DirectHomeMedical Prescription Items Policies

In compliance with current FDA requlations, DirectHomeMedical requires a prescription for selected items sold on this site including CPAP and BiLevel Machines, CPAP Masks, Humidifiers, Provent Therapy, and Oxygen Concentrators. Prescriptions are NOT required for a wide range of other items including replacement parts such as headgear, tubing, filters, mask parts, machine parts, comfort accessories, and other supplies.

HOW WILL I KNOW IF I NEED A PRESCRIPTION FOR MY ORDER?
If a prescription is required for an item in your order our shipping cart will inform you of the requirement and ask you how the prescription will be provided.

HOW CAN I SEND YOU MY PRESCRIPTION?
If a prescription is required for your order, it may be faxed to 603-386-6277, emailed to rx@directhomemedical.com, or mailed to DirectHomeMedical, 142 Lowell Road Suite 17-392, Hudson NH 03051. If you are unable to obtain a copy of your prescription we're always happy to contact your doctor and request the prescription on your behalf.

DO I HAVE TO SEND A NEW PRESCRIPTION EVERY TIME I ORDER?
Once we have your prescription on file we will keep it for all future orders so there is no need to send a new prescription every time you order. If we have your prescription on file please select the "Prescription On File" option when placing your order online.

DO I NEED A NEW PRESCRIPTION OR WILL MY OLD ONE DO?
In general prescriptions for CPAP and Oxygen therapy are valid for life so your prescription will qualify regardless of how old it is. If you are unsure if your prescription is valid we would be happy to review it to ensure that it meets current FDA guidelines for purchase.

WHAT SHOULD BE ON MY PRESCRIPTION?
Prescriptions are generally provided on your doctor's prescription pad, office letterhead, or printed prescription form. All prescriptions must contain your doctor's signature, your doctor's contact information, the patient's full name, and a description of the therapy prescribed (see examples).

Click here to download an easy to fill out prescription form in PDF format.

• Provent Therapy Prescriptions - Should contain one of the following words or phrases: Provent, Provent Therapy, Proven EPAP, Provent SR (Standard Resistance), etc. Prescriptions for CPAP or BiPAP therapy are NOT valid for the purchase of Provent. Provent HR (High Resistance) has been discontinued by the manufacturer and so Provent HR prescriptions are no longer valid for the purchase of Provent.
  
  
• Oxygen Concentrator Prescriptions - Should specify either the concentrator name and/or whether Continuous Flow or Pulse Dose Therapy is required. Some portable oxygen concentrators will only deliver Pulse Dose oxygen. A prescription for Continuous Flow oxygen would not be valid for the purchase of a Pulse Dose only concentrator.
  
  
• Mask Prescriptions - Should contain one of the following words or phrases: CPAP Mask, BiPAP Mask, CPAP Supplies, BiPAP Supplies, BiLevel Mask, APAP Mask, CPAP, Continuous Positive Airway Pressure, APAP, Auto-CPAP, AutoSet, Auto Adjusting CPAP, BiPAP, BiLevel, BiPAP Auto, VPAP, VPAP ST, BiPAP ST, etc.
  
  
• CPAP Prescriptions - Should contain the following words or phrases: CPAP, Continuous Positive Airway Pressure, or something similar. If your doctor would like us to preset your system to a specific pressure that should be specified as well. Samples of typical CPAP pressure notations would be 10, 10CM, 12CM H2O, 16, 17CM, 17CM H2O, etc.
  
  
• APAP / Auto-CPAP Prescriptions - Should contain the following words or phrases: Auto-CPAP, AutoPAP, APAP, AutoSet, Auto Adjusting CPAP, CPAP, Continuous Positive Airway Pressure, or something similar. In addition if your doctor would like us to set the system to a specific pressure range that should be specified as well. Samples of typical APAP pressure range notations would be 4-10, 4-10CM, 14-18CM H2O, 12-17, 4-8CM, etc.
  
  
• BiPAP / BiLevel Prescriptions - Should contain the following words or phrases: BiPAP, BiLevel, VPAP, or something similar. In addition if your doctor would like us to set the system to specific pressures that should be specified as well. BiPAP pressures are specified as two numbers: Inspiration or IPAP and Expiration or EPAP. Examples of typical BiPAP pressure notations would be IPAP 10 EPAP 4, 10/4CM, IPAP 18 EPAP 6, 18/6, etc.
  
  
• Auto-BiPAP / Auto-BiLevel Prescriptions - Should contain the following words or phrases: BiPAP Auto, Auto-BiPAP, BiLevel, VPAP, or something similar. In addition if your doctor would like us to set the system to specific pressure ranges that should be specified as well.
  
  
• Humidifier Prescriptions - Should contain one of the following words or phrases: CPAP Humidifier, BiLevel Humidifier, BiPAP Humidifier, Heated Humidifier, HH, CPAP Supplies, BiPAP Supplies, BiLevel Humidifier, APAP HH, CPAP, Continuous Positive Airway Pressure, APAP, Auto-CPAP, AutoSet, Auto Adjusting CPAP, BiPAP, BiLevel, BiPAP Auto, VPAP, VPAP ST, BiPAP ST, etc.
  
  
• BiPAP ST / BiLevel ST Prescriptions - Prescriptions for these systems MUST include the ST or Backup Rate notation. They contain the following words or phrases: BiPAP ST, BiLevel ST, VPAP ST, BiPAP with Backup Rate, or something similar. In addition if your doctor would like us to set the system to specific pressures and/or Backup Rates (BPM) that should be specified as well.
  
  
• BiPAP Auto SV Prescriptions - Should contain the following words or phrases: BiPAP SV, VPAP SV, VPAP Adapt, BiPAP Servo Ventilation, BiPAP Adapt SV, or something similar. Prescriptions for SV systems MUST include IPAP and EPAP settings and may include Backup Rate (BPM) settings as well.
  
  

DOES MY PRESCRIPTION HAVE TO BE FROM A US DOCTOR?
No, if your primary residence is in a foreign country and you have a prescription from your doctor in that country it should be valid for your purchase as long as it meets the requirements outlined above. If you are unsure if your prescription is valid we would be happy to review it to ensure that it meets current FDA guidelines for purchase. We are only authorized to sell and ship Respironics and ResMed masks and machines to end-users residing in the United States with a prescription from a U.S. doctor.

DOES MY PRESCRIPTION HAVE TO BE IN ENGLISH?
No. In most cases we can accept prescriptions written in any language. In certain circumstances we may require a certified translation be provided in English. We will inform you, after reviewing your prescription, if this is the case.

I HAVE ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS ABOUT PRESCRIPTION REQUIREMENTS
If you have additional questions about our prescription requirements please contact us using the information at the upper right of this page and we'll be happy to help.