Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Daniel on February 11, 2009 at 1:08pm

Are you asking if a DME will give you EncoreViewer as part of the package for no extra charge? Is so, the answer would be no way, since it costs the DME more. If the question is whether the DME would offer EncoreViewer as an additional item, the answer is - usually not. For one thing, it's a very gray area as to whether or not an insurance company would pay for the software. This means more hassles for the DME in order to get paid. Secondly, some DMEs might be reluctant to offer the software out of fear that it could highlight their own ignorance about how to interpret the data. Respironics has made a bold move in offering software for patient use, since it increases the chances of tech support calls coming in to them and to the DME who sells the software.

SomniHealth offers the software to those who are interested, but not many buy it, because we offer a level of service and support where we are happy to provide data downloads and interpretations at no extra charge to the patient.

DDNight said:

The Dreamer said:

One of the first things I bought for myself was the EncoreViewer software and SmartCard reader.

The Dreamer

Has anyone been successful in having the DME order the EncoreViewer software in order to 'enhance' therapy via patient observation of results? I just can't see spending $140 on the software and card reader when I think it should be provided to us especially if we do not see our DME provider for 6 months sometimes. I understand that if we have issues with our masks, machines, and sleep issues we should see our DME and physicians respectively, but shouldn't the patient be proactive in therapy as well?

Thanks in advance,

Dan

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Permalink Reply by Daniel on February 12, 2009 at 1:59pm

I don't know bestcpapprice, but cpap.com seems reputable. $140 is a good price. You should receive a shrink-wrapped CD in a case printed by Respironics, not a handwritten CD with pirated software. Also, be aware that there are two readers available. Most people get the USB reader, but there is also a PCMCIA reader, which can be wonderful if you use a laptop that has a PCMCIA slot.

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Permalink Reply by sleepycarol on February 24, 2009 at 7:57am

Good for you Patrick!!

I am glad you have found the software so useful. I, too, take my reports to my doctor when I go. My PCP ordered my sleep study and I never saw a sleep doctor. She has no way of downloading (except by the DME) the data and so finds my print outs very useful in determining if things are going okay.

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Permalink Reply by Mike on February 24, 2009 at 12:38pm

That's great news Patrick!

Does anyone know the difference between the Encore software for patients vs. the Encore software for clinicians?

Patrick said:

I followed my therapy hours via the lcd screen, but this week I purchased the Encore Viwer software. I installed it yesterday and downloaded the card. I was quite suprised by the amount of data that was stored on the card. It gave detailed information about times, dates, rates. I did not realize the amount of data that I was missing in my therapy. I have a appointment with my PCP next month for a regular check-up and a follow-up to see how my Apnea is being treated, so I will be armed with the complete print out. I want to be involved with this process so I can live a good and happy long life.

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Permalink Reply by Daniel on February 24, 2009 at 12:49pm

The software is the same, except that the clinician's software is designed to handle more than one patient, so it offers additional reports such as aggregate compliance information for all patients referred by a single doctor.

In addition, the clinician's software allows you to program prescription pressure changes to the smart card. When the card is inserted into the device, it updates its settings.

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Permalink Reply by sleepycarol on February 25, 2009 at 7:53pm

Thanks Patrick for letting us know that you can monitor more than one person on the Encore Viewer software.

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Permalink Reply by Anne Pf on March 8, 2009 at 5:11pm

Hi Carol and all,
I am very interested in having access to the information on how my sleep apnea therapy is going. I am new to sleep apnea and just had a sleep study to titrate last Tuesday night. I have not gotten a machine yet, so I am in a position to make sure I get the right thing.
What should I ask for? I am willing to purchase software and will absolutley download information. In fact, my one concern with all this was that there would be no way for me to know if the machine was working properly or was helping. I am really excited to know that this data is available.
The night I spent in the sleep lab, I used a nasal cushion. (The tech showed me quite a few masks, including some nasal pillows, but the nasal cushion was the most comfortable.) I had the best night's sleep of my life at the sleep lab, so I have high expectations that this therapy will improve my life.
Thanks for your help and advice. I intend to print out your recommendations and have it in hand when I talk to the DME.
Anne

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Permalink Reply by Daniel on March 8, 2009 at 6:45pm

The top two brands in the US are Respironics and ResMed. If your prescription is for a CPAP, each brand has two models which record detailed data. For Respironics devices, ask for either the REMstar Pro or the REMstar Auto. For ResMed, ask for either the Elite II or the AutoSet II.

