Frequently Asked Questions
 | |  | |  | |  |
1- Question
Answer
You shouldn't. Chose the Computer Software System that suits you. Each
product has a different philosophy. The emphasis of the LEVEL for Diabetes
models is clarity of presentation and simplicity of use. Also for those who
wish, there are strong analytic tools to determine the causes of your high
readings and corrective actions to take. Other products aim for different ends.
Chose the product that suits your goals and personality. LEVEL Healthware
believes in 'Open Choice'. Some other products for your examination may be
found at www.mendosa.com/software.htm
You shouldn't. Chose the Computer Software System that suits you. Each
product has a different philosophy. The emphasis of the LEVEL for Diabetes
models is clarity of presentation and simplicity of use. Also for those who
wish, there are strong analytic tools to determine the causes of your high
readings and corrective actions to take. Other products aim for different ends.
Chose the product that suits your goals and personality. LEVEL Healthware
believes in 'Open Choice'. Some other products for your examination may be
found at www.mendosa.com/software.htm
2- Question
What is the ' Internet Data Storage' feature of the Level Healthware models?
Answer
It keeps a copy of your current dataset at a location on the Internet so that you
may enter and view data from multiple computers. Your physician(s) may also
view your data from multiple computers and you may view your data
simultaneously with your physician(s) while you confer on the phone.
There are Diabetes Computer programs that do not use the Internet. They
keep both the data and the computer program to handle the data on just one
computer. Of course they are safe from Internet failure as they do not use the
Internet. Their limitations are that the patient is restricted to entering data on a
single computer, must email or hand carry that data to their physician, and
simultaneous viewing of current data by patient and physician is impossible.
At the other extreme are Diabetes Internet Data Services that keep both the
patient's data and the program to handle that data at the Internet location. This
destroys the patient's actual possession and ownership of the data, blocks the
patient from all activity if the Internet is down, and the program to handle the
data is limited in size, power, and speed as it must operate over the Internet
connection.
The Level Healthware solution is to keep a current copy of your data at an
Internet location that you actually own, while keeping the computer programs
that handle that data on your local computers. This permits large, powerful,
fast computer programs, yet allows the data to be accessed by many
computers and also simultaneously for discussions. If the Internet goes down
each computer can continue operation with the current copy of the data in that
computer for as long as desired.
The data at the Internet location is not stored on some inaccessible computer
that belongs to say, Level Healthware, but is stored on the Internet at a web
site you procure for yourself. You retain absolute control of your own data and
yet have Internet accessibility. If you are a physician you may procure a web
site and assign each of your patients a password protected folder on that web
site. The LEVEL models contain instructions on how to do this. Your patients
can access their folders from as many different computers as they care to and
so can you. All of the accessing and conflict resolution is handled internally by
the LEVEL programs. What you see is simple connectivity. Detachment from
using Internet Data Storage and reverting to single computer operation can be
done simply at any time, and reattaching is just as easy. You are in complete
ownership of your own data and of when you want to store a current copy on
the Internet and when you don't, yet when you do, you have the full flexibility
and multiple accessing capability of Internet stored data.
[ The method of operation is that the current copy of the data at the Internet
Web Site location is CHECKED OUT by a computer with access to that folder
and desiring to use it. While it is CHECKED OUT, other computers must wait
until it is CHECKED IN to have their turn at using it. As the only real users of
each folder are the patient and the patient's physician(s), there is very little, if
ever any, waiting. If desired, simultaneous viewing in 'Read Only' mode is
allowed for discussions at as many computers as desired. ]
It keeps a copy of your current dataset at a location on the Internet so that you
may enter and view data from multiple computers. Your physician(s) may also
view your data from multiple computers and you may view your data
simultaneously with your physician(s) while you confer on the phone.
There are Diabetes Computer programs that do not use the Internet. They
keep both the data and the computer program to handle the data on just one
computer. Of course they are safe from Internet failure as they do not use the
Internet. Their limitations are that the patient is restricted to entering data on a
single computer, must email or hand carry that data to their physician, and
simultaneous viewing of current data by patient and physician is impossible.
At the other extreme are Diabetes Internet Data Services that keep both the
patient's data and the program to handle that data at the Internet location. This
destroys the patient's actual possession and ownership of the data, blocks the
patient from all activity if the Internet is down, and the program to handle the
data is limited in size, power, and speed as it must operate over the Internet
connection.
