What Pro2 is Up2

With 2015 nearing, we wanted to take this opportunity to address an important insurance issue that a new calendar year always brings. Whether you have an individual or employer-sponsored Health Insurance plan, there are certain things to keep in mind as we close out 2014.

There are many qualifications and limitations regarding what health insurance covers and to what extent. Certain requirements must be satisfied before the insurance company will begin paying benefits. A deductible is a fixed dollar amount the policy holder must pay out-of-pocket for eligible services before the insurance company will make payment on covered medical expenses. [For example, if your policy has a $500.00 deductible, you must pay $500.00 worth of healthcare expenses before your insurance will start paying out.]

For most policies, the medical plan’s deductible is based on a calendar year regardless of when your coverage became effective. All calendar year deductibles will therefore be renewed on January 1, 2015. If you are unsure about your policy, please contact your insurance carrier for more information.

Update Your Information:
We're dedicated to providing the highest quality products, equipment, and services to our customers. In order to do so, we rely not only on our tremendous staff, but also on the very patients that we service. It's extremely important that you keep your account with us updated.

Insurance Policy: It’s always a good idea to keep yourself as informed as possible when it comes to your insurance policy. It’s just as important to keep our office up-to-date on any changes that may take place. Many insurance policies renew, change, or terminate at the end of the year. This could mean changes in your financial responsibility as it relates to our products and services.

Contact Information: The quality of our service also relies on being able to communicate with our customers. Any change in your address or phone number (temporary or permanent) should be reported to our office as soon as possible to avoid potential issues with deliveries, billing, etc.

Payment Information: Please keep our Billing Office notified of any changes in your billing information. This includes billing address changes, new debit/credit card information (new card number, expiration date and/or security code), and new bank information.

Now, health care professionals and patients can quickly help achieve optimal delivery from MDIs and DPIs with the In-Check® DIAL.

This accurate low-range inspiratory flow meter stimulates the air flow resistance of the most popular inhalers. It enables clinicians to train patients to use more or less inspiratory force, to achieve their optimal flow rate with a particular MDI or DPI device. This provides best deposition of medication into the lungs.

The In-Check DIAL is a hand held inspiratory flow measurement device with a dial top. The DIAL orifices have been designed to stimulate the resistance of popular inhaler devices such as MDIs, DPIs, Turbuhaler®, and Diskus®. Custom resistance adapters are available.

The In-Check DIAL is supplied with a sterilizable plastic mouthpiece and an adapter which enables you to use a pediatric mouthpiece, if necessary.

The transparent body permits a visual inspection before use, and if required, one-way disposable mouthpiece or a bacterial/viral filter can be used to minimize the risk of cross infection.



In-Check DIAL Inhaler Technique Training and Assessment Tool. Retrieved from http://alliancetechmedical.com/products/check-dial-training-device/.

We're proud to announce the opening of our second location, Pro2 C-PAP Center, at 5759 Main Street, Suite 200. You'll find us right at the corner of Main & Garrison in Williamsville. It's a more convenient location for all of our friends and patients in Amherst, Cheektowaga, Lancaster, Snyder, or the Tonawandas!

We offer a full line of CPAP accessories along with the most up to date CPAP machines and masks at our new location.

As always, we feature the 30-day mask guarantee and lifetime support for your therapy. And, unlike other companies, all CPAP set-ups are performed by a licensed Respiratory Therapist.

Our office hours for this location are 10am to 6pm, Monday through Friday. Walk-ins are always welcome, or call to speak with one of our customer service representatives to schedule an appointment at (716)667-9600 option 3.

We'll see you there!

This is a question that your physician can surely answer - and it's always a good idea to get your physician’s approval prior to starting any exercise routine. There are so many excellent reasons why we should all strive to make exercise a part of our daily lives if our physician gives us the green light!

More than just helping to keep our weight down and maintaining good cardiovascular health, exercise can also help improve our attention, reduce risk of cognitive impairment, decrease risk of falls, help improve our coping skills, and basically improve our overall health. Exercise also helps prevent osteoporosis by helping to maintain bone strength. Research has shown that as people get older, often times they don’t view exercise an important part of their life any more. Just because we're aging doesn't mean we have to be sedentary. The vast majority of older adults should participate in physical activity on a regular basis - even those that have various health conditions.

