A sleep apnea patient blogs on WorkersCompensation.com about his difficulty in getting a second CPAP just for travel because it requires a prescription, which he’s having trouble getting because his diagnosis records from 12 years ago aren’t available.
I ordered last week a “travel CPAP”; a machine about a quarter of the size of the one I have been using. After I placed the order with an online company, they notified me that they require a prescription for the machine to be on file before they could fulfill the order. I have a prescription for CPAP supplies on file with them, but apparently being able to buy the supplies is different than buying the machine that uses them. According to the FDA, CPAP devices are considered Class II medical devices and require prescription by law.
The issue is that my sleep specialist, who I have not seen in over 12 years, changed practices a decade ago, and records no longer exist with the practice where I was diagnosed. Without those records no prescription will be forthcoming. I frankly don’t know what my options are with them. I suppose I could set up an appointment, go through another two night sleep study, spend a couple hundred in co-pays and have my insurance billed God knows what for the effort, all to get a piece of paper confirming something we already know I have.
If it has been 12 years since your last Polysomnogram you should definitely have your PCP or sleep specialist send you for a new one.
This may require only a single night for the study as it should be for a re-titration of the pressure. (In your first study the first night was likely to confirm the sleep apnea and the second night to titrate the pressure.)
Odds are your body has changed in the intervening years and you may require a different pressure than the one you currently use. Newer machines are likely to be smaller, lighter, quieter and have features that were not available 12 years ago. You may want to keep the old one as an emergency backup or donate it to an organization that can refurbish it for use by people who are not so well off as you. Check with you tax preparer to see if this could give you a tax deduction.
When you see your doctor after the study be sure to get a copy of your sleep study so you may not have to go through the stress of not being able to find your records again. And tell the doctor you want a prescription to get two CPAPs, one for home and a more portable one for travel. Insurance may not cover both devices but you may be able to use the second one as a deduction on your taxes if you travel a lot for work. Be sure to ask you accountant or tax preparer before you make your purchase.