Patent ID: 8255053

Claim:
A system for communicating with an implantable medical device, the system comprising: a telemetry circuit configured to communicate with the implantable medical device; a device identification device configured to identify a device type of the implantable medical device using information received by the telemetry circuit from the implantable medical device, the device type indicative of one or more operational modes of the implantable medical device; a user interface device including: a programming mode switch configured to allow selection of a programming mode from a question-based programming mode and a parameter-based programming mode, the programming mode switch allowing the programming mode to be switched to the parameter-based programming mode from the question-based programming mode during a programming session and to be switched to the question-based programming mode from the parameter-based programming mode during the programming session; and a screen including at least a question field and an answer field when the question-based programming mode is selected and a plurality of parameter value entry fields when the parameter-based programming mode is selected; and a parameter generator coupled to the device identification module and the user interface, the parameter generator configured to receive answers through the answer field, receive parameter values through the parameter value entry fields, and produce values for a set of operational parameters for the implantable medical device to operate in an operational mode of the one or more operational modes using the received answers and the received parameter values.