The Aviisha Medical Institute’s DriveSafe Program is lowering costs associated with the testing and treatment of sleep apnea for commercial drivers. Launched in February, the program is also aimed at raising awareness about this serious disease and helping drivers stay compliant.

The DriveSafe Program is the institute’s latest effort to combat the effects of sleep apnea. Sleep apnea has recently been spotlighted in the commercial driver industry.

In January, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announced that it had adopted recommendations to have all commercial drivers with a body mass index of 35 or higher tested for sleep apnea. A person with a body mass index of 35 or higher is considered obese and is at high risk of having sleep apnea. Read the rest of this entry

The National Sleep Foundation is pleased to announce its partnership with LARK, creator of the award-winning sleep monitor, silent alarm clock, and personal sleep coach, to educate consumers on the importance of sleep and the best practices for sleep health.

“We’re excited by the potential of the convergence of technology and interest in sleep,” says David Cloud, CEO of the National Sleep Foundation. “LARK is at the cutting edge of consumer sleep devices and by working together, the National Sleep Foundation and LARK can help everyone understand how to make the most of their time in bed.”

LARK worked with top sleep experts to design an actigraph wristband that detects wearers’ unique sleep patterns and wirelessly uploads them to their iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Users get an immediate picture of how they’ve slept and analysis shows what “Sleep Type” they are and the easiest ways for them personally to improve. LARK offers a premium subscription, LARK Pro, which actively coaches people towards improving their sleep. The LARK wristband also features a silent alarm that wakes the wearer gently by mild vibrations. Read the rest of this entry

Siesta Medical, Inc., a developer of minimally invasive surgical solutions for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), announced the U.S. launch of its Encore™ Tongue Suspension System for the treatment of OSA. The Encore™ System simplifies and improves the control of tongue suspension, a procedure shown to be an effective treatment for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

Dr. Jason van Tassel at Washington Hospital in Fremont, CA performed one of the first patient implants.

“Through a small incision, the Encore System allowed me to navigate the tongue base and easily place suspension loops. Controlling the final tension and advancement of the tongue base was easy and much simpler than with previous tongue suspension devices. This was a quick and minimally invasive surgery and is a potentially attractive surgical option for OSA patients with tongue base obstructions” said Dr. van Tassel. Read the rest of this entry

St. Luke’s Cornwall Center for Sleep Medicine has launched a new, free, support group, for patients with sleep apnea or other sleep disorders.

The first quarterly meeting for the A.W.A.K.E. (Alert, Well And Keeping Energetic) support group will be held Wednesday, March 21 from 6:15 – 8:15 p.m. at the 2nd Floor Conference Room at the Cornwall campus located on 19 Laurel Avenue in Cornwall. Refreshments will be served.

“We’re excited to launch the Mid-Hudson Valley chapter of this new support group through our Sleep Medicine program,” said Dr. Anita Bhola, Medical Director, St. Luke’s Cornwall Center for Sleep Medicine. Patients will be put in touch with doctors, manufacturing reps, DME and other experts in the field to have their questions answered in an informal patient friendly setting.

St. Luke’s Cornwall Center for Sleep Medicine is committed to enhancing quality of life for those experiencing disruptive sleep. Using advanced diagnostics and the latest research in the field highly qualified staff evaluates patient’s sleep patterns and devise a custom treatment plan to improve their ability to sleep.

A recently concluded research study established that the children who experience sleep-disordered breathing are significantly more probably exhibiting maladaptive behaviors subsequent to surgery compared to those children who do not have any respiratory problem.

Researchers from the University of Michigan, in Ann Arbor were intrigued by the postoperative behavioral problems—like fussiness, disobedience and introversion, and daytime sleepiness.

“All of us have taken care of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)patients at one time or another,” said Robert E. Christensen, MD, clinical lecturer in anesthesiology at the institution. Read the rest of this entry

NovaSom, Inc., the leader in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) home testing and cost-containment solutions, has announced UnitedHealthcare plan  participants now have access to NovaSom home sleep testing services for sleep apnea diagnosis. Home sleep testing is a clinically equivalent alternative to in-facility sleep testing that can be performed from the comfort and privacy of a patient’s home, at a fraction of the cost.

