Liberty Oxygen and Medical Equipment is committed to providing superior customer service and offering quality products for our Minneapolis and St. Paul metro area customers. We also understand the importance of being compliant with CPAP therapy, so we chatted with Lisa Winge, CPAP Compliance Specialist and resident troubleshooting expert, where we discussed some commonly asked questions and she shares helpful information and tips.
What is sleep apnea?
Sleep apnea is an involuntary interruption in breathing that happens while the patient is sleeping. There are 3 different types of sleep apnea:
- Obstructive
- Central
- Mixed
Obstructive sleep apnea is the most common type, but what is experienced across all types is the interruption of breathing while sleeping, sometimes hundreds of times, and typically for a minute or longer.
So, you’ve been diagnosed with sleep apnea, now what?
There are options, but the most common treatment for sleep apnea is CPAP therapy. Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) is a treatment where the individual wears a mask over the nose and mouth while sleeping. The mask is connected to a small machine that is delivering continuous airflow to the nose, which in turn encourages regular breathing.
Why is it important to be compliant with CPAP therapy?
When sleeping, the airway closing “events” occur. This leads to the brain and body not getting enough oxygen. It affects the patient’s health and over time untreated sleep apnea will take a toll on the heart.
What does CPAP compliance entail? What are the standards?
The basic requirement is the patient using the machine at least 70% of the time in a month. This calculates out to using the CPAP machine 21 or more of the 30 days in any given month. A further breakdown would be using it at least 4 hours in a 24-hour period, 21 days or more in a 30-day time frame. Our patients find it helpful to use even while napping.
Initially, Liberty Oxygen will send a usage report, also referred to as a compliance download, which shows a graph with the sleep report and reflects all apneas occurring to the patient’s physician. This report is typically sent one time in the first 90 days, but the physician may request additional reports. Doctors and patients can also track the usage and apnea occurrences through an app. Some manufacturers have the technology available to track the usage by the serial number of the machine and can report this by sending the reports to an email address. Lisa will help the customer get set up with the app.
How do you serve the Liberty Oxygen customers each day?
Her job is to follow up with each patient to ensure they are meeting their compliance and the insurance company will still cover the machine. Lisa also manages the auto-ship process where customers can sign up to have their replacement masks and supplies automatically shipped on the approved timeline.
- Tubing – every 3 months
- Full mask – every 6 months
- Water chamber – every 6 months
- Nose cushion – monthly replacement
- Pillows – monthly replacement
When doing a follow up call, Lisa will see on the report if the patient is having a lot of apneas and can adjust the machine settings. Doctors will also see these reports and will change the settings themselves or send request to Liberty Oxygen to make the necessary adjustments. These changes are made remotely and will automatically sync to the machine and be updated without the patient having to stop at their doctor’s office or a Liberty Oxygen store. Lisa really enjoys working with the customers and says “I take pride in my job and the percentage of compliance our patients have. This is important to their health and I take my work and their health very seriously.”
The manufacturers make it as easy and convenient as possible to use the machine – we all want the patient to be successful in their compliance. “Many customers will comment how great they feel and wish they started using a CPAP machine years ago! Currently, our patient success rate is pretty good with a compliance rate overall in the 90% range”, said Lisa.
If a patient is struggling with their CPAP use for whatever reason, Lisa will check in more often with this individual, and get them in touch with service representatives when necessary. She will also remind the patient how great they feel when they are consistent with CPAP therapy. Lisa offers a good suggestion to even wear the CPAP mask while the individual is awake (while reading or watching TV), so the patient can get used to how it feels.
Lisa says if she doesn’t know the answer to a particular question, she will do what it takes to find it. Liberty Oxygen has great resources within their team of employees as well as the CPAP representatives they partner with.
You are also known as the troubleshooting expert. What types of problems do you solve?
Often times with the temperature changes in Minnesota, some patients may experience some issues, such as dry mouth or mask problems. Lisa is able to walk the patient through the chamber humidity adjustments or other mask fitting concerns and encourage the individual to continue with the CPAP therapy routine.
What about insurance coverage?
Lisa says every individual’s situation and insurance company are different, but she encourages the patient to be consistent. For example, some patients need a Benefit of Therapy form from Liberty Oxygen showing the patient is compliant in CPAP use and that the apneas are down. This is a form required by some insurance companies, but not all. Lisa is experienced with the ins and outs of many companies and can assist the patient with such requirements.
Additionally, the insurance company offering coverage on the CPAP equipment require compliance. Some insurance companies allow rental of the machine but others may not. When renting, it is for certain amount of time until the purchase price is met, at which time the patient owns the machine. Liberty Oxygen will manage the set-up of rental and payments through their billing department. Lisa will follow up with a patient call a few days later and at 30 days and other times as needed. She will go over compliance again as well as making sure the transition and using the equipment is going well.
Liberty Oxygen and Medical Equipment is the premier home medical equipment provider serving Minneapolis, St. Paul and the surrounding Twin Cities suburbs with quality equipment and outstanding customer service. We enable you to stay safe and live independently in your home by offering a comprehensive array of home medical equipment and oxygen supplies, including CPAP masks and accessories. The friendly staff at each of our locations is educated and experienced with the current insurance procedures and can work with your insurance company to ensure your CPAP needs are covered. Contact us today!
Lisa Winge. CPAP Compliance Specialist. Lisa began working with Liberty Oxygen and Medical Equipment as a CSR, assisting the patients with CPAP machine setup before moving to the compliance specialist role. She loves getting to know her patients and takes great pride in meeting with each individual, providing a little extra attention when necessary, and works hard to ensure consistently high compliance percentages. Lisa is a mother of two, has one grandson and enjoys camping, long walks and playing B-I-N-G-O!
Tags: CPAP, CPAP care, CPAP Masks, CPAP tips, insurance, medical equipment, medical equipment Minneapolis, medical equipment MN, medical supplies, medical supply store Minnesota, Obstructive Sleep Apnea, Sleep Apnea