How often to change P10 pillows

[Mosquitobait]

Dogmuck, if you feel you aren't getting enough pillows, contact the DME again. FWIW, I also found ebay a good source for pillows (for masks not paid for by my insurance) although pricing varies tremendously depending on the size you need. Don't forget to check Amazon!

[dogmuck]

Cranberry Ray: Thanks for the information. I found the pillows on Amazon for as little as $10. The original supplier was going to sell them to me at $27 and suggested they be changed every two weeks. The dreamstation software would not connect to my smarty alec iPhone. Maybe this Sleepyhead software will. I will check it out. Thanks again. 

[Cranberry Ray]

dog, I have an Android so not that familiar with how well iPhones get along with the Dream Mapper software that they suggest on the Dreamstations. I have seen post stating they don't really play well together. You should also be able to access it online through www.mydreammapper.com 

Sleepyhead is the gold standard though and I would highly recommend it. Once installed on your computer you do have to pull the sd card out of the Dreamstation and plug it into your computer to transfer the information but well worth the time. A number of members use a FlashAir SD card which is connected to your home w-fi network and makes downloading the data even easier.

[dogmuck]

Thanks again. I have downloaded the Sleepyhead software. Will also check out the Flash air card. You have been very helpful. Appreciate it. 
Sincerely, Dogmuck.

[Cuppa]

I have no understanding of the medical insurance system in the US, but wow! Replacement pillows every 3 weeks! Someone must be paying through the nose (pun intended) for that somewhere.  

If the cost is $10 to $17 for a replacement pillow in the US it is hardly surprising that some folk there accumulate them & sell their excess to overseas users on ebay. Here in Australia a single replacement pillow can cost over US$50!  [commercial link removed]

My supplier (the equivalent of a DME I guess)  laughed when I told her that I had read that pillows needed to be replaced 3 monthly on some US supplier web sites. She told me if I clean the pillows (& the mask) in warm water & pure soap every morning I should expect to get 6 to 12 months out of the pillows, possibly longer. She was adamant that shorter life is the result of not doing this.

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[sonicboom]

I agree. I wash mine every day and mine last 6 months or more easily.

[Cranberry Ray]

I would say that here in the US most people will take whatever the insurance allows provided they have either met their deductible or have a minimal copay. I last changed my P10 pillows about 2 months ago and clean them either every week or every other week. I'm starting to notice they are not sealing up as well as they did when new by the higher leak rate and sore nostrils. I guess I still don't understand how supplies (or for that matter machines) can be so expensive down under when ResMed has such a big presence in the Pacific region. Sounds like we both have to deal with government price setting. 

[Cuppa]

I would say that here in the US most people will take whatever the insurance allows provided they have either met their deductible or have a minimal copay. I last changed my P10 pillows about 2 months ago and clean them either every week or every other week. I'm starting to notice they are not sealing up as well as they did when new by the higher leak rate and sore nostrils. I guess I still don't understand how supplies (or for that matter machines) can be so expensive down under when ResMed has such a big presence in the Pacific region. Sounds like we both have to deal with government price setting. 

I don't understand 'deductible' or 'copay'.

I guess if I were 'provided' with replacements every 3 weeks I probably wouldn't bother with the few minutes of daily cleaning.

Resmed appear (to me) to have extremely restrictive marketing practices. They are (or at least were originally) an Australian company. The technology was an Australian invention as I understand it. Of course the US market is hugely bigger than in Australia, & Resmed now have agreements with almost all of their resellers in the US to prevent them selling to folk in Australia. Most just wont risk their relationship with Resmed. A couple will, for example, sell you a mask, but not a complete mask, only a combination of replacement parts, to get around the restrictions. I'm told, but have no direct experience of, that there may be a couple of vendors who will sell Resmed stuff to folk in Australia (at around 50% of the Aussie price, even when freight costs are taken into account). Consequently Resmed, as the market leaders, seem to have pretty much a 'captive audience' in Australia, & can charge pretty much what they like - & do.  I saw a headband for a P10 advertised for Aus$99 (US$74) recently!  Sheesh!  I don't think it's government price setting here, it's company price gouging , because they can.

Cost of all the equipment for folk like me comes out of the individual's pocket unless they have (expensive) private insurance which covers part of the cost. Many like me have no private insurance. Those who qualify for social security benefits can get a machine for free, but there can be significant waiting periods as I'm informed there are only limited number of machines made available per quarter. And no choice of machine, only Phillips Respironics.

[Mosquitobait]

I don't understand 'deductible' or 'copay'.

Deductible:  What you pay before insurance will start paying. For instance, if you have a $500 deductible, you are responsible for the first $500.  After that, insurance comes into play.

Copay: You pay a portion of the product/service and your insurance pays a portion.  On durable medical goods (our Medicare scheme), Medicare pays 80% and I pay 20%.  Medicare determines what the initial price is (contracted). 

I don't have a deductible on durable medical goods - I pay a straight 20%.

Yeah, it sucks to be the captive audience especially when the price difference is so horrendous!  One of my quilting friends is former Aussie and when her daughter and son-in-law visited from Sydney, they bought Resmed machines through Craigslist and brought 3 home with them for people they knew who needed machines. I hadn't realized until then that your medical system doesn't pay at all for the cpap machines - it's all out of pocket!

Save

[Hydrangea]

That's wild... and so frustrating that the cpap company(ies) are monopolizing them.

I can't believe how much more expensive some things in Australia are. My Australian friend packed her suitcase full of American sneakers and jeans (in all different sizes, for her growing kids), to bring back to Australia (to last her family for years).