The Level Healthware solution is to keep a current copy of your data at an
Internet location that you actually own, while keeping the computer programs
that handle that data on your local computers. This permits large, powerful,
fast computer programs, yet allows the data to be accessed by many
computers and also simultaneously for discussions. If the Internet goes down
each computer can continue operation with the current copy of the data in that
computer for as long as desired.
The data at the Internet location is not stored on some inaccessible computer
that belongs to say, Level Healthware, but is stored on the Internet at a web
site you procure for yourself. You retain absolute control of your own data and
yet have Internet accessibility. If you are a physician you may procure a web
site and assign each of your patients a password protected folder on that web
site. The LEVEL models contain instructions on how to do this. Your patients
can access their folders from as many different computers as they care to and
so can you. All of the accessing and conflict resolution is handled internally by
the LEVEL programs. What you see is simple connectivity. Detachment from
using Internet Data Storage and reverting to single computer operation can be
done simply at any time, and reattaching is just as easy. You are in complete
ownership of your own data and of when you want to store a current copy on
the Internet and when you don't, yet when you do, you have the full flexibility
and multiple accessing capability of Internet stored data.
[ The method of operation is that the current copy of the data at the Internet
Web Site location is CHECKED OUT by a computer with access to that folder
and desiring to use it. While it is CHECKED OUT, other computers must wait
until it is CHECKED IN to have their turn at using it. As the only real users of
each folder are the patient and the patient's physician(s), there is very little, if
ever any, waiting. If desired, simultaneous viewing in 'Read Only' mode is
allowed for discussions at as many computers as desired. ]
3- Question
I want to use 'Internet Data Storage', but I am apprehensive of losing my data.
What happens if that computer somewhere on the Internet that is holding the
data crashes?
What happens if that computer somewhere on the Internet that is holding the
data crashes?
Answer
Nothing. That computer on the Internet is merely holding a COPY of your
current dataset. Should that computer fail your own computers still have all
your data on them. Just revert to 'stand alone' operation on each of your
computers using the dataset stored on it. No data is lost. You may then
reattach to some other computer on the Internet if you wish.
Nothing. That computer on the Internet is merely holding a COPY of your
current dataset. Should that computer fail your own computers still have all
your data on them. Just revert to 'stand alone' operation on each of your
computers using the dataset stored on it. No data is lost. You may then
reattach to some other computer on the Internet if you wish.
There are also other Computer Software Systems besides the LEVEL for
Diabetes models. Why should I use LEVEL for Diabetes ?
Diabetes models. Why should I use LEVEL for Diabetes ?
Answer
No. As an individual user purchasing Single User LEVEL, under the
Licensing Agreement, you may install that program on as many dfiferent
computers as you want, PROVIDED YOU ARE THE ONLY USER.
If you are a Professional using LEVEL for Professionals, the License
Agreement requires one purchase for each 'set of patients'. That would
normally mean one Department in a hospital, or one clinic, or one private
practice by a Doctor. However once the set of patients is determined, all
professionals referencing that same set of patients may freely install the
purchased LEVEL for Professionals on their computer(s). That is, each
attending physician, nutritionist, counsellor, etc., may install it at home and in
their personal office and on a laptop.
For LEVEL for Libraries, all computers in the same Library Branch building
may install the purchased copy.
Similarly for LEVEL for Centers, all computers in that same Center, be it an
Internet Cafe, school, Senior Citizen's public area, etc., may install the
purchased copy.
For LEVEL for MultiUsers, the rule is the same as Single User LEVEL,
install on as many computers as you care to provided they will all only be
used by the same small group of users.
In this regard, when you purchase one of the LEVEL models, be sure to
'Copy' your downloaded zipped file into some safe folder before you open it
for your first installation. Then that downloaded zipped file will be transported
by you, usually on some external media like CD or USB Memory Stick, to the
other computers you want to install it on, and unzipped and installed on each
computer.
Level Healthware has this very liberal installation policy specifically for the
purpose of supporting Internet Data Storage.
No. As an individual user purchasing Single User LEVEL, under the
Licensing Agreement, you may install that program on as many dfiferent
computers as you want, PROVIDED YOU ARE THE ONLY USER.
