Sleep Medicine Group

I had forgotten all about my old review until I received an email from a guy in Hawaii asking for an update. So now updating my review:
Appliance:
As for the oral appliance, from the beginning, I’ve had to deal with significant jaw pain on one side. The pain would start out lasting an hour or two, but then building to where it didn’t go away at all. I would then have to discontinue using the appliance for a couple weeks until the pain resolved and then try using the appliance again. I’ve gone through this several times.
Throughout this past year, the staff, including both doctors, (yes, not MD’s as some have mentioned) has been very pleasant and helpful and willing to make adjustments in an effort to alleviate my jaw pain. They didn’t just brush off my pain but took it seriously. Unfortunately, the pain has continued. It’s been very frustrating but I guess some people just have uncooperative jaws!
This past month, I transitioned from the fused mouthpiece to the mouthpiece with bands. Dr. Joe waived the $ 100 lab fee which was nice. From the beginning, the doctors have cautioned that the results are not usually as good with the bands which is why they don’t start off with them. Be that as it may, I have found the banded appliance to be much more comfortable and less claustrophobic and am glad to have switched. Unfortunately, it did not alleviate my jaw pain. Within the first couple of days, the pain returned.
At this point, I don’t think I can wear the appliance consistently, which is very unfortunate. But I’m not giving up yet! I’m wearing it every other day to see if giving my jaw a day’s rest will keep the pain at bay. At least I’ll have 50% improved sleep. On a positive note, the appliance actually does work very well. I was skeptical at first, but I can tell a difference in my energy levels when I wear the appliance and notice that I’m not yawning all afternoon.
Billing:
To date, I have not received a bill! I’ve asked several times for copies of the billings but have been told by SMG that the bill was submitted to my insurance company and that their policy does not allow them to provide bills to their patients — very strange indeed! I did pay $ 900 out of pocket and have paid $ 20.00 each time I went into the clinic — about 6 times total so have paid a total of $ 1020 to date. I have no idea what my insurance has paid so far and that’s something I need to research.
As someone else mentioned, I too have excellent insurance. I was told by SMG that they would be billing my insurance for $ 5000 but that my insurance, PacificSource, would only pay a maximum of $ 500. Despite the fact that I had a pre-​approval letter from PacificSource for up to $ 5000, I was told I would still need to pay $ 900 upfront. It does seem very expensive but I did notice on their website that the dentist is the CEO of Comfort Acrylics, the appliance manufacturer and co-​inventor of the appliance, so there are reasons things are expensive!
Despite the billing concerns and my jaw pain, I would still encourage anyone with sleep apnea to try this product. I tried the CPAP and although my results were excellent, I was still tired because although I wasn’t waking up from lack of oxygen, the appliance was so bothersome I was waking up from it! I’m not sure why insurance companies don’t pay for the mouth appliance like they do CPAP, but that means this appliance will have a high out of pocket cost. So be prepared. For me, if I could wear the appliance every day, I wouldn’t care about the $ 1000. It’d be worth every penny to not be so exhausted every day and have some energy!
I’d like to hear from anyone who has experienced significant jaw pain from wearing this appliance and what you did to resolve the pain or if you found that ultimately you could not wear the appliance.
Thanks!

I am a 26 year old truck driver who (until a couple months ago) struggled with sleep. My girlfriend would complain about my snoring at night. I would wake up at least five days a week, feeling tired still. Sometimes I even had more than eight hours of sleep! I hear these commercials about Sleep Medicine Group on the radio, and their mention of a mouthpiece that would help with snoring. I really didn’t want to wear a CPAP mask, so I gave them a call and they were able to fit me in within a week. I had a consultation with Dr. Zelk who sent me home with a take home sleep test. It’s pretty much a large watch that holds on to a couple fingers and sends a wire up to your neck. No biggie. I went in the next day and Amy (the courteous receptionist) took the device and said that we would review it shortly. Almost before I could sit down in the lobby, I was greeted by Kenny (My tech that has helped me at all my appointments) who walked me through the results of the sleep test which were very thorough. A mild case of sleep apnea was discovered and after a dental examination, they pitched the dental piece that would change my life. They went over my insurance company’s contribution and I only had to pay my standard copay. Dr. Zelk and his team are very nice and the chair side manner is very modern and personable. I sleep with my device every night without jaw pain, teeth pain, and without the fatigue I used to suffer. The mouthpiece is very manageable and compact. This is one of those offices where the service, care, and the product is on par with excellence! I highly recommend!

