Doctor wants new sleep study, what would you do?

[barichr]

THANKS!!! I did not know it was 13 months. I had my last sleep study January 2014, so I just cancelled the appt. and rescheduled for the end of March. I will own the machine then.

I would hate to not have it in case the study comes back negative and they take it away, and then find myself back with Apnea. The weight loss has given way to less medications as well, everything is changing.

Sleep study was in Jan 2014, but when did Medicare start their billing cycle....you want to be sure 13 months is really done in billing terms

[Sleeprider]

I have been insane with work and have read and kept up but not posted. Happy New Year to all.

My numbers have been so good that the doctor wants to have me do another sleep study to see if I need this machine. I am a little nervous about it, I hope I don't get the same thing as last time, telling me I need pressure 17 when I really needed only 6, and now down to 4 with low AHI in the 0. something or other. I told the doctor that if the guy makes me sleep on my back, I am leaving. That is what they made me do last time and I don't sleep on my back!!!!!

Any advice?

I am going to take all my stats with me for the doctor, for the past months, he is a pulmonary doctor/sleep specialist. I want him to know he is not dealing with a dumb person, I have connections and know better by you all!!!!

Marnid, I've been doing XPAP after being diagnosed in 2008, and the approach to your treatment is quite different from mine. I obtained a referral from my primary care physician to a sleep center for evaluation, which determined I had severe sleep apnea. I was then referred to an ENT for a physiological exam. I never had any interaction with a sleep doctor, and my primary physician wrote my prescription for an auto-titrating CPAP and supplies. The only follow-up I have ever had was to show my physician some charts I printed from Encore software.

You apparently have had continuing interaction with a sleep doctor or sleep center, and they now want to do another study based on a review of your progress. Doesn't that sound like a conflict of interest that the initiative for that is not coming from you? Who has the best grasp of your needs, and the benefits from CPAP. I would think if you were not benefiting, you would be like many who start CPAP...you'd quit because you can.

Really, I'm confused. How does a doctor infer you might not need XPAP when you've taken control of your therapy by setting pressure and using the treatment, but not quitting? Doesn't that decision start with you?

[archangle]

I can't say 100% sure that 13 is right, or that medicare will get the paperwork done right the first time. You might want to verify that first. I presume you would either get some sort of notice or at least you'll stop getting bills for the CPAP machine. Since you're not in distress and the machine doesn't seem to be a problem, there's not a rush on getting the new test.

[Marnid2014]

When I went to the doctor last, he asked me how I had slept when I was not using it. I slept without it for so long when I had Shingles and there was not a problem, so he said, let's see if you really need it, and if not, great, if so, we will make sure the levels you are at are doing the trick.

I cancelled the appointment until after the 13 months are up, I checked with Medicare, and it is 13 months, so I will have an extra month. Just hope I am making the right choices.

If possible, it would be great to not have to be using it, but we will see.