If you are a Professional using LEVEL for Professionals, the License
Agreement requires one purchase for each 'set of patients'. That would
normally mean one Department in a hospital, or one clinic, or one private
practice by a Doctor. However once the set of patients is determined, all
professionals referencing that same set of patients may freely install the
purchased LEVEL for Professionals on their computer(s). That is, each
attending physician, nutritionist, counsellor, etc., may install it at home and in
their personal office and on a laptop.
For LEVEL for Libraries, all computers in the same Library Branch building
may install the purchased copy.
Similarly for LEVEL for Centers, all computers in that same Center, be it an
Internet Cafe, school, Senior Citizen's public area, etc., may install the
purchased copy.
For LEVEL for MultiUsers, the rule is the same as Single User LEVEL,
install on as many computers as you care to provided they will all only be
used by the same small group of users.
In this regard, when you purchase one of the LEVEL models, be sure to
'Copy' your downloaded zipped file into some safe folder before you open it
for your first installation. Then that downloaded zipped file will be transported
by you, usually on some external media like CD or USB Memory Stick, to the
other computers you want to install it on, and unzipped and installed on each
computer.
Level Healthware has this very liberal installation policy specifically for the
purpose of supporting Internet Data Storage.
The Internet Data Storage feature encourages me to access data from
multiple computers. Does that mean I have to purchase the program again for
each computer?
multiple computers. Does that mean I have to purchase the program again for
each computer?
4- Question
3- Question
5- Question
What is a 'Daily Controls Profile' ?
Answer
You behave differently on different days. For example, some days you
exercise, some days you don't; some days you sleep a lot, some days you
don't.
But of course you are interested in what your Blood Glucose Levels are doing
on these different days for that can tell you what to keep doing to control your
levels.
A 'Daily Controls Profile' is a set of behaviors that selects certain days.
For example, you could set a Daily Controls Profile to select only those days
that you:
exercised more than 30 minutes
and
consumed fewer than 1700 calories
or another Daily Controls Profile might be the days you:
slept more than 8 hours
and
worked less than 9 hours
and
spent more than 1 hour with your family.
LEVEL permits you to look at your Blood Glucose Levels for only days that
match a Profile you describe.
As there are up to 72 Daily Controls created freely by you, you can combine
them into just about any Daily Controls Profile you care to.
You can also change the connections from 'and' to 'or'. For example the
above would become:
slept more than 8 hours
or
worked less than 9 hours
or
spent more than 1 hour with your family
to see if any one of these Controls alone would suffice to produce low
readings as long as you were doing at least one of them.
Also you may ask LEVEL to show you the Blood Glucose Levels for the days
FOLLOWING the days that 'match the Profile', or two days following, or three
days following, or any combination thereof.
You may view the thus selected Blood Glucose Levels on a Bar Graph, a
Modal Day graph, or a Pie graph, as well as using them to evaluate precise
correlations between your behavior and your readings.
As the goal for a Type II Diabetic is to control Blood Glucose Levels through
behavior, avoiding insulin injecting, Daily Controls Profiles serve as the major
tool for that accomplishment.
You may also use a Daily Controls Profile to evaluate a medication. For
example to look at your readings for only the same day and day after that you:
took 500 or more grams of Metformin
You behave differently on different days. For example, some days you
exercise, some days you don't; some days you sleep a lot, some days you
don't.
But of course you are interested in what your Blood Glucose Levels are doing
on these different days for that can tell you what to keep doing to control your
levels.
A 'Daily Controls Profile' is a set of behaviors that selects certain days.
For example, you could set a Daily Controls Profile to select only those days
that you:
exercised more than 30 minutes
and
consumed fewer than 1700 calories
or another Daily Controls Profile might be the days you:
slept more than 8 hours
and
worked less than 9 hours
and
spent more than 1 hour with your family.
LEVEL permits you to look at your Blood Glucose Levels for only days that
match a Profile you describe.
As there are up to 72 Daily Controls created freely by you, you can combine
them into just about any Daily Controls Profile you care to.
You can also change the connections from 'and' to 'or'. For example the
above would become:
slept more than 8 hours
or
worked less than 9 hours
or
spent more than 1 hour with your family
to see if any one of these Controls alone would suffice to produce low
readings as long as you were doing at least one of them.
