Sleep Apnea can be routinely tested with ease from a physician’s office improving patient access and care. Many cases of sleep apnea are currently undiagnosed due to lack of awareness amongst the patient population.
It is estimated that 42 million Americans have sleep disordered breathing. The prevalence of sleep apnea is similar to asthma and diabetes. The impact on overall patient wellbeing is significant as well as sleep apnea being a predicator of many other underlying health conditions. Patients are at a higher risk of depression, hypertension, diabetes, heart disease and sudden death. It is not known yet whether some of these conditions occur as a result of sleep apnea or conversely so.
Ancillary Medical Solutions has partnered with Sleepview to provide simple and effective in office testing for patients. Every day, physicians would see patients that are at risk for sleep apnea due to the correlation with many other chronic conditions.
The Sleepview monitor is the smallest and lightest home sleep test monitor. The unit is in compliance with the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and has been successfully utilized for a number of years. The device measures body position, snoring and heart rate. The unit also has an identity check feature to ensure the desired patient is being tested. A web portal is available for interpretation of results and sleep management.
Dr Joe Thomas has used the device on his patients since 2012 and has been increasingly thankful for the positive impact he has made on patient lives. He reports the device as easy to use and finds the ability for patients to do the study in their own bed a benefit. He reports he believes he has saved more than one life through detection and treatment referral.
Ancillary Medical Solutions has options for purchase or rental of the Sleepview monitor. Reimbursements range from $180 from Medicare and $275 for private insurance. Providing sleep apnea testing is a valuable service to extend the reach for detecting cases of severe obstructive airway disease. It is feasible for any office to be able to offer a sleep study each day due to the variety of conditions that place the patient at risk. This can translate to over $50 000 per year in additional revenue.
Any office that is currently providing Department of Transport testing could easily add Sleep Apnea to their offer. Detection of sleep apnea in this population is important due to the risks of driving with poor quality sleep.
Currently it is estimated that 1 in 5 have mild obstructive sleep apnea and 1 in 15 have moderate to severe sleep apnea. Specialties that can benefit from offering sleep apnea services are cardiology, endocrinology, pain management, internal medicine, dentists, onsite employer clinics and more.
Patients at risk for sleep apnea are those with a large neck size, the obese, snorers, diabetics and anyone feeling chronically fatigued.
It only makes sense to offer sleep apnea testing due to the impact it can make on patient health and quality of life with patients preferring to be tested in the comfort of their own home.
For more information on this and other Ancillary Medical Solutions, contact us and we will have one of our Certified Ancillary Consultants contact you.