Supplies

[babydinosnoreless]

My first package of supplies came today. Two more little filters and a new mask. 🧐 why? I am told I can get this once a month. I still have one of those little filters and my mask seems just fine. I changed the filter once because they told me to do it after 2 weeks but it was still pure white. How often am I really supposed to change this stuff and why ?

[SewTired]

Change the filter when it has obvious discoloration. How often you change it depends on the conditions in your home and often time of year. In the summer when I have my windows open, I change the filter every 2 weeks. In the winter, every other month. Maybe you have road construction in the area or dirty furnace flues - that will require more changes than if you are in a hermetically sealed apartment building or have a room air cleaner. Insurance 'allows' you 2 filters a month, but your home conditions may mean that you only need to change it once a month.

The thing is that the schedule that ALLOWS you to purchase with insurance coverage is the schedule that DMEs WANT you to purchase, whether you need it or not. It helps to have backups. After about 6 months, you have a good idea how many supplies need actual replacing based on your usage and can adjust purchases with the DME.

There are a lot of threads of just how many backups of supplies you should have, but it's up to you and your space. I still have my original humidifier bin (3+years) plus a backup, but in the same period, my brother went through 2 bins in less than 6 months (damaged at health care facility). So, for bro, I'm getting an additional backup since his chances of being in a nursing home temporarily again are high. Cushions or pillows? You can tear them and have them fail early, so I prefer to have extras of those. More than 6 is overkill for most.

[JayDee]

My DME had me on an automatic supply plan. They sent me two masks and a wad of filters at about the 4 month mark. The problem is after that first mask they provided with my machine, I've been through several other masks and settled on a completely different one. So the masks they sent, I don't even use. On top of that, until I reach my (high) deductible, I wind up having to pay for them out of pocket. If I'm going to pay out of pocket, I'd rather get my own supplies.

I called my DME and opted-out of their auto re-supply program. As for the supplies they sent, they said it wasn't economically feasible for them to arrange return shipping. I was told I would not be charged and I could dispose of the masks however I wanted to. So you might want to call whoever shipped them to you and see if you can change to only getting supplies on request or something.

Regarding "why" they do this when your mask and filter are still good? Likely because insurance allows it. And if insurance coverage allows it, then there's a good revenue stream for DME's that know how to milk it.

-JD

[Okie bipap]

My wife and I tend to use supplies until the wear out. Her current mask cushion is over six months old and still works fine. I have gone through more masks than she has because I like to try new ones when they come out. She is happy with the first one she tried and has never wanted to try anything different. I try to keep one spare mask cushion, head gear, water reservoir, and hose for each machine. I change the filters on our machines about every two months when they start to look dirty. When I started my machine two nights ago, I felt air coming out of the side of the hose. I did not want to go digging through the spare supplies in the dark, so I put tape over the hole to get through the night. Luckily, I had a spare hose and changed it out the next day. I will pick up a new hose some time in the next couple of months. When we do our checkup in December, I will have our information sent to a new DME that is closer to where we live.

[babydinosnoreless]

Thanks for the replies !

Can we change dme's when we are still renting our machine ?
I now have a spare mask and filters but I can't get a different frame and head piece even tho I have to pull the top of the head hose way back on my head to get it to fit right.

[Okie bipap]

You can change DME suppliers for your supplies, but you need to stay with your current DME for your machine. If you change your machine to another DME, your rental period will start over. Most insurance companies have a rent to own plan (usually 12 or 13 months). If your insurance does, keep the contract for your machine with your current company. If it is a permanent rental agreement, you will be better off purchasing your machine out right from an on line supplier. Look at how much you pay per month and how long the rental is for. It may actually be cheaper to purchase instead of staying in your current contract. Check with your insurance company to see which DME suppliers are on their approved list. You may be limited as to which companies you can use and get the insurance to pay. If you decide to stay with your current DME, notify them to stop automatic shipments. Also, check with your insurance company to see if they allow automatic shipments. Many do not.

[palerider]

My first package of supplies came today. Two more little filters and a new mask. 🧐 why? I am told I can get this once a month.

Because they make more money by selling you unneeded stuff.