Also you may ask LEVEL to show you the Blood Glucose Levels for the days
FOLLOWING the days that 'match the Profile', or two days following, or three
days following, or any combination thereof.
You may view the thus selected Blood Glucose Levels on a Bar Graph, a
Modal Day graph, or a Pie graph, as well as using them to evaluate precise
correlations between your behavior and your readings.
As the goal for a Type II Diabetic is to control Blood Glucose Levels through
behavior, avoiding insulin injecting, Daily Controls Profiles serve as the major
tool for that accomplishment.
You may also use a Daily Controls Profile to evaluate a medication. For
example to look at your readings for only the same day and day after that you:
took 500 or more grams of Metformin
6- Question
You say Internet Data Storage makes use of a web site. Does that mean
my data is going to be splashed all over some web page?
my data is going to be splashed all over some web page?
Answer
No. Not at all. Level Healthware is only interested in that website because it
is on the Internet. Level Healthware stores your files 'behind the scenes' at
that website location and actually doesn't make any use of the web pages at
all. Your files are never visible on the web site. Level Healthware stores them
and retrieves them invisibly through a 'back door' and has no actual interest
in the web site.
Many Web Site providers include this 'back door' method of putting and
retrieving files to and from a web site you acquire from them. It is only this
'back door' aspect of the Web Site that Level Healthware makes use of. (
You are free to put anything you want on the web pages, or nothing at all. It
doesn't interfere in the slightest with Level Healthware's use of the site as a
file storage location.)
For those of you who know what this means:
This 'back door' method of putting and retrieving files to and from your web
site is known as 'FTP ACCESS', ( which stands for File Transfer Protocol )
Also for those of you familiar, any 'FTP SERVER' will do just as well. It
doesn't have to come from a web site provider. But for those of you not
familiar, procuring a web site is the easiest way to go. Yahoo.Geocities for
example, provides very user friendly guidance for using the FTP aspect of the
websites you procure from them. It couldn't be more simple....if for example,
you procure a website of name www.MyWebSite.com, your FTP address is
simply ftp.MyWebSite.com, and your account name and password are the
same as you used for the web site, though you may make them different if
you wish.
The Level models lead you through the connecting of your LEVEL model to
your acquired FTP address:
To activate Internet Data Storage on your Level model, you will be asked for:
(1) that FTP address eg ... ftp.MyWebSite.com
(2) your account name and password at that FTP address
(3) a name that you now choose for your Folder within that account
(4) a Folder password that you also now choose
Once you type these in LEVEL does the rest.
Also you are also not locked into this web site. You may just as simply
transfer your Internet Data Storage to any other web site with FTP access at
any time you choose. You retain complete ownership of your data and your
Internet Data Storage connection.
( If you are a physician, one web site will suffice for up to 200 of your patients,
assigning each their own Folder name and Password. )
No. Not at all. Level Healthware is only interested in that website because it
is on the Internet. Level Healthware stores your files 'behind the scenes' at
that website location and actually doesn't make any use of the web pages at
all. Your files are never visible on the web site. Level Healthware stores them
and retrieves them invisibly through a 'back door' and has no actual interest
in the web site.
Many Web Site providers include this 'back door' method of putting and
retrieving files to and from a web site you acquire from them. It is only this
'back door' aspect of the Web Site that Level Healthware makes use of. (
You are free to put anything you want on the web pages, or nothing at all. It
doesn't interfere in the slightest with Level Healthware's use of the site as a
file storage location.)
For those of you who know what this means:
This 'back door' method of putting and retrieving files to and from your web
site is known as 'FTP ACCESS', ( which stands for File Transfer Protocol )
Also for those of you familiar, any 'FTP SERVER' will do just as well. It
doesn't have to come from a web site provider. But for those of you not
familiar, procuring a web site is the easiest way to go. Yahoo.Geocities for
example, provides very user friendly guidance for using the FTP aspect of the
websites you procure from them. It couldn't be more simple....if for example,
you procure a website of name www.MyWebSite.com, your FTP address is
simply ftp.MyWebSite.com, and your account name and password are the
same as you used for the web site, though you may make them different if
you wish.
