U-Sleep

[Craig-Tx]

Ok, so I picked up my brand spankin' new S9 Autoset today (YAY!)
The DME mentioned that I will also be getting the ResMED wireless modem, but it is currently back-ordered. According to my DME, my Dr. actually does monitor the data and is more active than most.
So, I'm not 100% certain how I feel about this. The machine was a purchase, not a rental, so I doubt the insurance needs to monitor compliance... but perhaps. I do know that the first time anyone does anything other than collect data, that modem is coming off.

But, the DME did mention that the data will be uploaded to U-Sleep. Does anyone know anything about this service? I do plan on monitoring the data periodically using sleepyhead, but for a quick glance, having the basic AHI and leak data available in the cloud might be nice.
-craig

[Goofproof]

All I know free lunches usually aren't free, or tasty. If you paid for your equiptment, and require a modem, I'd be wondering how much I over paid and to who, and even more important how much more am I on the hook for

[Krelvin]

If you are not on a rental and you don't need compliance for something like a truck driving medical certification, I am curious why you would need a modem at all.

Is this your primary Dr or are you planning on an ongoing Sleep Dr program? I only saw the sleep Dr once and that was for the sleep study. Everything else was via my primary and they were more than satisfied with reports I brought in from the machine via software. It was clear I was using it and it was working.

As for the service, it is not free. As GoofProof said, some one is paying for it (and the cost of the modem). Why you need to put this in the "cloud" where your information can be compromised doesn't sound like a bonus to me.

U-Sleep website: http://u-sleep.com/

Edit: Apparently some insurance companies want compliance info for the first 90 days to ensure you are using the machine. After that, the modem comes off. I getting a new machine soon, and will make other arrangements. Compliance of using my machine is easy to validate without one.

[Craig-Tx]

All I know free lunches usually aren't free, or tasty. If you paid for your equiptment, and require a modem, I'd be wondering how much I over paid and to who, and even more important how much more am I on the hook for

Yeah, I understand. And I do plan on taking a look at what is billed / etc. to my insurance. I certainly didn't sign anything stating I will have any future charges.

Like many insurance companies, my machine / equipment is billed based on HCPCS, so for the core machine, I wasn't charged extra. The E0601 would be the same price if it were a brick. Thankfully my Dr and DME appear to recognize that fully data capable machines do have benefits, and no one even questioned the autoset, it almost seemed that it's what they wanted for me as well.

I will be watching the bills for A9279 (Monitoring feature / device...). If my portion costs me more than a few dollars, I'll be challenging it. If it's only a few dollars, I may give it a try.
As for the U-Sleep website, if I'm not provided access, then I see no reason to pay anything. I'll keep you all posted.

[englandsf]

Sleepyhead lets me see all I need - the whole concept of the modem freaks me out. My sleep Dr and the DME have been so little help in sorting out my settings that I don't want them changed remotely.

Your SD card should work for compliance anyway - depending on your insurance co.

[HoseCrusher]

If the doctor is interested why not give him a sample of data?

On the other hand if he starts messing with the settings, rip the modem off and toss it into the recycle bin.

[Craig-Tx]

If the doctor is interested why not give him a sample of data?

On the other hand if he starts messing with the settings, rip the modem off and toss it into the recycle bin.

That is my current feelings. I'm new to this particular Dr., so I won't immediately assume he won't be a beneficial addition to my therapy. (Despite my past experiences with previous drs.)

But the moment any setting is changed without a discussion with me FIRST, they will get a serious ear full from me. Depending on how that conversation goes, that modem may become scrap material in the landfill.

On the whole, I can see potential for good from the modem, but I'll be watching for the bad!

[Craig-Tx]

I received my modem last week. After getting a continuous "0 - No Signal" on the display, the DME swapped the modem for a new one. The second one also said "0 - No Signal" for SEVERAL hours, and then apparently locked into a signal. Not sure, I didn't expect it to take several hours, and perhaps the first modem really didn't have a problem after all. Anyway, this one has been locked in now for a few days.

