The whole idea behind competitive bidding is exclusivity of contract. That means that other DME's who didn't win competitive bidding contracts may be prohibited BY LAW from providing DME to Medicare recipients regardless of what they charge Bidding contracts mean that other companies cannot provide...

This is all very interesting since I will be ordering my first CPAP in June through one of these competitive bidding places. So, do you pay up front for the humidifier or is that billed later? I've had a frustrating afternoon trying to arrange for my handicapped brother to get a replacement BiPap. A...

I appreciate your response. Trying to get the info out of the supplemental insurance company is like pulling teeth. Sometimes you get a lot of help. Other times it's a total runaround. It seems that part of the problem is that you can choose to go to a place that accepts Medicare assignment or one t...

After reading many posts, it is clear that there is a standard rental rate if you go through Medicare to get a CPAP (and of course, after 13 months you own it). I will be getting a new CPap and my bro has a script to get his 6 year old BiPap replaced. Does anybody know what these current rates are (...

I am new to this forum and don't even have a machine yet, but felt I should comment. I had anemia last year. It takes WEEKS before you feel better with the iron, even at 325 mg. I think it was 2 months before the fog really lifted. Even though I no longer have anemia, I continue to take iron because...

My doc wanted me on a statin 5 years ago. I pointed out to him that Finland sued Lipitor for advertising their product to women when their very own study showed women were more likely to have a heart attack taking their product than not taking their product. This was the largest study ever done on w...

If they told you that you have obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), did they tell you to avoid backsleeping until you get your CPAP machine? I had a sleep study and they called me earlier this week to confirm that I did indeed have Sleep Apnia. That's it. That's all I know. Then, made an appointment for ...

We have lots of cats and have not had problems with them regarding medical equipment (my late dad was on oxygen, my disabled bro has a Bipap). You could be right that the cat is bothered by the medical equipment. To start with, put something OVER the machine. In my bro's case, we had a multi-level n...

Stay in bed next time. Taking kolonopin late can make you really groggy the next day and if you need to drive, well, you could have an accident and hurt yourself or someone else.

I was just diagnosed with sleep apnea. I don't even see the doc until June, so don't really have details yet. I've been looking over the site and other info on the internet and still have a few questions. In addition to the apnea, I have bradycardia (this occurs when laying down, whether awake or as...

It really depends on whether your doctor checks your levels as to when you are taking too much. I take a lot of vitamin D because apparently diabetics don't produce enough. Even testing in July, I am chronically low. I'm hoping the new regimen works (at least my eczema is better). It even varies wit...

I'm new here. Actually, what the doctor is telling you is not unreasonable. If your current therapy is not working and it's been four or five years since you were last evaluated,he'd be a pretty crappy doctor to just write you a prescription for a sleeping pill. You apparently have a worsening condi...