Sleep Study required annually

The latest bulletin to medical examiners that came out in January removed the previous language about cpap compliance.

It is now the expert medical opinion of the treating health care professional.

Ps..to previous posters. DO NOT conceal that you are under treatment for sleep apnea when getting a DOT medical exam. It's a federal felony to conceal or misrepresentat information. If you are ever in an accident your medical records will be subpoenaed. Even if the accident wasn't your fault you risk jail time.

 

Completely false....I have a 23 inch neck 360 pounds sleep machine for 20 years no issue getting a 2 years med card zero restrictions...you may have to have the chip in your CPap read to insure your in compliance....


Captain Dave

 

Because they are on the take. It isn't in the "regulations", but only a recommendation by the DOT that if the doctor feels the subject is in need of a sleep test, to then recommend that. Where this gets goofy, is that some docs are on the take and getting kick backs from sleep study and supplier providers, and then there is always the risk of liability, after a mishap by the driver, of some enterprising lawyer coming after them if it can even be shown the driver was a prime candidate for sleep testing but the doctor didn't order one up. Just like doctors order unnecessary tests for determining other medical conditions, to cover their butts from malpractice suits in the diagnosis, the same holds true for sleep apnea thing and drivers. Welcome to the jungle.

 

I was talking to a bunch of truckers this morning about my DOT issues and this popped up, so I asked when was the last time any of us have heard someone being prosecuted for falsifying a physical?

I agree with you on some of it, but as for kick backs, I am thinking this has more with the arrogances of the medial professional than anything else. They hold the power in their hands to make or break a career or at least to make it difficult for the person. I worked with many doctors and nurses and most think that they are special when they are not. I've watch doctors scream at patients for not following their instructions and nurses screw with patients because they didn't like them.

I talked to my lawyer about this , he has doctors who are clients and have been sued. He says there is a limited liability to all of this, this is an annual exam, not a medical treatment exam where if it is mis-diagnosis, there could be a cost of a life or life long injury. The limits are simple, the doc is only limited to figuring out if you are fit to drive at that moment or possibly have an issue that risks safety in the near term, nothing more.