CPAP Prescription
Submit your prescription for masks and machines
A prescription is required for a CPAP mask, humidifier or machine purchase. Download our interactive CPAP prescription form, complete your physician’s information, equipment and pressure settings and send us your prescription. Alternatively, please submit your physician information and we can collect the prescription on your behalf. Please remember to create an account while ordering your CPAP products so that future orders have your prescription information already loaded.
Who can write CPAP prescriptions?
- Medical doctors
- Doctor of Osteopathy
- Psychiatrist (MD only)
- Physician assistant
- Nurse practitioner
- Dentist
- Naturopathic physicians
For the most part a prescription may be filled out by any MD or DO licensed to write Rx. However, the scripts are almost always based on the recommendations of the interpreting physician. It is always best to have a prescription from a board certified sleep specialist.
How long is my prescription good for?
How long a prescription is valid for depends on the duration that the prescribing physician recommends. Most PAP prescriptions are filled out for a lifetime prescription.
However, if a prescription notes a specific number of refills, the prescription will only be valid until that number has been reached.
If a prescription notes an expiration date, the prescription is only valid until that date.
If a prescription expires, a new sleep study will be necessary to obtain a new CPAP prescription.
Why do I need a prescription?
Under federal law, medical devices are categorized into 3 classes–class I, II, or III- based on their risks and the regulatory controls necessary to provide a reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Medical devices are categorized into 3 classes–class I, II, or III- based on their risks and the regulatory controls necessary to provide a reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness.
CPAP devices are considered a Class II Medical Device , and as such require a prescription for distribution.
There are a couple of reasons why a prescription is necessary to purchase CPAP medical equipment:
- Insurances require a prescription to cover payments. Without a prescription they will not pay for equipment.
- Prescriptions come with a set pressure setting based on results of the sleep study. A machine cannot be adequately set without pressure settings. Pressure settings should only ever be determined by a board certified sleep specialist’s interpretation of the sleep study.
- Without a prescription that includes pressure settings based on the patient’s apnea/hypopnea index (AHI) and lowest oxygen saturation (SaO2), patients may not receive the best care. Inadequate settings can be harmful to a patient’s health.
How Do I get a CPAP prescription?
The first thing you need to do is have a sleep study. In order to obtain a prescription, a sleep study is necessary to confirm a diagnosis of sleep apnea. Patients can opt to have an attended sleep study at a sleep clinic (Polysomnogram/PSG), or an unattended sleep study at home (Home Sleep Test/HST).
Patients that have a HST cannot get a CPAP device (unless a follow-up titration is completed).
Attended titration studies are much more detailed and can find the exact pressure needed for CPAP therapy.
After a sleep study, a board certified sleep physician interprets the study and recommends the pressure settings on the device based on the patient’s AHI and the lowest oxygen saturation (SaO2) percentage. The sleep physician can either write the prescription or forward the prescription recommendations to a licensed medical professional.
How do I get my CPAP equipment if I have a prescription?
Just place your Fisher & Paykel device order and send us your prescription so we can dispense your product. You may also contact the prescribing physician, and have them send the prescription to the us, or you can provide us with your physician’s contact information so we can contact him or her on your behalf.
Please submit documentation here. Do not forget to include your name and order #