So, on to U-Sleep: the DME set me up with a log-in, etc. It is interesting, and a VERY useful tool compared to what most DMEs provide (which is 'nothing'). It obviously doesn't even come close to Sleepyhead, which I will continue to use also. But for a quick access to the basic sleep data (more than just compliance) anywhere with zero hassle once the modem is set, it can be useful. Plus, I can look at the data anywhere, even in a mobile app on my phone.

I'll try to provide screen shots later, but what I see so far is:
Calendar View:
Shows on each day information such as:

• Therapy Hrs: 8.47
  AHI: 3.80
  Median Leak: 0.00

Clicking on a day gives you access to:

• AHI
  Median Leak
  Therapy Hours
  Apnea Index
  Central Apnea index
  Hypopnea Index
  Leak 95%
  Max Leak
  Median Leak
  Obstructive Airway Apnea index
  Unknown Apnea Index
  and a place to add Notes.

You can also view each of the above metric in a chart, and even generate reports of the above data for specified date ranges.

Downside, the data can take up to a couple of days to see. Today (Monday), the latest data I see is from Friday night. So you certainly can't micro-manage your therapy with this. Especially if your memory is as bad as mine. (Oh, look my leak rate was bad 3 days ago... Which mask was I using then?)

Taking an objective look at this, considering I was provided this service and this information from my DME, I am VERY impressed. Again, it is no substitute for the full wave of data available in sleepyhead, but it is good for summaries, and trend data. For the average CPAP user (not the readers on this board), it is an incredible step forward in transparency.

U-Sleep is something I wish my father-in-law had. He would certainly not pull a card and install software to look at detailed data, but I did at least get him to look at what little detail is shown on the display of his M-Series. This would show him a lot more than that.

Is U-Sleep something I will continue to use frequently? Perhaps. Once I get masks and settings relatively stable, I'll likely stop pulling my SD card every day or two. This service would give me good trend data. If I see something odd, I can always pull the SD Card and look at the details.

This is all of course assuming no-one changes my CPAP settings through the modem without first discussing with me. If that happens, I don't care how helpful U-Sleep is, that modem is coming off.

-craig

[chunkyfrog]

I can get most of that summary info on my AutoSet's sleep report screen.
It shows last night, and averages for 7 days, 14 days, 30 days, etc.
Will USleep show single nights previous to the last night?
I understand there are no graphs--is that correct?

[Craig-Tx]

I can get most of that summary info on my AutoSet's sleep report screen.
It shows last night, and averages for 7 days, 14 days, 30 days, etc.

Right, this basically shows the same summary data that could be displayed on the sleep report screen. Not saying this is the only / best display of data, but it is another display of data.

Will USleep show single nights previous to the last night?

Yes, Actually I can display the same info for every night from the time I got my machine. That includes about 2 weeks prior to me getting the modem. Once it connected, it uploaded the entire amount of data from the card. I can display the entire summary from any night I wish from July 24 on. So you can get a bit more detail than the S9 screen, and it is a bit easier to navigate.

I understand there are no graphs--is that correct?

Depends on what you are asking. You can graph trends from multiple nights; one night = one data point. There are not graphs of a single nights data (for that you would need the software like SleepHead.)

As I said, this is certainly not the most complete picture with all the details that could be desired, but it is one method to look at data, and one that could easily be learned by even a novice computer user that might be too afraid to pull an SD card for fear of loosing data / loosing compliance info.

Again, I am most impressed that any kind of data being displayed to a patient is actually endorsed by a doctor / DME.

[archangle]

As long as no one tinkers with your settings without notice, I think it's a good thing. If something happens, your DME or doctor has easy access to at least some limited data, even though it's not anywhere near as good as what you get off the SD card.

Unfortunately, many doctors or DME's won't bother to look at even the limited data the modem provides.