Why providers end up using Respironics machines...

          Encore Anywhere is why. Encore anywhere is a truly amazing service for providers, physicians, and patients alike. As providers of CPAP we are expected to do everything we can to get our patients to adapt to using the CPAP they are prescribed to use every night. One must understand that getting patients to wear a mask that blows are into their airway every night is a difficult task. But if the provider is personable, persistent, and helpful; most patients reach a point where they "flip". They go from thinking "you want me to wear this device every night, you have to be kidding me" to thinking "wow wearing this device is something I want and/or need to get used to doing since it is worth it." This could happen when the doctor makes them realize what the negative impact sleeping without a CPAP will have on their health, when they actually feel how much more energy they have after wearing the device, or when their bed partner is happy they are no longer snoring. It is our job to get them to the point where they are convinced they need and/or want to use CPAP and will do so on their own.

          Encore anywhere makes this job much easier for providers. The service allows technicians to download patient's machine usage in order to print out statistics used to analyze and fine tune patients therapy. This is pretty standard in a software form. But Encore Anywhere is an actual internet site. Go to www.encoreanywhere.com , enter you login and password, and then you are granted access to all of your patients.

          Encore Anywhere also takes patients analysis one step farther. It actually enables providers to print out a breath by breath analysis of patinets sleep while using the CPAP. This detailed analysis gives providers a much more accurate tool to use in determining what is going on with patients. It is almost like a minor sleep study.

           What is probably Encore Anywhere's most innovative feature is its ability to link providers chart notes with physicians that refer patients to their clinic. This makes it so the physicians can monitor the care their patients are receiving from providers. Whenever a provider sees a patients, sets them up with a machine, downloads their progress, or even calls a patient; providers are able to chart this encounter in Encore. The physicians will then receive a notification linking them to the information whenever they log on to Encore Anywhere. Since physicians must also follow up with these patients sleep therapy, Encore Anywhere allows them to access information about their care without the hassle of downloading the results themselves. It also forces the providers to show that they are following up with the patients and helping them adapt. This sharing of chat notes and patient history drastically improves the industries quality of care.

          Another amazing feature is the Respironics wireless modem (shown above) designed to track the patients device usage. When a CPAP is fitted with this device it sends a report of their PAP usage from the night before once a day. Instead of having to wait for the patient to physically visit the clinic to view their performance, providers can now monitor patients from any distance on a day by day basis. How useful is that!? This allows providers to monitor patients who could be at risk and really need to be using their CPAP much more closely. It also helps monitor people who cannot provide their own transportation, who travel a lot, or who may not be as likely to return to lab frequently. I know that I once had a patient who refused to return the our clinics calls for a few months because he thought he would be charged for his visit. But even though we could not get him to return to the clinic, we still were able to show his physician that he was performing well on the device. Without the modem our clinic would not be able to show that we had the patient using the device. This matters.

          The combination of Encore Anywhere usage by physicians and also Respironics consistent superior innovation in regards to their CPAP machines have made Respironics the dominate supplier of CPAP devices. Thanks Respironics!

-Sleep Guy