Whats your impression of the medical system?

[zonk]

This poll to share experiences with others on this board and compare our overall impressions of the medical system relative to sleep apnea regarding how well they:

1- recognized our need for a sleep study
2- properly diagnosed us given the results of that diagnostic procedure
3- administered effective treatment
4- administered suitable follow-up care

[Tdog]

I say the system is extremely poor because of the current beaurocratic bs one must go thru to get the machine requested. Years ago I called my primary car doc and told him I was constantly tired. He called a referral for a sleep study where they did the study, titration, and ordering of the machine REMstar pro the same day. Simple, quick, and efficient. My machine finally crapped out (6 years). I didn't use a cpap for a couple years. By then I had changed primary care doc. When I called my doc she scheduled an appointment which I had a $40 copay. She made a referral for a sleep study(2weeks wait) in which they determined I had an AHI of 38. Referred to a pulmonologist (another 9 days wait) who saw me for 15 minutes max, and he scheduled the titration study (another weeks wait)....Another $40 copay, and another long drive to town with added expense. After the titration study the doc interprets my study and spends about 5 minutes with me to give me the script another.... $40 copay. Then the real fun begins. After driving 70 miles to speed up getting my new cpap The DME supplier tries to give me used equipment which I refused. Called the doctor to prescibe "new equipment" I originally was supposed to get a DS260. The therapist arrived at my home (4 days later) with an older DS150 which didn't have cflex. I was P*ssed. Probably spent at least 2 hours on the phone talking with insurance company, distributor, doc, and DME company. DME companies are CROOKS. Unless you walk in with cash and a prescription for a specific model/mask they will do their best to give you a less capable machine. It took me 5 weeks, 5 long drives and much frustration to get my machine. This has been nothing but a pita for me. There may be reputable companies out there, but not the one I dealt with. I have read of many other horror stories in dealing with DME companies. Perhaps a thread with companies names that have been less than professional should be started? I will be reporting the company I dealt with for Medicare fraud even though I don't have Medicare. I know Medicare/Medicaid policies, covered services, and limitations as I work in the health field. This DME company is not gonna be happy. They have messed with the wrong person. I have my documentation of all calls, dates, times, persons spoken with. They may lose their contract with the insurance company I have, if I can prove they have defrauded with them.

[PollCat]

Hey, zonk, you need to specify which country's medical system you are asking about. I doubt that Australia's system has much in common with the US's.

[zonk]

Hey, zonk, you need to specify which country's medical system you are asking about. I doubt that Australia's system has much in common with the US's.

That is your department ... maybe your next project
Most of members of this board are from US, followed by Canada and there few from down under and the rest of world

[zonk]

I was tossing between poor and dysfunctional ... voted for the latter

It doesn't seem the system equipped enough to deal with sleep apnea patients as it deals with patients of other conditions, heart or lung, diabetes, cancer, etc..

About 50% of people quit the treatment in the first month ... This is shocking yet there is no outcry ... business as usual ... nobody care

This forum saved many people like myself from becoming dropouts statistics
Had the system being any good ... we would not be here asking simple basic questions
We have to be our own best providers .... No body else cares as much as we do
Thanx

[Allen]

I can only speak for The Prince Charles Hospital and my own GP here in Queensland Australia. I would have to rate all four categories highly, the only downside would be the length of time it took from when my GP sent the referral to the above hospital until I had my sleep study on a cpap machine. The upside is I didn't have to pay anything for my appointments or sleep studies, only had to pay for my machine, mask and chin strap.

The referral was sent in November 2011 and my initial appoinment with the sleep specialist was in April 2012 and this was followed in June 2012 by my first overnight sleep study, which was followed two weeks later by a follow up appoinment with my sleep specialist who explained the results of my sleep study. In September 2012 I had an appoinment with a nurse to try on various masks to decide which I felt were most comfortable and given an hour to lie on a bed connected to a working cpap machine so that I would know what to expect during my next overnight stay. The nurse also explained to me that cpap machines and masks are cheaper in the US, so I should look online before I commit to buying from an Australian supplier.

