CPAP / BPAP Compliance Tracking
Monitoring whether sleep therapy patients are using their CPAP or BPAP device for the minimum hours required to maintain Medicare coverage.
CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) and BPAP (Bilevel Positive Airway Pressure) devices are prescribed for obstructive sleep apnea. Medicare requires a compliance check 31–91 days into therapy: the patient must be using the device at least 4 hours per night on 70% of nights to continue receiving reimbursement.
For HME suppliers, the compliance window creates a documentation and follow-up workflow. If the patient is non-compliant, Medicare will not pay for continued rental, and the supplier must retrieve the equipment. Tracking which unit was placed with which patient, when the compliance window opens, and what the outcome was is an operational necessity.
CPAP units are also high-recirculation items. After retrieval, each unit requires full reprocessing — humidifier cleaning, hose replacement, filter check, and functional verification — before it can be placed with a new patient. Some states have additional infection-control requirements for CPAP reprocessing given the respiratory pathway.
Serialized tracking ensures a complete chain of custody: which patient had which unit, when it was placed, when retrieved, and the full reprocessing record before re-placement.