Both allow you to see the data on the display screens. Respironics devices show 7 day and 30 day moving averages, while ResMed displays daily, weekly, monthly, 6 months and yearly stats.

If you want to download data to your computer, only Respironics offers software (Encore Viewer) that makes this possible. ResMed's software is geared for professional use only, designed to manage hundreds of devices at once.

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Permalink Reply by Mike on March 8, 2009 at 6:54pm

check out this list of fully data capable machines that we put together. that said, i'd go with what daniel levy said and buy the respironics m series unit because respironics sells the encore viewer software that enables users to download detailed compliance and efficacy data. like Daniel says, ResMed doesn't sell patient oriented software (at least not through US distribution channels). But Judy on this forum might have more to say about this -- she seems to be an expert on ResMed machines/software.

Anne Pf said:

Hi Carol and all,
I am very interested in having access to the information on how my sleep apnea therapy is going. I am new to sleep apnea and just had a sleep study to titrate last Tuesday night. I have not gotten a machine yet, so I am in a position to make sure I get the right thing.
What should I ask for? I am willing to purchase software and will absolutley download information. In fact, my one concern with all this was that there would be no way for me to know if the machine was working properly or was helping. I am really excited to know that this data is available.
The night I spent in the sleep lab, I used a nasal cushion. (The tech showed me quite a few masks, including some nasal pillows, but the nasal cushion was the most comfortable.) I had the best night's sleep of my life at the sleep lab, so I have high expectations that this therapy will improve my life.
Thanks for your help and advice. I intend to print out your recommendations and have it in hand when I talk to the DME.
Anne

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Permalink Reply by Anne Pf on March 8, 2009 at 9:04pm

Daniel and Mike, I feel silly now that I asked the question, since it was all there already under the list Mike pointed me to. But I really appreciate your answers and your patience with me.
I have a question, don't know where to post it. I never thought I had a sleep problem, because I always get right to sleep and sleep all night and never really feel all that tired -- although I do feel lousy and have been diagnosed with fibromyalgia, so I do have effects of sleep issues, just never put them together. But I have never been able to nap. If I nap, I wake up after an hour or so feeling just awful, headache, groggy, body aches, grumpy. Does this point to sleep apnea?

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Permalink Reply by BPLink on March 8, 2009 at 9:17pm

I have the Respironics BPap with Auto. The seven and thirty day summaries weren't helping me to know how well my treatment for my moderate-severe apnea was going so I recently bought the Encore Viewer and Infineer smart card reader...........There's much I still don't understand yet but I'm very pleased to have the ability to read a breakdown of each night and to know that I've been keeping my AHI's under 3.2, its a relief to know this for sure.

I also wanted to say that unlike some of the more established online forums where I also posted my request for information, SleepGuide members quickly answered my recent post asking for information about what my nightly data meant, this helped me to a much greater understanding of what Encore Viewer is showing me and I thank SleepGuide for their caring and helpfulness.

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Permalink Reply by Judy on March 9, 2009 at 9:35am

I'm not real experienced w/the Respironics devices or software as I quickly decided I prefer my Resmed and my Respironics is just used as a backup/travel device.

HOWEVER, the Respironics software does have a chart or table that provides the Daily Events Per Hour which is a tremendous feature and one I sorely wish Resmed would emulate in like fashion w/their software.

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