Which Sleep Centers Prescribe Bilevel?
In helping my sleep coaching clients, this question comes up regularly. Until now, I always inform individuals to ask two questions to possible sleep center staff in their locales:
Do you make the diagnosis of UARS in some patients?
Do you prescribe bilevel type devices?
Obviously some individuals only need to ask question #2.
Two weeks ago, I discovered a new and potentially effective way to garner this information. Without revealing any names, please consider that the largest distributor of PAP devices is ResMed. That means if you could find the ResMed sales representative in your state (or have someone at a local DME make the call for you), you could ask the sales rep which sleep centers are prescribing bilevel.
When I spoke to my contact, he was surprised by the report I’m receiving from clients that so few centers seem to be prescribing bilevel. Nonetheless, he gave me hope that this prescription pattern is changing and that ResMed sales reps for various states or clusters of states might have this info.
I know it may not be easy to track down, but this resource probably has some information of high value regarding bilevel prescribing patterns broken down by sleep centers and possibly sleep doctors.