Home Oxygen Therapy
Ontario's Assistive Devices Program (ADP) funds and administers the Home Oxygen Program.
For most patients, the ADP pays 100% of the cost of home oxygen therapy. In certain cases the patient is responsible for 25% of the cost. To learn more about the funding coverage, click here.
ADP funding is categorized into resting hypoxemia, exertional, pediatric, short term, and palliative, each with its own medical eligibility criteria. To learn more about the ADP Home Oxygen Program, you can download their information sheet and application form here.
Other home oxygen therapy funding sources exist, including federal programs administered by Veterans Affairs Canada, the Non Insured Health Benefits program for indigenous persons, and where public funding is not available, private health insurance coverage may apply.
OHRSA members offer home oxygen service locations across the province. To learn more about how home oxygen therapy may improve your quality of life, and the funding options available, an OHRSA member firm would be happy to help you.
Home Oxygen Therapy Delivery Methods
Home oxygen therapy is delivered by way of compressed gas oxygen cylinders, oxygen concentrators, and portable liquid oxygen systems. The best modality to provide a patient with supplemental oxygen depends on when the patient needs oxygen (i.e. day and/or night), the oxygen flow rate required, and the patient's activity level.
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Compressed gas cylinders, made of steel, aluminum, or a carbon fiber composite, can deliver high flow rates, and offer various levels of autonomy based upon the cylinder size. These cylinders must be refilled at a Health Canada validated fill plant.
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Oxygen concentrators produce oxygen from room air through a molecular sieve process. The medical devices come in two forms: stationary and portable. Stationary concentrators must be plugged into house power, and portable concentrators are battery powered. Concentrator flow rates vary by brand, as does the autonomy of portable concentrators.
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Portable liquid systems store cryogenic liquid oxygen (i.e. -183o C) in a reservoir that can be transferred to portable vessels designed to vaporize the liquid. The systems can produce very high flow rates, and generally offer superior autonomy to portable cylinders. The reservoirs are normally filled curbside at the patient’s residence.
PAP Systems for Sleep Apnea Syndrome
Sleep apnea syndrome, characterized by multiple breathing cessations of 10 seconds or longer during sleep, is a chronic condition affecting more than 1 in 5 Canadian adults. Left untreated, sleep apnea renders a person fatigued throughout the day and contributes to multiple comorbidities including diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and mental health complications.The most prevalent form, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), happens when throat muscles relax and block the airway. Central sleep apnea (CSA), on the other hand, is caused by the brain's failure to regulate breathing. Symptoms include loud snoring, gasping, excessive daytime sleepiness, morning headaches, poor concentration, and frequent nighttime awakenings. Complex sleep apnea, or treatment-emergent CSA, is a combination of both OSA and CSA, often identified when central apneas emerge during CPAP therapy for obstructive sleep apnea.
The gold standard treatment for sleep apnea syndrome is positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy. All Ontarians diagnosed with sleep apnea through a level I sleep study qualify for therapy funding assistance through the Assistive Devices Program (ADP) Respiratory Therapy program. In most cases, the ADP will contribute $415.50 towards a PAP System, and qualifying persons on ODSP and OW receive $554.00 assistance. When available, private health insurance helps fund features, options, and accessories not covered by the ADP. To learn more about the ADP's funding coverage click here.
Successful PAP therapy depends upon clinical expertise in device selection, mask selection and fitting, comprehensive education on the disease and therapy, complemented by therapy coaching and follow-up. OHRSA represents the majority of ADP registered vendors offering PAP therapy services.To learn more about ADP's PAP Therapy program, an OHRSA member firm would be happy to help you.