Anyone else have any suggestions? This is already proving to be a huge pain.

I went with Roberts Home Medical in Germantown despite the terrible reviews online, because I wanted the insurance coverage. (I figured if that didn't work I could always switch to buying one out-of-pocket.) It was a long drive for me (and if you're going to be too late for your appointment, there's no way to reschedule day-of, since there's no human scheduler to call on-site). My CPAP fitter did her job, though, and got me a machine that has been working well over these first few months so far. Supposedly I'll automatically get resupplies (maybe every six months)?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does it not matter then if it’s a local company? I was under the impression it should be somewhere close by because I’ll need to go in person?

The only reason in person matters is to try different masks and perhaps hear how loud the machine is. PP’s are correct on how lousy many insurances are on CPAP coverage. I paid more rent to own for my first one than for the subsequent ones I’ve bought, but they came to the house and got me into a mask that worked right away.

Other than that, online vendors are way more convenient.

NP, but I think you're supposed to have it inspected once a year, at least at Lincare.

Anonymous wrote:Does it not matter then if it’s a local company? I was under the impression it should be somewhere close by because I’ll need to go in person?

The only reason in person matters is to try different masks and perhaps hear how loud the machine is. PP’s are correct on how lousy many insurances are on CPAP coverage. I paid more rent to own for my first one than for the subsequent ones I’ve bought, but they came to the house and got me into a mask that worked right away.

Other than that, online vendors are way more convenient.

Does it not matter then if it’s a local company? I was under the impression it should be somewhere close by because I’ll need to go in person?

Anonymous wrote:Timely thread! I need a CPAP too but the durable medical equipment place my doctor referred me to seems like a scam. I have high deductible insurance and they are saying I can only rent, not even rent to own, with my insurance. They said that insurance wouldn’t cover a purchase until I used one compliantly for 10 years. I think I’ll look into renting one for a month to two to see how I like it (have already met my deductible for this year), then purchase one online.

Any recommendations for good websites to purchase from? I’m a NP by the way.

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Generally I hate Reddit, but the cpap forum is perfect for this. You won’t even need to post—plenty of folks in your position have asked about this so lots of good info there.

Quality DME Inc. They have an actual location in NoVA, so when I couldn’t adjust to my first mask I was able to go there in person and try a bunch on and figure out what would work for me. I’m a cpap success story, but without that in person try on, it would have been a lot harder. Also, the Zoom orientation I had when I got my machine was great.

Anonymous wrote:I like Quality DME in VA. I think you can have it shipped and to a tele appointment but I went in. They’re all very nice and helpful.

My dh uses them too.

I like Quality DME in VA. I think you can have it shipped and to a tele appointment but I went in. They’re all very nice and helpful.

Timely thread! I need a CPAP too but the durable medical equipment place my doctor referred me to seems like a scam. I have high deductible insurance and they are saying I can only rent, not even rent to own, with my insurance. They said that insurance wouldn’t cover a purchase until I used one compliantly for 10 years. I think I’ll look into renting one for a month to two to see how I like it (have already met my deductible for this year), then purchase one online.

Any recommendations for good websites to purchase from? I’m a NP by the way.

I picked up a ResMed 11 on cpap.com for about a thousand bucks last year. It's one of the auto adjusting ones. I got the prescription from my PCP, scanned it to cpap.com, and paid out-of-pocket. Having insurance pay for it would have required going through another sleep study, and I wasn't going to put myself through that.

I'd previously managed to keep my old one going for about 15 years. The motor broke down once and I found another model just like it on craigslist, bought it, and cannibalized the parts to get mine going again.

Good luck.

Where did you get your CPAP machine from? My doctor provided me with a list of possible DME companies, but they’re all far away, although I’m not clear if that matters (do they come to you? Or just ship it?). I have no idea if one place is better than another. I would love a recommendation for a good place to get a CPAP machine. Located in close-in Montgomery County, MD. Thanks.