It’s not «Dr. Joe». Joseph Zelk is actually a Nurse Practitioner, which by my experience is just as good in may ways. He’s a great guy and is genuinely interested in accommodating the clients at SMG. In fact, the entire staff is affable and professional and seem very interested in doing the best job they can.
I’ve had my mouth piece just a few days and I wish I had done it long ago instead of my CPAP.

Changed my life. Sleeping so much better and no more headaches and the wife is happy no more snoring! Go check them out !!!

After hearing many adds on kgon I was convinced to check these guys out. I went through the process and paid my $ 1000.00 bucks and they made me my very own dental appliance. I was so excited to see if this would help with my sleep apnea. The day I was fitted the new appliance it got stuck! The tech worked on it and then I did to no avail. They really tugged on it and it broke off one of my teeth into the new appliance. The tech’s eyes got huge and he said I have never heard or seen that even happening. I told them no biggie, just pay to fix my tooth. They told me in the paper work I signed that they can break as many of my teeth as they want and there isn’t anything they can do for me. I contacted me attorney and eventually received very little compensation and I still have to come up with $ 3000.00 to install a new fake tooth. These guys suck!!! Shame on you SMG!!!

My experience with the SMG here in Las Vegas was outstanding! Does anyone know why they had to shutdown so abruptly? I had a scheduled appointment with them, however, over the holidays I received a call that they were shutting down. Very Sad. The were all awesome! If you all do come back to Vegas I’ll be sure to come back to you!

Great Alternative CPAP Solution & NO PROBLEM WITH INSURANCE! Dr. Joe & Staff helped get me on the road to Healthy sleep and Healthy weight loss as well.
We all need Vitamin O (Oxygen) to survive and if we have sleep suffocation we are literally starving our bodies of the Oxygen we need to maintain a Healthy Body & at Healthy weight. I found out the links between Sleep Apnea and Heart failure as well as Apnea & blood clotting.
I got my snoring & Sleep Apnea (I tested for severe Sleep Apnea) treated and in the process I’m losing the weight that I needed to through the help and guidance of Dr. Joe and a proven Healthy Nutritional Program that includes a full body Cleanse (Not a Diet) that has me on the road to over 65+pounds of weight loss.
Bottom line if Sleep Apnea & Weight (Health) management goes untreated major Health Challenges will arise.
Thanks Dr Joe & Staff, I’m getting my Life back!
Patrick

I have been to both the Portland and Las Vegas locations. The staff are friendly and very knowledgeable. I love my oral appliance! I can’t believe how much better I sleep now. I have had none of the issues with billing and insurance that others have discussed in previous reviews. The staff were happy to answer all my questions and treated me with respect.

Bait and Switch
Yes just like a cheap car dealer
After filling out a load of paper work and waiting a month for them to check with my Insurance company. I was told I would only pay $ 20.00 copay each time I came in. Now that I have a sore jaw and a bite problem they want to do another sleep test. And they say I must pay $ 100.00 for the test. What happened to the only pay 20 part. I was told they would never bill me for anything and always just take what they got from my insurance.
The sad part was when I said no to the 100 for the test. The young lady said she could understand that I could not pay. My feeling was she was saying I was to poor to pay the bill. That is not the case and if they feel the need to say you are to poor for there service then I will be most happy to not come back.
Just remember when they say «no cost to you it only means sometimes». And if you look like you don’t have $ 100.00 they will let you know how poor they think you are.
Thinking I might have them call the IRS and have them tell them how poor I am. Do you think that they can get my tax bill lowered?
Just keep looking for another place for an oral appliance. Or just bring more money for when they say they will not bill you, they will ask for more money later.

