Why is bad CPAP support so Common?

One of the reasons it takes a long time to get accustomed to the CPAP is that the companies who provide masks and supplies seem to all have issues with organization, doing what the doctor tells them to do, etc. It's endemic and you need to look out for yourself.

If the doctor says they will make an adjustment in your unit and it "may take three days to get it changed" - call your doctor on the fourth day if it hasn't been changed and be persistent until it does get changed. They relay this info to the equipment and supply folks and those people apparently use the orders to ... well, not to follow them.

If the doctor says the will call the equipment and supply folks so you can get back in for a fitting to try a different kind of mask and that might take a week - call on that eighth day and get that fitting appointment! They never called in the timeframe they were supposed to and in the meantime my mask wasn't working.

If the doctor says the equipment folks will be sending you the supplies you need on a schedule, or if the equipment folks themselves tell you that this will happen and have you sign up for the service - get a copy of that schedule and there is a good chance the equipment folks won't have signed you up. Both companies in our area that do this work cannot keep track of doctor's orders, signed forms, appointment requests - anything. It's frustrating, but you need to be on top of them if they can't perform within the anticipated timeframe and you shouldn't let that have adverse impacts on your health, your sleep and the interaction with your CPAP, which is already a complex thing at the start. Choices of companies to support CPAP users in your area may be limited, but you can stay on them and get them to do what they've told the doctor they can and will do - you just have to watch over them for a bit.

I switched from private insurance to Medicare a couple years ago. Medicare didn't use my then current DME provider so I pulled up a list of ALL DME companies in the area and started doing research. ALL COMPANIES within a 200 mile radius had TERRIBLE reviews and feedback and many had MISERABLE BBB scores. I finally found a company that was NOT Medicare approved but they are associated with and their billing goes through another DME over 200 miles away. The local office is actually pretty decent and I have managed to received supplies through them without a hiccup for about 6 months now. I got a new machine initially when I started with them and they were happy to explain its functionality and take time with me. I doubt many others in the area where I live have been so fortunate. Take a few minutes and find out which DME companies in your area have decent reviews and feedback and will actually ship stuff to you (rather than have to fetch it yourself at their location). Bet the list is short. Not sure why the durable medical equipment business seems to be so unsavory but suspect it is because they must low ball pricing to insurance companies and then cut corners on customer service and equipment and this seems to often put them on the shady side of things.