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Going around the CPAP middleman

Posted by govinda on July 23, 2007 at 16:22:09:

Hey all, great to find this forum.

A month ago I underwent a sleep study which discovered 'extremely severe' obstructive apnea, with no central apnea. No surprise about the OSA, and looking back it's clear that i've had it since I was 17 and skinny, and now I have it worse being 43 and not.

For the final half of the study the tech fit me with a CPAP, which was then adjusted over time by the tech. Apparently my setting is 11, and if this makes sense to people here, I'm overjoyed. Next morning was a revelation--I'd slept for the first time in years.

It's the subsequent steps that throw me, and it's not about the medicine.

Next step, my doctor instructed me to go to a medical instrument facility to be fitted for a device, and for those who live in Los Angeles, it's on Westwood Blvd.

The shocking thing was when this facility informed me that, *after* insurance, the usual CPAP order would run me $1,700 not including the office visit, which in itself is not cheap. Having seen dozens of CPAP machines/masks online for 1/3 to 1/2 this amount, I called a time-out. I had my doctor forward me my prescription and he's agreed to allow me to buy my own CPAP without the middleman.

So the question boils down to, which CPAP? Do I have the information I need to use it? Is there any value added by the 'fitting' facility I've cut out? Is a little knowledge in this case a dangerous thing? And what is this crazy markup about?

The answer to the first question is here in other threads, most likely under the heading 'quietest CPAP,' but the other questions, not so much. Thanks in advance! RJP/Los Angeles

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  • Sleep Deprivation due to Sleep Apnea and insufficient sleep are common and can present as insomnia, narcolepsy, or idiopathic hypersomnia. In infants and children sleep problems commonly present themselves as ADD or ADHD.


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