(04-30-2018, 03:52 PM)Ticman1 Wrote: Called my DME this morning.
Got someone in reorder supplies department. Absolutely no problem with changing mask. Next supply order for me goes out 6/13 (3 Mos)
So I just need to be patient.
Am realizing that have have a good DME That is responsive and helpful. Gather It’s an exception to the rule.
That's all to the good. However, you don't have to stop there and wait for that action by the DME. The main things about the CPAP prescription are that it belongs to
you, the impatient patient, and it's generally valid for a long time, possibly forever, and there's no limit on what you can buy with it (this isn't like buying pills & potions). Once the prescription has been written, using it to buy equipment is not some special favor that you have to ask the DME for (and then wait during the lag time required by the insurance provider), just as long as you're willing to pay for the equipment yourself. That goes for both masks and machines. It's essential to get a copy of the Rx from your doctor ASAP, on paper or preferably e-mailed to you as a PDF, and to keep it on file. Or if the DME has it and is willing to give you a copy, that'll work too. Sometimes it's called a requisition rather than a prescription, but the important thing is that it will include a diagnosis of sleep apnea and a prescribed air pressure, along with some specifications for equipment.
Also, some nonzero number of suppliers in the Supplier List here will not ask for a prescription. That's also true of buying on Amazon, although lately Amazon has had a very limited selection of CPAP equipment, mostly just replacement parts. (Someone here has observed that with Amazon, that seems to go in cycles that are months long.) But it is sometimes possible to find entire masks there. You can also build a mask from its component parts if you have the parts list, sometimes available on the manufacturer's site, and if you can find all of those pieces on Amazon or elsewhere, but you'll pay a higher total price. Parts don't require a prescription.
For the suppliers in the list here, you can often determine from their web sites, by doing a little poking around and experimenting, whether a prescription is required before the server software lets you check out and pay. And you might be able to skip that if the retailer has an explicit "prescription policy" in its terms & conditions of sale. If Rx needed, then skip it for now and continue with the next company in the list.
I'm a beginner and so far I have three masks, one of which I bought myself and two of which are from insurance. I'll be buying others in the next several months because none of these three gets a top rating from me. Masks are very personal, and what works well for one person might not work at all, or might work in a mediocre way, for someone else. You just have to try 'em and see.
Some of the CPAP-specialty retailers in that list offer mask-return insurance: for a price, you can return a mask you've just bought that has turned out to be no good for you. I assume that it's then sterilized and resold as a used item.
When you get a nasal mask that has either pillows or a cushion, and that silicone part is available in different sizes, always get the package that includes all sizes. This is true whether you're getting it from your insurance or whether you're buying it yourself. That's because you can't tell in advance which size is right for you if you haven't used that make & model already. And the fact that you take size L in Brand X might mean nothing if you switch to Brand Y and find that size M, or maybe even S, fits you. You have to do A/B comparisons if there are two sizes, or A/B and B/C comparisons if there are three sizes. Don't take the word of a med-tech or a therapist for that. They have no way of knowing.
