Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) Devices are covered only if you have Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA).
Medicare requires that you first meet with your physician or healthcare provider to discuss your symptoms and risk factors for Obstructive Sleep Apnea.
After meeting with your doctor or healthcare provider, you must then have an overnight sleep study performed in a sleep laboratory or through a special, in-home sleep test to establish a qualifying diagnosis of Obstructive Sleep Apnea.
Your doctor or healthcare provider may then prescribe a CPAP to treat your obstructive sleep apnea. Medicare will initially cover a three month trial of this equipment. Medicare will also pay for replacement masks, tubing and other necessary supplies as prescribed by your doctor or healthcare provider.
If during your sleep study (or during your trial period) the CPAP device is not working for you, or if you cannot tolerate the CPAP machine, your doctor or healthcare provider may prescribe a different device called a Bi-Level or a Respiratory Assist Device, and Medicare can consider this for coverage as well.
After the first three months of use, you will be required to verify if you are benefiting from using the device and how many hours a day you are using the machine. Per Medicare, a follow-up face-to-face visit with your physician or healthcare provider is required to document an improvement of your symptoms no sooner than 31 days and no later than 91 days from the set-up date. Data is typically downloaded from your sleep equipment and must be provided to your doctor or healthcare provider during this follow-up visit to document that the machine has been used consistently for at least 4 hours per night on 70% of nights during a 30-day consecutive period.
Talk with your supplier if you are having problems adjusting to the therapy or using the equipment every night. There are a lot of variations that can make the therapy more comfortable for you.
CPAPs and Bi-Levels are considered capped rental items, and that means they cannot be purchased outright. You will own the equipment after Medicare makes 13 payments toward the purchase of the equipment.
Depending on which product is ordered, your supplier may not be able to deliver this product to you without a written order or certificate of medical necessity from your doctor or healthcare provider, nor can they get the documentation at a later date because if they do, Medicare can never make payment for those products to you or your supplier. So please be patient with your supplier while they collect the required documentation from your physician or healthcare provider.
** Some or all of the products in this category may be subject to competitive bidding depending on where you live. Ask your supplier for details.