Late September I had my second overnight sleep study on a cpap machine while wearing the mask I chose. A week later I had my prescription. I had another follow up appoinment on the 5th of this month so that the sleep centre could check my progress.

[lonnieb]

1- recognized our need for a sleep study
2- properly diagnosed us given the results of that diagnostic procedure
3- administered effective treatment
4- administered suitable follow-up care



1-yes
2-no>>>I was given a S9 set to 7 it should have been set to auto later it was set to 4-20 the#7 was never good for me.
3-yes
4-yes later my ENT told me to set it on auto 4-20 later 6-20 now 7-13 this Dr has been great and my DME has as well they sell only ResMed machines and maybe only (S9 not sure) but they are very helpful.Maybe a little trouble at first but now very good

[Sleepster]

This poll to share experiences with others on this board and compare our overall impressions of the medical system relative to sleep apnea regarding how well they:

1- recognized our need for a sleep study
2- properly diagnosed us given the results of that diagnostic procedure
3- administered effective treatment
4- administered suitable follow-up care

I voted for "poor" simply because of item 1 on your list. 2-4 were excellent, but it over 20 years of multiple visits to multiple doctors for a sleep study to be ordered. During those 20 years my complaints were headaches, gerd, I was overly sensitivity to the side effects of different medicines, I complained of poor sleep and waking in the middle of the night with my heart racing. I was tested for various things and had my medications adjusted to compensate.

For the last year of that 20-year period I finally found myself in psychiatrist's office being treated for anxiety.

It wasn't until I visited the ENT I'd been seeing for nearly that entire 20-year period with a complaint of snoring that a sleep study was ordered. That was a year ago and I've been recovering and adapting to CPAP therapy ever since.

Improvement continues.

[Allen]

It doesn't seem the system equipped enough to deal with sleep apnea patients as it deals with patients of other conditions, heart or lung, diabetes, cancer, etc..

About 50% of people quit the treatment in the first month ... This is shocking yet there is no outcry ... business as usual ... nobody care

Hi Zonk,

I don't believe you can make an arbitrary claim like that just because your own experience was not a good one, without researching other sleep clinics in Australia.

The Prince Charles Hospital in Queensland, as do some other hospitals here, have dedicated sleep study clinics with fully equiped private rooms for overnight sleep studies. The nurses, specialist and technicians are prepared to spend as much time as necessary with you to ensure you have a full understanding of your condition. When I mentioned to a nurse that I had adapted to cpap therapy quite quickly, she told me that is the norm with our patients here.

The staff there put the patient first and it doesn't matter to them whether you have private health insurance or as in my case, no health insurance, everyone gets the same highly proffessional care.

As a side note, health insurance doesn't get you in any quicker for a sleep study, the time delay between referral and sleep study is because of the number of people they see.

[zonk]

The Prince Charles Hospital in Queensland, as do some other hospitals here, have dedicated sleep study clinics with fully equiped private rooms for overnight sleep studies.

Its reassuring to hear and glad you had such a wonderful experience
Mine was not like yours .... have been ripped off by suppliers and had to pay some $300 for a mask
Now thankfully ... I know better where to buy CPAP supplies at a fraction of Australian prices otherwise would not be as compliant as now (more likely dropout) as cannot afford to pay some $300 every need a new mask ... just a cushion just under $100

I've read on this board to ask for copies of my sleep study when I've asked for one ... The doctor told me .. I don,t need them as they a send a letter (report with a couple lines) to my GP
When I INSISTED on having all copies of the study Not just the report ... they copied all the reports for me but they told me ... No body here ask for the copies and MEDICAL RECORDS NOT given to patients and have NO rights for them
I don,t know if they making up or its the case here .. unlike as in US