It's recommended that seniors do moderate aerobic exercise (such as brisk walking) 30 minutes per day at least five days a week, or vigorous aerobic exercise (such as jogging or running) for 20 minutes a day three times a week. If you are at risk for falling, there are specific exercises you can do to work on your balance (such as standing on one leg at a time close to something stable).

To get started, choose a type of exercise you enjoy such as swimming, walking, dancing, etc. Make a plan - what type of exercise, how long, and on what days you'll be exercising - and then stick with the plan! Walking is a great way to get started. You don’t have to join a gym or hire a personal trainer. When weather doesn't permit you to walk outside, walk indoors at a shopping mall.

Remember, any exercise is better than none, and every little bit helps. Start today by trying to fit more activity into your daily life - park farther away from the building you are going into, take the stairs instead of the elevator, walk around the house during the commercials while watching TV. Just get up and MOVE - you'll be glad you did!



Camargo, RN, CRRN, Jan. (2014, May). Am I Too OLD or Too SICK to Exercise? The Pulmonary Press. Retrieved May 22, 2014 from http://email.medgroup.com/Respiratory/Pulmonary%20Press%20Newsletter_May%202014_Customizable.pdf.

Doctors Christopher J. Lettieri and Arn H. Eliasson acknowledge the irony in their treatment for restless legs syndrome (RLS). While the sleep disorder is generally precipitated in patients by inactivity such as sitting or lying, patients who undergo the duo’s treatment are required to remain still for at least an hour to reap the benefits.

In two studies, the MDs at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (Eliasson has since retired) showed that pneumatic compression devices (PCDs), the same ones that prevent deep vein thrombosis, can alleviate RLS symptoms in patients and even completely resolve the disorder in some people. “Because of the available treatments for RLS, we were looking for something different. The pharmacological treatments are largely effective but have side effects, plus some people can’t tolerate them,” says Lettieri, who is the Program Director of Sleep Medicine at Walter Reed and a Professor of Medicine at Uniformed Services University. “And the medications can cause other problems, such as fragmenting sleep. So sometimes you’re treating one sleep disorder but causing a different one. We were looking for a nonpharmacotherapy.”

The solution came in the form of an air pressure generator that’s approximately the size of a large toaster. The doctors employed Aircast VenaFlow PCDs in their large-scale study, although Lettieri says many other brands will yield the same results. Once the PCD is plugged in, flexible hoses carry compressed air to plastic bladders embedded in soft cloths wrapped around the patient’s lower legs. Patients easily don them at home in less than 30 seconds. “They’re pretty simple,” Lettieri says.

In one study, the PCDs were programmed to inflate the leg wraps for 5 seconds every minute. The therapeutic devices generated 40 cm H2O of air pressure with each inflation cycle, while the “sham” devices generated a 3- to 4-cm H2O pressure rise. Participants were instructed to wear them for 1 hour in the evening. The results were astounding. More than a third of subjects using therapeutic PCDs experienced a complete resolution of symptoms,1 while none using sham devices experienced complete remission. Subjects with more severe RLS experienced greater symptom reduction. After unblinding, therapeutic devices were provided to eight subjects, and three patients purchased commercially available, similar devices.

“It worked great,” Lettieri says. “People discontinued their medication without any rebound symptoms. Every measured variable, such as quality of life and daytime function, got better.” An intriguing residual benefit also came to light. While some patients’ symptoms returned within a few days of discontinuing PCD use, others reported continued improvement for weeks, even when not using the device. The cause for the residual effectiveness remains unknown. Lettieri cautions that at a point, each patient needed to return to using the PCD as symptoms came back.

Click here to read the entire article.



Roy, Sree. (2014, February 27). Resting Easy with RLS. Sleep Review Magazine. Retrieved April 15, 2014 from http://www.sleepreviewmag.com/2014/02/resting-easily-rls/.