New System Harnesses The Internet To Monitor CPAP Compliance

It is 10 AM and your telephone rings. A little groggy from a poor nights sleep, you answer. It is your sleep doctor wondering if you have had trouble sleeping the last several nights. You say "Yes doc, I have not been sleeping at all well lately". He says, come in this afternoon, let's talk and check out your CPAP unit and see if there is a solution". Is this real-time medicine of the future? Well, the future is now.

The eCompliance System by DeVilbiss combines modem technology with the power of the Internet to deliver fast and accurate data on patient use of CPAP equipment. This unique compliance monitoring system allows physicians to track multiple CPAP patients on a daily basis without ever leaving their office.

All that is needed is a personal computer, an Internet connection, and the proprietary Internet IPS Software. This Windows-based software features point-and-click menu options that easily allow you to retrieve patient information. Reports can be generated to show usage information and then forwarded electronically to referral labs or physicians without generating additional paperwork.

A modem connected to a CPAP unit in the patient's home, automatically dials into the server each evening. The eCompliance Server analyzes the data and notifies the physician of any patients with low CPAP usage. Patient confidentiality is protected through a password and login-protected system that provides security for the patients' information. This system provides accurate, thorough, and advanced method of insuring that each patient is receiving the maximum benefit from CPAP therapy.

How It Works

1. The CPAP and Smart Track modem are placed in the patient's home and connected to a standard household phone jack.
2. Each night the Smart Track modem initiates a call to the eCompliance Server. The server answers the modem's call, and stores and analyzes the usage compliance data.
3. If non-compliance behavior is detected an e-mail notification will be sent to the physician's office. By receiving timely non-compliance notification, early patient intervention is possible, thereby increasing the likelihood of long-term compliance.
4. New patient eCompliance data is available within 24 hours. The eCompliance data reports can be viewed in a daily, weekly or monthly format.
5. The eCompliance System features paperless data distribution. Users are granted permission to view patient data form by an administrator in your office.

Future enhancements are planned to the system and may include the monitoring of other compliance and CPAP effectiveness metrics. For more information on the system, visit the SleepCompliance website.