[Equipment] Which version of Respironics System One?

[dozydave]

I have just completed a trial of the Respironics Remstar Auto and have found that my AHI levels can be kept in the low single digit range very easily with a constant pressure of 7. I am considering purchasing a bilevel or simple CPAP machine simply to save about $400 on the purchase price. (My insurance pays 80% to a max of $2000 every 5 years and they want $2,400 for an auto machine so I would be out of pocket either $400 or $800)

Can anyone convince why I should spend the extra money for all the bells and whistles?

Thanks, Dave

[PaytonA]

I have just completed a trial of the Respironics Remstar Auto and have found that my AHI levels can be kept in the low single digit range very easily with a constant pressure of 7. I am considering purchasing a bilevel or simple CPAP machine simply to save about $400 on the purchase price. (My insurance pays 80% to a max of $2000 every 5 years and they want $2,400 for an auto machine so I would be out of pocket either $400 or $800)

Can anyone convince why I should spend the extra money for all the bells and whistles?

Thanks, Dave

The normal reasons for prescribing a simple or auto bilevel machine are:

1. The patient has trouble exhaling against the provided pressure even with EPR.

2, The patient's prescribed therapeutic pressure is high. My prescribed pressure was 20 cm/H2O and I was provided with a bilevel from the git-go.

I think that it might be worth your time and money to obtain an auto machine which is only a little more expensive that the manual machines.

Best Regards,

PaytonA

[dozydave]

I have just completed a trial of the Respironics Remstar Auto and have found that my AHI levels can be kept in the low single digit range very easily with a constant pressure of 7. I am considering purchasing a bilevel or simple CPAP machine simply to save about $400 on the purchase price. (My insurance pays 80% to a max of $2000 every 5 years and they want $2,400 for an auto machine so I would be out of pocket either $400 or $800)

Can anyone convince why I should spend the extra money for all the bells and whistles?

Thanks, Dave

The normal reasons for prescribing a simple or auto bilevel machine are:

1. The patient has trouble exhaling against the provided pressure even with EPR.

2, The patient's prescribed therapeutic pressure is high. My prescribed pressure was 20 cm/H2O and I was provided with a bilevel from the git-go.

I think that it might be worth your time and money to obtain an auto machine which is only a little more expensive that the manual machines.

Best Regards,

PaytonA

Thanks for that, I should clarify that my constant pressure is 7 and it works just fine.

Dave

[Terry]

I have just completed a trial of the Respironics Remstar Auto and have found that my AHI levels can be kept in the low single digit range very easily with a constant pressure of 7. I am considering purchasing a bilevel or simple CPAP machine simply to save about $400 on the purchase price. (My insurance pays 80% to a max of $2000 every 5 years and they want $2,400 for an auto machine so I would be out of pocket either $400 or $800)

I hope your insurance is free because they're not doing anything for you.

Your copay is pretty much exactly what it costs to buy online without insurance.

[dozydave]

I have just completed a trial of the Respironics Remstar Auto and have found that my AHI levels can be kept in the low single digit range very easily with a constant pressure of 7. I am considering purchasing a bilevel or simple CPAP machine simply to save about $400 on the purchase price. (My insurance pays 80% to a max of $2000 every 5 years and they want $2,400 for an auto machine so I would be out of pocket either $400 or $800)

I hope your insurance is free because they're not doing anything for you.

Your copay is pretty much exactly what it costs to buy online without insurance.

Terry, I agree totally. My insurance is not free but I rented a machine to use in my RV for the winter down south and I'm already into them for $1,000 in rental fees that can be applied towards the purchase of a new machine. So very observant on your part but it's pretty much a wash at this point.

[quiescence at last]

other big reasons to select an automatic titrating machine:
1. so it can adjust to shifts in needs based on sickness, allergies, and position you sleep in.
2. because your needs may (and probably will) change in the space of 5 years.

QAL

[dozydave]

I'm sold on the auto machine for the reasons given by many of the responders. Thanks very much everybody for taking the time.