Respironics - Encore Viewer will be available in October(?)

This is the email I received in reply to an email I sent Respironics in regards to missing Daily Data, related also in post:

viewtopic/t24005/Encore-Pro-software-mi ... onics.html

Hello [Nodzy],

I am not sure exactly what error you speak of regarding the Encore software. We have no known bugs of missing report data in the Encore Pro 1.8. The sleep therapy daily details will only give you the nine most recent therapy sessions, as the smartcards can only hold a certain amount of data. Any days of device usage before that period will give you only compliance information.

Encore Pro is also not intended for use by patients. The software allows you to change your pressures on a prescription device, which is against the law. However, we are currently in the final development stages of Encore Viewer, a patient version of Encore pro. We hope to have this released by late October 2007. You can check http://www.cpapman.com at that time to see its availability.

Thanks, Respironics Product Support.

That's sure going to make it hard on us that don't have hands to adjust our pressures. Jim

Maybe if they would ask the people who know how to use their software, instead of the Doctors and DMEs, they could tell them about the "M"eries Data Hole.

In the letter Nodzy received from Respironics -

someone at Respironics Product Support wrote:I am not sure exactly what error you speak of regarding the Encore software. We have no known bugs of missing report data in the Encore Pro 1.8.

ROTFL!!! I'm sure they really don't have any KNOWN bugs of missing report data. But the reason Respironics hasn't heard about missing report data is probably because the DMEs and doctors NEVER LOOK AT THE FULL REPORTS from Encore Pro in the first place.

Few of them ever do even one download AT ALL from the Smart Card....and of the few who do, they are interested only in seeing "compliance" -- hours of use. "Is the person using the machine at least 4 hours a day, five days a week?" Some missing days here and there aren't gonna mess up the minimum compliance total. They (doc and DME) wouldn't even NOTICE missing data because they aren't gonna be looking at the Daily Details anyway. Most will never even open up the "Full Report" option. The "Summary" or "Trend" report is as far as they go.

So, of course the doctors and DMEs have not been calling Respironics to say, "Hey, every once in awhile, and on a pretty regular basis, we're missing some daily data here."

someone at Respironics Product Support wrote:Encore Pro is also not intended for use by patients. The software allows you to change your pressures on a prescription device, which is against the law.

Sad to see that even Respironics seems to believe it is illegal for a CPAP USER to change his/her OWN pressure. I think they are confusing laws that govern what health care professionals can do or not do to someone else's machine.

It may be unwise, stupid, dangerous, silly, counterproductive, or ... (gasp) smart... for some people to change the pressure on THEIR OWN MACHINES; but, "against the law" to do so??? I have yet to see a law forbidding patients to adjust their OWN TREATMENT PRESSURE on THEIR OWN MACHINE, even though the "legality" question has come up more than once:

viewtopic.php?t=3366
Jun 20, 2005 subject: cpap pressure setting

viewtopic.php?t=20269
May 22, 2007 subject: Locked out

someone at Respironics Product Support wrote:However, we are currently in the final development stages of Encore Viewer, a patient version of Encore pro. We hope to have this released by late October 2007.

Good! I hope Respironics will make sure the "Viewer" shows EVERYTHING about the detailed data exactly the same way Encore Pro shows it... the "Daily Details" graph and "Daily Events by Hour" chart in particular. In other words, all the juicy stuff starting on page 4 in a "Full Details" Encore Pro report. Can you tell that I never even glance at the first 3 pages?

someone at Respironics Product Support wrote: You can check http://www.cpapman.com at that time to see its availability.

Why cpapman.com? Why single out that particular rather expensive cpap supplies online store to mention? Odd. You will be making the "Encore Pro Viewer" available at the same time to every online store (or even bricks and mortar DME) that wants to carry it, won't you, Respironics?

Thanks for all you've been doing, Nodzy, and for keeping us updated on what you've heard back from Respironics. Very interesting.

Nodzy wrote:

Someone as Respironics wrote:

Encore Pro is also not intended for use by patients. The software allows you to change your pressures on a prescription device, which is against the law.

Uh, did anyone bother to tell them you can change the pressure directly on the machine without using the software? In fact, several months ago when I was playing with the pressure a little, I didn't use the software to do it (don't even know how to use the software to do it)--did it on the machine.

And no known problem? I guess Rested Gal is right--Of course they don't know about it, because the physicians and DME's never look (or rarely look) at the full detailed data to know that data does "go missing." For me, it still doesn't report the detailed data for two days in a row about once a month. Go figure.

Pam

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CPAPopedia Keywords Contained In This Post (Click For Definition): respironics, Encore Pro, DME, Prescription

Nodzy wrote:...........

Hello [Nodzy],

............
The software allows you to change your pressures .......

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Having yet to own a Respironics machine, I can only assume they speak the truth. Can someone tell me the mechanics of how "the software allows you to change your pressure"? I thought you did this by pressing a combination of buttons on the machine.

In Encore Pro, it gives you the option to write a prescription onto the card, when the card is put in the machine it resets the settings to the script. The do that so the Dr., DME doesn't have to put their Paws on your machine. Jim

Better than that the company that made my Defibbulator, sent me a machine that reads the data from my implant and sends it to the Doctor over the phone lines.

Good for Respironics.

