed help adjusting my CPAP or my treatment it would have been useful. I was happy to check in with my doctor. But there's something a little nutty about $575 to verify that I am using the $800 machine I bought.

[Gideon]

[staceyburke]

I bring a printout to my regular Dr a of the an overall report and one typical night for their files. My machine is not monitored by the supplier. I have never had a compliance problem.

[SarcasticDave94]

With CPAP and Apnea this is normal. In fact with anything doctor and insurance related, they almost always over bill and accept what insurance sends. It's likely this procedural action is covered in medical school 101.