Profile For Randy T.

Hey Rick, that's a little more specific. It sounds like you have some first hand experience on something ... things that make you go hummm....

Honestly, I hear that some, but not everyday. I would say that most of the truckers I run test for are upset. They aren't upset with me and they know sleep apnea is nothing to ignore. They are just upset at one more thing they are being told to do. They are upset at new rules, taxes, people wanting money here, there, everywhere, it's always something. I understand they are ****ed and frustrated, I understood that when I came on this forum.

That's why I'm here, I said I can help and I will. Nobody wants to lose their job and nobody wants you to lose your job. Well, not on my side anyway, we just do the test.

We have the lowest prices, period. If a company is telling you testing is required and you have to pay for it, give me a call, we will do our best to help you. Heck, give me some information and I will be glad to speak with any physician or company representative associated with this type of testing.

www.rpmhst.com

^^^^

And in this vein, a lot of people consider the whole "sleep apnea" thing to be a scam/profit center.

CPAP machines with data card monitoring, go for like $350 and up.

And bunches of folks with "borderline BMI" numbers, feel like they're being taken advantage of, by being forced into a sleep study, and potentially being permanently labeled in the industry as an OSA sufferer.

One of the earlier posters, being 5'8"/285lbs - is probably a good candidate for having OSA.

When I was 5'5"/300 lbs - I slept horribly. At 200 lbs, I sleep like a baby, but my BMI is 33.2 (depending on whose calculator you use).

Not sure what the "current number" for BMI triggers a sleep study at Prime (or others) currently.

The flipside is - if you have the risk factors and actually HAVE OSA - we've heard from folks here that getting on a CPAP machine and getting RESTFUL SLEEP has changed their lives.

Rick

Hey Rick, a don't think "a lot" of people consider sleep apnea to be a scam, but you always have some doubters. There will always be a difference of opinion. I think lawyers are a rip off, but I'm not a lawyer. You have good cops and bad cops, honest homeless people and crooked rice people.

The only thing I can say is I've been doing sleep for 14 years and sleep apnea is a very real and significant disorder which should not be ignored.

$350 for a cpap machine is to low. We sell ours for $600 and thats a low ball price for a name brand product. If someone offers you a cpap machine for $350 you need to walk away, you are about to be ripped off.

The BMI thing is for guidance and probability. The higher the BMI the higher the probability of testing positive for sleep apnea. Unfortunately we cannot look at weight and say "yep, you got sleep apnea because your overweight". If we could do that we wouldn't need test. In the sleep lab I have seen numerous overweight people test negative for sleep apnea, and just as many skinny, underweight people have tested positive for severe sleep apnea. You see, obstructive sleep apnea occurs from the neck up, so if you have a skinny neck to go with the beer belly, you may be fine. But if you have a deviated septum, enlarged tonsils, large tongue, large teeth, abnormal bone structure... it don't matter how skinny your are, you probably can't breath to good.

Not only do I test people I also use cpap, yes it does work.

My concern is that a doctor isn't going to say "You need to be tested so go get tested wherever you like and let us know how it goes". The trucking companies normally have their own doctors they use for their physicals and those doctors would normally have their own clinics or technicians they are using for sleep apnea testing. I don't think a driver is really going to have a choice when it comes to the type of testing they get done and where it gets done.

Any thoughts on that?

Correct, most doctors already have information on home sleep testing so they typically "stay in the rut". Physicians will use the same company they have always used to perform test. Bottom line, the doctor will not shop around for you. However, for the most part, physicians want to work with and satisfy their patients. So if YOU, the customer gives the physician some information on where you want to have the test performed, they will have no issues with that. Actually, that's a Federal Law if I'm not mistaken, you have the right to receive testing and treatment wherever you chose.

That's why I make it easy for the patient and the physician, everybody hates paperwork, so I did the paperwork for them. On my website there is a referral form anyone can download and print. The patient can take one with them to the doctor and say "this is where I want to get my home sleep test from". All the doctor has to do is sign it. If the doctor is nice they will fill in some of the other blanks also. Then the patient or the doctor can fax or email it back to us. That's it, we take it from there.

I provide Home Sleep Apnea testing and I came to this website looking for information on trucking companies, particular interest in truck driving schools. With recent feedback from some of the truckers I have performed test on, and reviewing information on pending legislative reviews on sleep apnea and the transportation industry, it just seemed reasonable this would be an area where individuals could benefit from my services.

No need to hide the elephant in the blog, we all work for a living. Yes, I provide a service and no, you do not have to use my service to get answers to questions.

I've been in sleep medicine for 14yrs and yes, sleep apnea testing is becoming more and more a big deal with transportation. But, without uniform regulations and directives, individual companies and physicians are setting their on rules/guidelines. Not only can I help you navigate this mess, I can help you stay compliant if you do have sleep apnea.

After reviewing some of the comments on this blog, I will just make some statements which may cover questions already asked.

Home sleep apnea testing is accepted as per the DOT recommendations.

The DOT has recommendations concerning sleep apnea screening, but being screened for sleep apnea is not a law, yet.

How you are tested, or where you are tested, may be dictated by the doctor, it really depends on the doctor you are visiting. If you are seeing a primary care physician, they usually have no ties to sleep medicine and will simply order the test, you can get the test anywhere you want to. With the exception being if they are affiliated with a group. If you go to Flattop Physicians group and that group is part of Flattop hospital, you will probably be referred to that hospital for sleep testing. But you may still be able to go somewhere else.

If you go to a specialist for sleep, such as a ENT, Neurologist or Pulmonologist, there is a higher probability they are directly associated with a sleep lab. Directly associated as in owner of the lab, medical director of the lab, or possible owner of a cpap company, or all of the above. They are effectively running one stop shops. That can be good or bad, depends on the person.

If you company is requiring the test for sleep apnea, they may pay for it and if needed, may cover the cost of any therapy as needed. Or they may not.

What can I tell you about getting tested for sleep apnea? Shop around. Don't take the first thing that comes along. Going into a sleep lab for overnight testing can be very, very expensive, over $1000. And most doctor do not require you to go into a sleep lab, they will do home sleep testing.

My company offers home sleep testing for only $200. Give me a call, 843-771-0220.

My company offers cpap compliance monitoring at no cost. We provide the reports you need to keep your job.

I am not a doctor, I am a registered sleep technologist. I started my own company the same way a trucker would start his. I put in my time working for the doctors, saved up, and moved forward. If I run a home sleep test for you, I pay the doctor a flat fee to provide me a signed interpretation/report of the test. The physician does not get anything other than a flat fee, doesn't matter if you test positive or negative.

I also offer the cpap therapy machines if you do test positive, so I am a one stop shop, but with a twist. As stated, I am a sleep tech with a company, the physican does not benefit or receive any additional monies other than the flat fee for his review/report.

Look us up on line, www.rpmhst.com

Thanks