Posted on 11/21/2018 2:01:28 PM PST by Tilted Irish Kilt
Millions of sleep apnea patients rely on CPAP breathing machines to get a good night’s rest.
Health insurers use a variety of tactics, including surveillance, to make patients bear the costs.
Experts say it’s part of the insurance industry playbook.
Last March, Tony Schmidt discovered something unsettling about the machine that helps him breathe at night.
Without his knowledge, it was spying on him.
From his bedside, the device was tracking when he was using it and sending the information not just to his doctor,
but to the maker of the machine, to the medical supply company that provided it and to his health insurer.
(Excerpt) Read more at propublica.org ...
As many CPAP users discover, the life-altering device comes with caveats:
Health insurance companies are often tracking whether patients use them.
If they aren’t, the insurers might not cover the machines or the supplies that go with them.
Patients have been required to rent CPAPs at rates that total much more than the retail price of the devices,
or they’ve discovered that the supplies would be substantially cheaper
if they didn’t have insurance at all.
“The doctors and providers are not in control of medicine anymore,” said Harry Lawrence,
owner of Advanced Oxy-Med Services, a New York company that provides CPAP supplies.
“It’s strictly the insurance companies. They call the shots.”(Emphasis Mine)
If they aren't using them they should stop making the insurance company pay for them.
In fact, I had to go into the hospital in early 2000 and I had to bring my CPAP with me. The hospital equipment tech had to examine it, then put a sticker on it that read "Y2K Compliant."
I never buy or rent equipment from a doctors office.
So much cheaper getting it yourself.
“I had no idea they were sending my information across the wire.”
The company who supplied my CPAP machine was very clear on who was getting the data and who had authority to change its settings. I get usage report emails from my local provider and they are no doubt getting the data from a server that is run by the manufacturer (or whoever they contract operations to).
Schmidt must not be much of an “IT specialist” if he doesn’t understand these things.
Shut off your WiFi router before going to bed.
Problem solved.
ProPublica is to the left of everyone, but this is a good report.
Unless you log the machine into your WiFi how would that help?
My daughter’s has a cellular modem in it.
I kinda figured if we and the doc could get the info so could the insurance company.
But blocking wifi does nothing. We even got data from it when she was tent camping in the middle of no where.
The one my wife uses is not WiFi, it's cellular. The insurance company required a certain percentage of use for the first year. The usage is still tracked by the doctor, but not the insurance company.
They're cellular, not WiFi. Both the doctor and insurance company were very up front about the use and monitoring requirements.
Which is why I now buy my supplies from online sources. Guess I need to figure out how to break into the machine and disable the radio before it reports me to the sleepstapo.
I’ve had one for a couple of years or more.
Other than the manufacturer bugging about new and overpriced parts, not a peep from insurance or the specialty clinic.
It has made such a difference. I had no idea that I was so messed up.
Creepy, though yes, most people I know who have got them seldom use them. And I am yet to meet someone who has been evaluated on sleep who hasn’t been told they need one!
I agree about ProPublica
The crux of the article is about electronic devises
but the more serious concern is about the mark up of medical devices by intermediaries and insurance companies.
This would include insurance rental mark up of knee braces, hearing aids, walkers, wheelchairs, lift chairs, and a lot of other medical devices
until you run up expenses beyond your "Donut Hole", and are then personally financially responsible
for these exorbitant medical insurance expenses.
It happens !
I am surprised that this supposed IT specialist did not think that his machine was reporting back.
After the first year you can disable the reporting if you feel the need to do so.
That was part of the agreement when I got mine. The doctor’s staff, insurance papers, and provider all pointed it out multiple times.
Most of the newer models have as cell connection.
Insurance companies are now also offering $25.00 Apple iWatches, as well.
I told hubby that it’s to monitor heart rate. Etc.
They’ve come out with so many new health monitoring apps, for iwatch.
I bet within a few years, insurance companies will mandate fitbits or iWatch, for coverage.
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