Which DME provider to go with, and which machine to ask my dr. for?

[Hydrangea]

I agree with the others, so I won't repeat what they already said.

For me, I found that my insurance requires me to use a DME that is in the state I live in. So I went on Yelp and checked out lots of DMEs. I called many of them, and was able to weed out most of them due to being annoying on the phone. I found one an hour away that doesn't get too bad of reviews and wasn't painful to dialogue with on the phone, so I gave them a try and I like them. They ship the supplies to me, and I only drive to them if I want to try out masks. (But they offer a 30 day satisfaction guarantee on masks - so really, they could ship me a mask and I have 30 days to change my mind and request they ship me a different mask.) So I would advise you that you don't need to find a *local* DME.

[teccrc]

Thanks to everyone for their advice and recommendations. I started to go through a DME I found on my insurance company's website and they seemed ok. I spent a lot of time talking with them, giving info, and building a 'profile' with them. The next day I called to check to see if my Dr. had faxed them my prescription and they could not locate my information in their system! 

Huge waste of time! So I ended up going through Supplier#1 on the Supplier List and paid out of pocket. Only issue is they ship out of TX so it might be delayed from the storms  and power outages there.

[Karlin]

Yes, you can always pay out of pocket and skip the DME. I hate my DME and no one on this board had anything good to say about any others when I tried to find an alternative. I'm still using my DME to pay for my machine (through the insurance company, of course). But I decided to pay for my own supplies. That was easy because I had a large stash of cushions, and an extra hose and an extra water chamber. One of the problems with the DME is that they are forever nagging you to get new supplies, even when you don't need them. The good people on this board told me that contrary to the advice of the DME, you do not need to replace your hose and water chamber every six months. The water chamber lasts until it breaks! Hoses last a long time, but I did have a problem with one losing its ability to heat. Good luck with the machine when it arrives. Keep in mind that adapting to a cpap is often not easy, but the effort is worth it in the end. Be persistent!!! When you experience a problem, ask for advice here. This board is knowledgeable and much more responsive than your doctor. A lot of the problems users experience are not medical in nature. Such as "what do I do about mask leaks?"