I still have one of those little filters and my mask seems just fine. I changed the filter once because they told me to do it after 2 weeks but it was still pure white. How often am I really supposed to change this stuff and why ?

The clinical manual... (you do have one, don't you? if not, get it) says to change the filter "every six months, or as needed".

[LSAT]

My first package of supplies came today. Two more little filters and a new mask. 🧐 why? I am told I can get this once a month. I still have one of those little filters and my mask seems just fine. I changed the filter once because they told me to do it after 2 weeks but it was still pure white. How often am I really supposed to change this stuff and why ?

You should tell your supplier that you will call when you want something, This is their way of increasing $$$$$$. ResMed says in their manual to change the filter at 6 months or sooner if necessary.

[babydinosnoreless]

Heck no they didn't give me the clinical manuel are you kidding? They want to control ever aspect (Insert bad name for my dme) I followed the link for newbies to find the manuel. I am scared to touch my settings tho or they might take the machine back. The second the insurance says its mine 14 months of freaking payments. I will not go back! Rude, never call back, worst experience ever! I am a freaking tired, scared, sleep deprived new user and they treated me like poo. I should have just bought the damn thing and to hell with the insurance. Who knew ? I didn't. Next time I wont be so dang gullible. I paid over half what they are saying on the forums here what a entire new machine costs as the first payment. Now I have 14 more months to go with near $100 a month payments and that is with insurance. They screwed me good.

[Pugsy]

Your insurance company doesn't care if you change anything. All they care about is that you use the machine.
Insurance companies just want a note from the DME that you are using the machine the require minimum number of hours.
They won't take the machine away from you if you change anything.

[zoocrewphoto]

Thanks for the replies !

Can we change dme's when we are still renting our machine ?
I now have a spare mask and filters but I can't get a different frame and head piece even tho I have to pull the top of the head hose way back on my head to get it to fit right.

Absolutely. At 5 weeks, I asked my dme for a smaller size headgear (after hearing about it here). They lied and said it did not exist. i sent them the link from cpap.com to show that it does exist. They said they couldn't order it. I never ordered from them again. I called a different dme and had the new headgear 3 days later. Totally fixed my mask fit issue. About a week later, I got a new sd card in the mail with directions to change out the cards and send the first one in for a compliance check. I made a copy and sent it in. I got a notice later that my compliance had passed, and the rental was converted to a purchase (how my insurance works). I never contacted or heard from them again.

[babydinosnoreless]

I absolutely understand about the frame. Apparently a small would be to small, according to my dme. They also cant get me a new mask till January, according to them when I wanted to switch because the mask wasn't working. This was after telling me (whwn I picked up my machine) that if I had any problems just bring in back they would give me a different one.

[Pugsy]

That's the DreamWear frame...correct?
Insurance won't pay for another frame until replacement time frame is up but there's nothing stopping you from getting it yourself and it's not horribly expensive either. This product???
https://www.ebay.com/itm/1116745-Dreamw ... rk:31:pf:0

I don't know what your copay for this item would be but mine would be about $10 if I went through the DME and my insurance. For 2 bucks more I get it delivered to me and I would get to tell the DME where to shove it...and I love to do that.

And let me tell you....going from the Medium frame to the Small frame with the DreamWear mask made world's of difference in how successful I was with this mask...in all the versions it comes in.

[babydinosnoreless]

Yes dreamware. They told me a small would be to short. And the mask would be across my nose instead of under it. Which is why I was looking at the f30. Maybe I should try the smaller frame first just to see, they are obvious liars. After what I have already paid for this thing Another $10-20 dollars seems like a small price to pay even if it doesn't work.

[Pugsy]

There is only 1 inch difference between the Medium and Small frames.
https://www.cpap.com/productpage/pr-dre ... #specs-tab

If that picture is how much play you have in the medium....one inch smaller might not be enough smaller.
I think they fed you more hogwash/BS.
I still had to add the fleece wraps to the sides to make even the small a bit snugger. The medium was simply too big for my head.

I haven't had a chance yet to get my hands on the F30 to compare it to the full face DreamWear....it might be the greatest thing since sliced bread and it might not. This mask stuff all comes with a big YMMV sticker on it.