We
offer CPAP and BiLevel equipment from the top four manufacturers –
ResMed, Respironics, Puritan Bennett and Fisher & Paykel.
CPAPs
We
believe that the development of data-collecting models offers an
important window into the health and well-being of our
patients. We want to
make sure that all our patients can take advantage of this
capability, so lesser-capable models are simply not available at
SomniHealth. These high-end devices are sold at no additional cost to the
patient. For three of the four manufacturers (ResMed,
Respironics, and Puritan Bennett), this means auto-adjusting
CPAP. Auto-Adjust models measure your breathing throughout the
night and adjust the pressure delivered within a range prescribed by
your physician. If your physician feels you are better off
with standard CPAP, we simply set the device to perform just as a
standard CPAP does, i.e. delivering a fixed pressure
throughout the night. The advantage to you as a patient is
that if it turns out that you are having a problem adapting to
sleeping with CPAP, your doctor may decide that you should give
auto-adjust, which is acknowledged to be more comfortable, a
try. Other Durable Medical Equipment providers would have no
choice but to sell you another device, even though your insurance
company will generally only pay for one device every five
years. At SomniHealth, we can simply change the settings
on your existing device and you're ready to go.
Fisher & Paykel's deluxe CPAP is unique in
the market. Fisher & Paykel strongly feels that the key to
comfort with CPAP lies in proper humidification. The Sleep
Series HC604 provides an unprecedented level of heated
humidification in your home with a large capacity reservoir and a
heated tube. This special tube prevents annoying condensation
from developing, giving you greater moisture and comfort.
Not sure which is best for you? That's why
you should come to SomniHealth! We'll let you see each model,
we'll discuss the differences between them and evaluate your
lifestyle factors that can help make the best decision. For
example, do you like to go camping where there is no
electricity? If so, you'd better be sure you get a model which
can run on battery power.
Read about SomniHealth's "Try Before You Buy"
Plan that lets you get a one-week test drive before you
purchase. 
BiLevels
BiLevels deliver two distinct pressures - an
inhalation pressure and a lighter exhilarating pressure. They
are prescribed for patients for a variety of reasons. If
there is no underlying medical condition other than sleep apnea,
your insurance may require you to try and fail with CPAP before they
will pay for a BiLevel. If you strongly believe you will need
a BiLevel, but your physician wants you to be be on CPAP, at least
initially, it may make sense to purchase a BiLevel which is set by
SomniHealth to perform just like a CPAP. Later, once the need
for BiLevel is established, your physician can give you a
prescription allowing SomniHealth to unlock the BiLevel capabilities
of your device.
SomniHealth keeps on top of the latest
developments in therapies for treating sleep apnea, and we are proud
to offer the new BiPAP Auto from Respironics. This
groundbreaking device is a BiLevel which has auto-adjust
capabilities. It measures your breathing patterns while you
sleep and adjusts the pressure up and down throughout the night,
only giving you as much pressure as is required to keep your airway
open. For patients whose prescriptions call for high
pressures, this device is a breakthrough in comfort.
Not sure which is best for you? That's why
you should come to SomniHealth! We'll let you see each model,
we'll discuss the differences between them and evaluate your
lifestyle factors that can help make the best
decision. Do you travel frequently? If so, the
smallest and lightest BiLevel may be the one for you. The
Puritan Bennett GoodKnight 425 BiLevel weighs only one and a half
pounds and is ideal for the frequent traveller. While it can
be used as your primary device, true road warriors love to keep it
as a second travelling unit, so it can be pre-packed and ready to go
to the airport for those early morning flights.
Read about SomniHealth's "Try Before You Buy" Plan that let's you
get a one-week test drive before you purchase.
Masks
Your face is unique. Finding the most
comfortable mask to work with your CPAP or BiLevel is no easy
task. Nose shape and nostril size are only two of several
factors used to pick the best mask for each patient. Sleep
position and the type of pillow(s) used are also important in
determining which mask will stay on throughout the night with little
or no leakage of air.
We encourage our patients to come to
SomniHealth's office in Alameda for a custom mask
consultation. We carry a wide variety of masks in all sizes,
and we can also special-order masks for you if needed. In our
consultation room, you can lie down while wearing demonstration
masks to evaluate what they feel like in the positions you sleep,
rather than while sitting upright in a chair.
No matter how many masks you try, there is no
substitute for actually sleeping while wearing one. That is
why SomniHealth is proud of its
mask exchange policy,
which allows limitless no-cost exchanges on masks for one month
until the one that works is found.
Hard-to-Find Accessories
As CPAP users ourselves, SomniHealth is
constantly seeking out new products that can make the difference
between a fitful night fighting with CPAP gear and a restful night
of sleep. Most DME’s
restrict the products they offer to those which are considered
reimbursable by their ultimate customers, the insurance
companies. At
SomniHealth, our customers are the patients themselves, and
insurance coding for new, innovative items are of no concern to us
or our patients. In our
showroom, patients will find:
- PAPillows – specialty pillows shaped so
as to avoid mask leaks.
- Tubing Covers – designed to insulate
tubing from cooler room air and thus prevent
condensation.
- Hose Buddy – an adjustable arm that
keeps the six-foot tube above the patient and out of the way,
without restricting movement.
- Power Failure Alarm – sounds a smoke
detector-like alert during a power failure to wake the patient and
prevent rebreathing of CO2.
- …and several other innovative products
currently under evaluation
| 
