How To Help Your Sleep Doctor Organize A New CPAP Supplies Order

Ordering a new CPAP machine requires information from both you and your sleep doctor. We’ve already gone over how you can order CPAP supplies online with insurance, but what about the steps your doctor should follow? Your CPAP machine may be one of hundreds they prescribed this month, so even with Aeroflow Sleep contacting the practitioner on your behalf, a specific order might not be top-of-mind without a little pressure from you, the patient.

Read on to learn how to be proactive with your first order, by helping doctors quickly submit the right information to Aeroflow Sleep.

The very first thing to ask yourself is who initiated the order, because the order process may be very different depending on the answer. If you were the first person to contact Aeroflow Sleep about your new CPAP machine, you will also be the main point of contact for that order. If your doctor referred you to Aeroflow Sleep, they probably have a treatment plan in mind and may even have added you to our system already. Getting a referral to Aeroflow Sleep from your doctor can put you a couple of steps ahead, too.

If you were referred by your doctor, log into your Aeroflow Sleep account. There, you can see the status of your order and if any information is currently missing before moving on to the next step: organizing what we need from your sleep doctor.

Aside from the obvious obligation of avoiding misspellings, misinformation, abbreviations, and illegible handwriting, Aeroflow Sleep needs four key things of every sleep doctor to place a new order:

1. Prior Office Notes

The documentation a doctor keeps during the patient’s initial visit, prior to the sleep study, lets the insurance company know that you were responsible, seeking medical help for your untreated, undiagnosed sleep disorder. It will also help tell them your clinical story should the medical necessity for CPAP therapy change throughout your sleep apnea journey.

2. The Sleep Study Results

The sleep study results, whether the test was performed in-lab or in-home, reveal whether or not you can indeed be diagnosed with sleep apnea as well as its severity. The test may also inform your doctor’s choices for prescribing, carefully selecting PAP pressures and settings that best fit your health needs and informing the insurance company when there is a medical necessity.

3. A Signed & Dated Prescription

Yes, you need a prescription to receive CPAP supplies through insurance, and the prescription itself has many requirements. For example, your doctor may suggest you use a specific type of machine; like an APAP or BiPAP. That said, what must be on every prescription is their signature and the date of signing. By doing so, a licensed medical professional is legally authorizing Aeroflow Sleep to supply your selected PAP equipment.

4. Your Demographics

This is the part you can definitely help with, as it can be submitted by either the patient or the sleep doctor. Non-clinical data—such as first & last name, birth date, email address, mailing address, etc—will be used to contact you, confirm medical insurance pricing and coverage, and fulfill your first order with Aeroflow Sleep. If a consent form is required, this will also be requested with your demographics. 

Remembering to send Aeroflow Sleep these four items will ensure a smooth CPAP setup process. Consequences of poor or incomplete documentation may include incorrect treatments, unnecessary testing, and avoidable, expensive payments. If you ask for a status update from us and any of these items are outstanding, be sure to remind your doctor what’s missing. Each can be faxed to 800-769-8365.

There are subsequent requirements you and your doctor must meet when your CPAP machine ships, because insurance companies want proof of use before they actually cover all or part of the cost of your CPAP equipment. Known as compliance, this 90-day period begins once the product leaves our warehouse and the order is deemed complete.

The part your doctor completes is the follow-up assessment; however, not all insurances require this. Ask if a face-to-face appointment with the same physician who prescribed your machine should be scheduled between Day 30 and 90. If needed, they will take a look at your compliance data, so it’s a good idea to arrive knowing where the doctor can review your therapy results. Your CPAP machine will have one of the following…

• Smart Technology: ResMed AirSense 11, for example, pairs with the myAir smartphone app and can track your progress in real time

• SD Card: Older models—like the recalled Philips Respironics Dreamstation—track your progress on a physical, pre-installed SD card

Maybe this isn’t your first CPAP machine, but it is your first order with us. Maybe you only need to replace (hypothetically) a nasal mask, water chamber, or disposable filters. Or, maybe you’re looking to switch suppliers and have become interested in Aeroflow Sleep, because we offer innovative solutions; like CPAP mask fitting and troubleshooting with clinicians.

These are all great reasons to order CPAP products from Aeroflow Sleep, and the same steps apply for you and your doctor. However, you may not be eligible for CPAP supplies in the middle of a replacement schedule. The bigger picture explains why…

How often you need to replace CPAP supplies is determined by your insurance company, so it does vary between providers. No matter which insurance company it is though, the replacement process is critical to your CPAP therapy, because your CPAP parts do deteriorate over time.

Frequent visits to your GP over sinus infections or upper respiratory infections is a tell-tale sign that you may have bacteria lingering on your CPAP mask parts. You can also take a look at your CPAP filters, humidifier, or tubing for buildup. Your sleep doctor will understand the importance of this and adhere to its needs.

Aeroflow Sleep’s recommended replacement schedule, based on general guidelines, is as follows:

So, why can’t we fulfill a replacement order off-schedule even if the doctor orders it? Let’s say you need to change CPAP tubing but received a new hose last month. Insurance will not cover the cost, and because Aeroflow Sleep provides CPAP supplies exclusively through insurance, we cannot send you a replacement tube until 3 months has passed.

Don’t worry; once you’ve joined our family, we will let you know exactly when you are due for any replacement parts via the preferred method of contact you submitted along with your demographics.

John Hopkins’ geriatric medicine physician, Dr. Alicia Arbaje found that “those who kept a personal health record enjoyed better health—perhaps because they and their caregivers could better see their health picture.” In closing, you should organize your medical records, for a sleep doctor or any doctor, because you will see the benefit of a less stressful, more streamlined approach to your healthcare. 

That’s all we want for you, and we hope that by sharing this information you (and your doctor) will soon share your information with us. After all, Aeroflow Sleep is here to support your sleep apnea journey today, tomorrow, and always.

References

Referral. HealthCare.gov; Available from: https://www.healthcare.gov/glossary/referral/. 

Gallucci-White G. Older adults find gap between health needs, available care: Senior Care Services Scale developed by Johns Hopkins researchers. [Internet]. The Daily Record; 2015. Available from: http://thedailyrecord.com/2015/10/02/older-adults-find-gap-between-health-needs-available-care/.