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INSURERS
AND ADMINISTRATORS
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Why
Use Sleep Data for Diagnosing Obstructive
Sleep Apnea Syndrome? |
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Cost effective
Nationwide
market leaders since 1995
Validated,
up-to-date protocols
Timely
- test results within days of referral
Success
rate of 97%+ in obtaining quality data
Manual
scoring and clinical interpretations provided
by sleep
technicians and pulmonary physicians
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Sleep
Data's diagnostic protocols are a perfect solution for insurers
and medical groups who seek to maintain high quality while
reducing overall costs. We are a market leader in the diagnosis
of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome
(OSAS), providing innovative solutions to a severely under-diagnosed
population. We provide a timely diagnosis with excellent sensitivity
and specificity at a fraction of the cost (1). Final results
are typically provided within days of the referral. Traditional
sleep laboratories can be costly, inconvenient and have scheduling
backlogs. Few patients look forward to spending time away
from home to assess possible OSAS. Administered in a patient's
own bed, the testing data have often been found to more closely
reflect reality. We have performed thousands of studies in
all fifty states. Our portable recording system is the most
highly validated and
accurately measures the necessary physiological
parameters to diagnose OSAS as determined by the American
Academy of Sleep Medicine.
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Home-based
sleep testing is now widely accepted in the medical and scientific
communities. Veterans Affairs Hospitals, University of California
Medical Centers, and Kaiser Permanente Hospitals across the
country are utilizing home-based testing. Research has shown
that a typical sleep apnea patient can be diagnosed and treated
entirely outside the polysomnography laboratory. Many insurance
carriers often pay for unnecessary and expensive testing. Studies
have shown that home-based sleep testing is a viable tool for
reducing overall costs (2). Whether you're an insurance company,
HMO, independent physicians association, or medical group, Sleep
Data has a testing program that can be tailored to your needs.
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How
Sleep Data Operates
Sleep Data specializes in the in-home diagnosis of OSAS. We
work hand-in-hand with homecare companies to facilitate patient
treatment. Once the referral is made and the study is authorized,
Sleep Data takes care of the rest. We contact the patient, schedule
the study, deliver and pick up the recorder from their home
or office, and fax final results to the referring physician.
Physician and patient support is available twenty-four hours
a day. Obtaining quality data is a high priority and is achieved
more than 97% of the time. Should a study be technically inadequate
or a patient simply not sleep well, the study is repeated at
no charge. We administer a post treatment CPAP compliance questionnaire
and, when appropriate, follow patients to determine treatment
outcomes.
Our
Comprehensive Report Includes:
Calculation
of respiratory disturbance index
(RDI) and autonomic arousal index
Oxygen
saturations, heart rate, snoring and body position
Study
description
The patient's
sleep history and sleep
hygiene
Patient's
daily medications
Post
sleep study report
Our pulmonary
physician's clinical interpretation and recommendations
CPAP
or Bi-Level recommendations based upon published regression
equations
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| Importance
of Diagnosing Sleep Apnea Syndrome |
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Undisturbed
sleep promotes health, lowers stress, increases productivity
and contributes significantly to quality of life. Unfortunately,
not everyone experiences all the benefits of a good night's
sleep.
Obstructive
sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) affects an estimated 20 million
Americans and is associated with chronic diseases such as
obesity, hypertension, heart failure, stroke, sexual dysfunction,
and depression. Sleep fragmentation, which results from OSAS
can lead to excessive daytime sleepiness, headaches, memory
loss, difficulty concentrating, loss of productivity and accidents.
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It has
been estimated that OSAS remains undiagnosed in 82% of men
and 93% of women with the condition (5). The costs to the
healthcare system of undiagnosed and untreated OSAS are profound.
Effectively diagnosing and treating OSAS, rather than dealing
with the consequences of this chronic disease reduces overall
healthcare costs (3,4).
The diagnosis
and treatment of OSAS is a growing and vitally important field.
Until medical providers learn to recognize and respond to
the seriousness of sleep disorders, the consequences of undiagnosed
and untreated sleep apnea will continue to be devastating.
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Learn
more about sleep apnea syndrome.
(back
to top)
References
1.
Emsellem HA, Corson WA, Rappaport BA, Hackett S, Smith LG,
Hausfeld JN. Verification of sleep apnea using a portable
sleep apnea screening device. South Med J. 1990;83:748-52.
2. Parra O, Garcia-Esclasans N, Montserrat JM, Garcia Eroles
L, Ruiz J, Lopez JA, Guerra JM, Sopena JJ. Should patients
with sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome be diagnosed and managed
on the basis of home sleep studies? Eur Respir J, 1997;10:1720-24.
3. Kryger MH, Roos L, Delaive K, Walld R, Horrocks J. Utilization
of healthcare services in patients with severe obstructive
sleep apnea. Sleep. 1996;19(9 supplement):S111-6.
4. Peker, Hedner, Johannsson, Bende. Reduced hospitalization
with cardiovascular and pulmonary disease in obstructive sleep
apnea patients on nasal CPAP treatment. Sleep. 1997; 20(8):645-53.
5. Young T, Evans L, Finn L, Palta M. Estimation of the clinically
diagnosed proportion of sleep apnea syndrome in middle-aged
men and women. Sleep. 1997;20:705-6.
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