The Level models lead you through the connecting of your LEVEL model to
your acquired FTP address:
To activate Internet Data Storage on your Level model, you will be asked for:
(1) that FTP address eg ... ftp.MyWebSite.com
(2) your account name and password at that FTP address
(3) a name that you now choose for your Folder within that account
(4) a Folder password that you also now choose
Once you type these in LEVEL does the rest.
Also you are also not locked into this web site. You may just as simply
transfer your Internet Data Storage to any other web site with FTP access at
any time you choose. You retain complete ownership of your data and your
Internet Data Storage connection.
( If you are a physician, one web site will suffice for up to 200 of your patients,
assigning each their own Folder name and Password. )
7 - Question
Answer
If you are an extremely active person using Single User Level, and/or if your
schedule is very unpredictable, or for any other reason.....
or if you are a Diabetes Professional using Level For Professionals but
practicing at more than one Clinic, or if you are an extremely active
professional, and/or if your schedule is very unpredictable, or for any other
reason.....
you may wish to also have your entire system also copied onto a USB Flash
Drive, from which you may access your system from any host computer
anywhere into which you insert that USB Flash Drive. Your entire system is
present on the USB Flash Drive, none of it is on that host computer, and as you
work, none of it is put there. All of your system can operate from the USB
Flash Drive. The host computer need not have any of the Level models
installed. You can 'EXPORT', 'IMPORT, and use 'Internet Data Storage' just
as well from the copy you place on the USB Flash Drive as from any of your
own computers on which you have installed your system.
This of course gives you maximum freedom and independence. Of course you
sacrifice the familiar environments of your own computers with your own
printers, and preferred screen display choices, as well as your familiar working
environments. A price for this freedom is that the Flash Drive executes
noticeably slower than your computer copies, especially on 'Internet Data
Storage' activities.
The best way is to use the system you copy to a USB Flash Drive in
conjunction with the copies you also place on your own computers. Use
'Internet Data Storage' on everything to keep everything synchronized, or more
crudely but just as effectively, use the 'Make and store an External Export' and
'IMPORT a previous External Export' menu selections under 'Transfer Data'
menu selection to transfer to your USB system and then back to your
computer's system. However, with this choice, synchronization becomes your
responsibility.
On physician visits you can 'EXPORT' from the patient's USB Flash Drive
system the usual 'EXPORTED' zipped file into any convenient location on the
USB Flash Drive and then plug the USB Flash Drive into the physician's
computer and his/her 'Level for Professionals' can 'IMPORT' that file.
If you are an extremely active person using Single User Level, and/or if your
schedule is very unpredictable, or for any other reason.....
or if you are a Diabetes Professional using Level For Professionals but
practicing at more than one Clinic, or if you are an extremely active
professional, and/or if your schedule is very unpredictable, or for any other
reason.....
you may wish to also have your entire system also copied onto a USB Flash
Drive, from which you may access your system from any host computer
anywhere into which you insert that USB Flash Drive. Your entire system is
present on the USB Flash Drive, none of it is on that host computer, and as you
work, none of it is put there. All of your system can operate from the USB
Flash Drive. The host computer need not have any of the Level models
installed. You can 'EXPORT', 'IMPORT, and use 'Internet Data Storage' just
as well from the copy you place on the USB Flash Drive as from any of your
own computers on which you have installed your system.
This of course gives you maximum freedom and independence. Of course you
sacrifice the familiar environments of your own computers with your own
printers, and preferred screen display choices, as well as your familiar working
environments. A price for this freedom is that the Flash Drive executes
noticeably slower than your computer copies, especially on 'Internet Data
Storage' activities.
The best way is to use the system you copy to a USB Flash Drive in
conjunction with the copies you also place on your own computers. Use
'Internet Data Storage' on everything to keep everything synchronized, or more
crudely but just as effectively, use the 'Make and store an External Export' and
'IMPORT a previous External Export' menu selections under 'Transfer Data'
menu selection to transfer to your USB system and then back to your
computer's system. However, with this choice, synchronization becomes your
responsibility.
On physician visits you can 'EXPORT' from the patient's USB Flash Drive
system the usual 'EXPORTED' zipped file into any convenient location on the
USB Flash Drive and then plug the USB Flash Drive into the physician's
computer and his/her 'Level for Professionals' can 'IMPORT' that file.
What is Level Healthware's USB Flash Drive Install ?