I give this business two stars because the staff is very nice and the device seems to work. They lose 3 stars for charging me thousands of dollars and not disclosing any costs before rushing me through the process.
They billed my insurance over $ 6,000 for their services. I could be liable for up to $ 2000 of that. It’s been months since I received my appliance and I haven’t seen a bill in the mail, I discovered the costs by accident while on my insurance provider’s website. I find it very sneaky they would not disclose my liability before shoving me through the entire process.
CHECK WITH YOUR INSURANCE BEFORE VISITING THIS BUSINESS

First the good
1. My oral appliance has completely stopped my snoring. I was diagnosed with mild sleep apnea by the Portland clinic and was able to use this instead of CPAP or surgery. The minute I forget to wear this, the elbows from my wife commence.
2. The office is professionally run, and the people are very friendly.
3. I have experienced almost none of the initial discomfort I was warned about. There is some adjustment flexibility in how much they move the lower jaw forward, and I am at a pretty low setting. Perhaps that is why. I didn’t have any «drooling problems» either.
As a side note, these people can do CPAP and they give you equipment to take home (no spending the night in a lab, which I did).
The not-​so-​good.
1. Do not take it as gospel when they tell you they have it all worked out with your insurance company. I have very good insurance, but it’s now been 4+ months since I got my appliance and my insurance has paid only $ 120 out of the $ 5K bill. The folks at SMG have been very reassuring and tell me they go through this frequently with insurance companies, but several thousand dollars are gone from my HSA. I suspect it won’t be easy to get that back should the situation not be resolved. My bad for not checking with my insurance company personally. It may all work out in the end. Now you can’t say you weren’t warned. At least turn off auto-​pay on your HSA! (Health Savings Account)
2. $ 5K seems like a lot. Over time, I’ll likely have to get another one made because the plastic is stressed as it pushes your lower jaw forward. I’m sure it’s still less than CPAP. And, $ 5K is a lot less than a divorce would cost.
This would have been a 5 star review had I not been expecting to pay a few hundred $ and am now worried about being out several K$. I’ll update if it all works out.

Some people have to live with a CPAP machine (*see sidebar below), but if you can get by without one there’s a great alternative.
I used a CPAP machine for a couple of years and was 99.9% compliant.
A CPAP machine has to be plugged in, and requires distilled water, and has to be personally inspected by the TSA every time you travel on an airplane.
A dental device like those built for you at Sleep Medicine Network fits into a nice plastic retainer case that is the size of your fist. You can buy enough Efferdent to keep it clean for 120 days (4 months) for $ 6. It protects your teeth from grinding and can protect your veneers and other dental work. It also does not do any of these CPAP related things:
a) «rain out» (drip all over your face)
b) wake you up in the middle of the night with its air whistling/​squealing inside the hose
c) cause you to wake up to flip the hose around every time you wake up
d) have issues with the mask fitting your face, breaking, or wearing out before your six months are up so you have to pay out of pocket for supplies
e) require lots of rinsing and «air drying» time
There are several dental devices on the market but I went to Sleep Medicine Network for assistance. They are very busy these days — sleep apnea has been hugely under-​diagnosed until recently.
They have ample parking, and the staff and doctors are friendly, efficient and have plenty of time to answer your questions.
I admit I was a little shocked to see the bill to my insurance company for $ 4,900 for the durable medical equipment («DME») but my insurance covered $ 3,185 and I have not been billed for the balance. To be fair, there is a significant amount of cost involved in making the molds, etc. A new CPAP would probably cost at least that amount and then an additional $ 1200 per year billed to insurance for supplies… and this device should easily last me 10 years.
Sidebar:
Why I came to hate my CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) machine: The CPAP I had helped me with my sleep apnea (ruled «minimal» but waking up12 times per hour is considered «minimal»). The CPAP worked fine but my insurance wouldn’t fork over the $ 2,500 for the machine up front. Instead they insisted on paying $ 170 a month in rental fees until I had the machine an entire year (*an entire insurance year, meaning up to *18 months in reality). Every six months Apria Healthcare (the CPAP lessee) would bill my insurance an additional $ 600 or so for «supplies» that consisted of a gel mask and a piece of plastic tubing that I could buy on the Internet myself for $ 87 but that my insurance forced me to purchase through Apria. It’s no wonder insurance rates go up… it’s a total racket. So much so I felt compelled to file a complaint with the insurance commissioner/​State Attorney General’s office regarding Apria’s exorbitant billing practices. A copy is available through Freedom of Information Act request for Case #FF12977−09 from the Civil Enforcement Division of the Office of Attorney General in Salem.