I wonder if someone put the heat on them and Resmed to pull their software because of the "create prescription" feature (I don't know if the Resmed or PB software has this feature). The action certainly seemed precipitate and Johnny Goodman's remarks below imply there may have been something going on behind the curtain.

Howdy,

We met with Respironics over Medtrade. I'm pleased to say that they "get" the issue and care about getting it sorted out. Actually, I'll go further and say that from where I sit, Respironics has a very good grip on the future of the industry and an impressive team in place to guide the company to the next step.

The hurdle is finding a solution that accommodates physicians, traditional providers, patients and internet providers. I believe there are short and long term solutions that will allow patients to monitor sleep performance and please each segment of our industry. Respironics has put me in contact with the people on their end to continue negotiations and fix this problem.

As you can imagine, the specifics of each solution I hope to work through with Respironics contain confidential information relating to their business. Our company is able to be considered to work with Resprionics because of our long history of tightly guarding information they provide us. I must maintain this trust to solve the problem, which means no specifics until we are ready to launch our fix.

I know you, the community, would like a more direct answer to your concerns. I hope you can understand why I've released only limited information. I ask you to trust me when I say I am eager to be involved in ushering in a climate where CPAP'ers can track their nightly sleep performance without the pitfalls of doing so that we see today.

Johnny

rested gal wrote:

someone at Respironics Product Support wrote:Encore Pro is also not intended for use by patients. The software allows you to change your pressures on a prescription device, which is against the law.

Sad to see that even Respironics seems to believe it is illegal for a CPAP USER to change his/her OWN pressure. I think they are confusing laws that govern what health care professionals can do or not do to someone else's machine.

It may be unwise, stupid, dangerous, silly, counterproductive, or ... (gasp) smart... for some people to change the pressure on THEIR OWN MACHINES; but, "against the law" to do so??? I have yet to see a law forbidding patients to adjust their OWN TREATMENT PRESSURE on THEIR OWN MACHINE, even though the "legality" question has come up more than once:

viewtopic.php?t=3366
Jun 20, 2005 subject: cpap pressure setting

viewtopic.php?t=20269
May 22, 2007 subject: Locked out

You wild, wild people!

Living on the frontier borders (i.e. wild, wild west)

How dare you take responsibility for your own health. Just do what the DMEs say: "Take four hourly puffs from the machine and call us in a year."

Yeah... and we know that medical professionals are always right -- the staggering and still increasing number of valid malpractice claims against them is proof. Right?

I mean... higher numbers relate to better performance.... don't they?

Ahhh... skip it. I should stick to throwing my checkbook up in the air to raise the balance. <shrug>


Nodzy

Nodzy wrote:Ahhh... skip it. I should stick to throwing my checkbook up in the air to raise the balance. <shrug>


Nodzy

If only that would work! Life would be a whole lot easier!

"Honey, we need more money. Toss that checkbook in the air, and shake the money tree out back."

DME Dealer via phone: Tim your Doctor just faxed us an order to increase the pressure on your machine

Tim (Sasquatchbreath): Yup. My auto settings moved from 5/13 to 9/17.

DME Dealer: You mentioned you found a card adn a reader

Tim: Yup

DME Dealer: I'm assuming you already made that change

Tim: Hypothetically speaking I may have, is that a problem

DME Dealer: Nope, we'll just file the RX for future reference

Tim: OK, Is there a reason yall locked the cflex option

DME Dealer: It wasn't specified by your Dr so we lock it.

Tim: Did the Dr. Specifically suggest I shouldn't use it?

DME dealer: No typically they won't do that.

Tim: So if I hypothetically turned it on there is no issue?

DME Dealer: Nope, its a nice feature



Keep in mind this is the same DMS dealer\Resp Therapist that left his family at 10pm to open the doors and swap me a machine presumably damaged by water. They have been excellent and we work well together.

I don't feel like I broke the law???

Pull over Sasquatchbreath. I am taking you in for impersonating an intelligent person.

dmepolice wrote:Pull over Sasquatchbreath. I am taking you in for impersonating an intelligent person.

Watch out, he's been know to cheat on the Breath"O"lizer test too. JIM

I think that DME should be reported, He's gulity of giving the business a good name, And we know better.

LOL I've seen my DME/R.R.T. so many times in the last month he no longer asks for my card only that I bring him that day's 12 page report.... Of course every time I see him I'm teaching him something new about the program...

Christy

AdmiralCougar wrote:LOL I've seen my DME/R.R.T. so many times in the last month he no longer asks for my card only that I bring him that day's 12 page report.... Of course every time I see him I'm teaching him something new about the program...

Christy

Christy,

Weeks ago I told my DME's RT about having the Encore Pro software and his first words were, "Why do you want to torture yourself with numbers and charts that you don't understand?" His following comments were, “Where did you get the software?' And... "Who authorized you to have the software? That's a medical tool that patients don’t need."

OT... kind of… but valid. Two of my doctors in 2002 and 2003 were amazed that LifeScan, the diabetes glucometer folks, offered for quite some time a free software with which to download glucometer data to a computer. It could save the data and present it onscreen or print it in multiple colorful or black-and-white pages. I took the doctors printed color pages of data on each visit. Both of them were specializing in endocrinology. DUH!... each of those guys convinced me to ask for a new doctor.

Nodzy