More on Portable Home Testing and Auto-CPAP

In response to a reader who emailed regarding my predictions of cpap vs. auto-cpap useage:

I don't think that APAP will entirely replace CPAP, but its marketshare will increase somewhat. This will be good for Respironics/RESmed, and bad for the durable medical equipment companies (DME's are reimbursed the same for cpap/auto-cpap machines and therefore there is a higher profit margin on the regular cpap machines for the DME companies). APAP will be prescribed in certain rural areas of the country by some primary care docs. After diagnosing a patient with portable home testing, they will tend to prescribe an auto-cpap machine rather than refer their patients to a sleep lab for a cpap titration. This will have little economic effect on the primary care doc, they will do this to maintain control of the process and maintain their independence from sleep labs. Some primary care docs, especially family practitioners in rural areas, take pride in being able to handle most problems themselves rather than referring to specialists.