Doc does't have card reader -solved

D.H. wrote:This is not my experience.

nobody cares what your 'experience' was.

Yes, that.

chunkyfrog wrote:

D.H. wrote:This is not my experience.

. . .

Your experience probably was with a sleep doc. A neurologist is less likely to have the cpap stuff.
(I tried to simplify it for you)

Yes, he is a sleep doctor, but he is also a neurologist.

Thanks for the replies, I will check into the rescan software. Will the doctors want/use printed material ? I thought they would want to be able to zoom it etc. Perhaps they need to go through a DME to know the card is from the patient's machine.

The primary physician I now have has no knowledge of me even having sleep apnea, apparently as they are switching over to computerized records a lot is being left out and it may be worse because I did not use insurance ( bought my equipment). My previous primary care doctor gave me the prescription to buy whatever cpap equipment I need, whenever I need it and told me if I need any help to let him know, but he is no longer working there. It may be 15-20 years now since my first cpap machine, and maybe 10 since the last sleep study, and I was told nothing over 7 years will be kept with the new computerized system. My previous doctor would dig through an inch thick folder to find the documentation, now they look at a computer screen. So I am starting as a new sleep apnea patient

I lucked out getting an appointment with this doctor, she is not part of the network my primary physician is in, but she helped me out many years ago when my difficult airway / sleep apnea caused problems when I needed surgery. As for knowledge, she has been at it for a long time, I think she was part of the original team that set up the various sleep stage standards the other doctors are using today. I was told she is close to retirement and no longer treats sleep apnea patients long term.

If you are not having a problem with your sleeping, your machine or mask and your AHI is reasonable...why does your doctor need to see your data?

LSAT wrote:If you are not having a problem with your sleeping, your machine or mask and your AHI is reasonable...why does your doctor need to see your data?

Julie wrote: What they normally look at is only compliance, and that's only so the insce. co. will keep paying for the machine.

Guest wrote:

LSAT wrote:If you are not having a problem with your sleeping, your machine or mask and your AHI is reasonable...why does your doctor need to see your data?

Julie wrote: What they normally look at is only compliance, and that's only so the insce. co. will keep paying for the machine.

It's not insurance, as I wrote previously, I do not use insurance, I pay for all my cpap supplies out of my own pocket. Even if a person does not use insurance, they still need a current medical prescription to purchase equipment. I asked about the card, she did not request it. It may had been better if I had kept my mouth shut from the very beginning.

Joe, it would be highly unusual for a doctor to zoom in on any aspect of your data. And without a card reader, they could not. Since this Doctor does not have a card reader, I think it safe to assume that she does not ordinarily zoom in on anybody's data. As Julie mentioned, most doctors use what the DME supplies in the way of reports and that is almost always only Summary Data, typically in PDF. As you mentioned, the "card reader" in this instance is simply an SD card reader and mostly likely they do have one. What they may not have is the software. I'd take the card anyway, just in case the nurse was mistaken.
I think you were right in your first post to think the Dr. would be most familiar with ResScan (in this case) reports, if she were to look at any. It would probably be good to have those that you wanted her to see in that format.
If you have time, you may want to post a few of your SleepyHead Charts here for the members to have a look to see if there are any areas that might be of concern. If so, you could zoom in and print those areas to include with your report.
A reasonable alternative or adjunct might be to take a laptop with SleepyHead and/or ResScan and your data loaded up to be able to show the Dr anything she might want to see - in addition to a Summary Report. ResScan, if you use it, will take a little practice to get used to - same info as SleepyHead, different format.
Good luck.

PaJoe wrote: they still need a current medical prescription to purchase equipment.

in this day and age, you can buy machines on amazon.com, and craigslist easily, or here.

you can buy all the parts to make a mask, or often buy the whole mask on ebay, and amazon.

machines and complete masks are the only equipment that are supposed to require a prescription.

hoses, filters, replacement mask parts, never need a prescription.

One item not answered in the OP relates to the use of SleepyHead/ResScan.
The OP mentioned the use of Linux based operating system.
I don't have personal knowledge about whether or not SleepyHead runs on a Linux computer - perhaps someone does.
I suspect that ResScan does not run on Linux systems.

The OP may not be able to create reports for his CPAP without some outside help.

Thanks again to all, I downloaded the latest Rescan and it is pretty nice. For personal use, I prefer using the linux version of SleepyHead than running Rescan in a virtual windows machine.





Once again, thanks to all

JDS74 wrote:I don't have personal knowledge about whether or not SleepyHead runs on a Linux computer - perhaps someone does.
I suspect that ResScan does not run on Linux systems.

gee, it's almost like you've never read anything at all.

why post "I don't know nuthin about this"?

PaJoe wrote:It's not insurance, as I wrote previously, I do not use insurance, I pay for all my cpap supplies out of my own pocket. Even if a person does not use insurance, they still need a current medical prescription to purchase equipment.

For future readers:
If you are not using insurance there is no need for compliance there is no need for the doc to see this or review a card. If the doc still wants hours of use the doc can get what is needed from the machine, bring the machine in. Apparently this doc doesn't know that or just wanted to be a pain.

Or like PR suggested, there are other ways.

But seeing the other data is always good for the user just not required for a prescription - all the doc has to do is write it but it is not a prescription but an "Order" for the DME to provide equipment - compliance (hours of use) is for insurance.

Will be interesting to see if this DME will provide the equipment the user wants and not just what the DME wants to provide.

palerider wrote:
gee, it's almost like you've never read anything at all.

why post "I don't know nuthin about this"?

This sums it up for half of the posts in this thread...

Guest 2 wrote:

palerider wrote:
gee, it's almost like you've never read anything at all.

why post "I don't know nuthin about this"?

This sums it up for half of the posts in this thread...

.
Especially those by guests that are too lazy or too embarrassed to register