NovaSom will utilize its field-based provider relations team to educate physicians on appropriate screening parameters that will help identify clinically appropriate patients for home sleep testing. NovaSom will also make available a customized, provider-friendly workflow process aligned with prior authorization requirements to assure cost-effective diagnosis and initiation of treatment through its proprietary       cloud-based MediTrack^®System.    Read the rest of this entry

Home sleep testing devices have become popular among medical providers to  determine whether or not patients may have obstructive sleep apnea.  Left  untreated, sleep apnea can account for higher risks of accidents, obesity, heart  disease, diabetes, and even colon cancer.

Medical professionals upload raw data  off the machine through the pm-Assist?  service that is scored by Registered Polysomnographic Technicians (RPSGT),  interpreted by Board Certified Sleep Physicians, and in as little as 24 hours  receive a diagnostic report.

“The growth of our pm-Assist program parallels the growth of home sleep  testing in the industry,” commented Dr. Benjamin Gerson, Chief Medical Director  of University Services, the parent  company of pm-Assist. Read the rest of this entry

Sleep affects a person’s waking hours more than a person realizes. According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, about 60 million Americans suffer from insomnia or other sleep disorders, such as sleep apnea, restless limb syndrome, narcolepsy, delayed or advanced sleep phase syndrome and parasomnias. 

The Alert, Well and Keeping Energy (AWAKE) sleep support group is part of the Piedmont Newnan Sleep Center’s efforts to help patients get the rest they need to lead normal, productive lives.

“People don’t realize the affect and power a good night’s sleep has on people,” says Jennifer Morrow, the Piedmont Newnan Hospital Sleep Center and AWAKE support group coordinator.

Some common symptoms of not getting enough rest include excessive sleepiness during daytime hours, loud snoring, pauses during breathing while asleep, morning headaches, restless legs during sleep and exhaustion despite having enough sleep hours. Read the rest of this entry

Snoring was once considered a simple annoyance for bed partners, but there is a growing awareness in the medical community that the grunts and snorts of noisy sleepers can also be a sign of sleep apnea.

Testing can be a lucrative business, and labs have popped up in free-standing clinics and hospitals across the country. Over the past decade, the number of accredited sleep labs that test for the disorder has quadrupled, according to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.

At the same time, insurer spending on the procedure has skyrocketed. Medicare payments for sleep testing increased from $62 million in 2001 to $235 million in 2009, according to the Office of the Inspector General.

Dr. David Gross, medical director of the sleep lab at the National Rehabilitation Hospital in Washington, D.C., says more than three-quarters of the patients who come to his lab are diagnosed with sleep apnea. “We are spending more and more money on sleep testing and treatment,” he says.

It’s no secret that the sleep business can be lucrative for physicians. While many sleep centers offer comprehensive care for sleep disorders, others are largely focused on overnight sleep testing, according to Dr. Nancy Collop, president of the academy. “A lot of people have gotten into the sleep business specifically to do that procedure,” she says.

Another option is a home sleep test, which costs less than a fifth as much as a lab test, and is considered effective for most patients. Medicare began paying for home sleep tests in 2008, but the tests have had only modest growth.

Some insurers, including WellPoint, are changing the way they pay for sleep testing to curb the costs.  Those changes are now widespread among Massachusetts insurers and are having an effect on the sleep industry in the state. [ Read Complete Post ... ]

According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Strokes,  Sleep Apnea remains a growing health concern with an estimated 18 million  Americans suffering.  Sleep Group Solutions offers dental continuing education  courses, with an emphasis in Dental Sleep Medicine.  With a growing demand for  treatment, SGS is now offering an Advanced course to the dental community,  taught by Dr.  Daniel Tache, Diplomat of the Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine, the current  president of the Wisconsin Sleep Society and an instructor for Sleep Group  Solutions.

Now more than ever, dentists are seeking higher education to learn new skills  and protocols on proper treatment methods for snoring and sleep apnea.  Sleep  Group Solutions is currently the leader in dental continuing education for  Dental Sleep Medicine, offering over 60 courses in 2012.

Dentists such as Dr. Larry  Grillo in Aventura, Fl attended a course from SGS and currently is one of  the few dentists in the area screening and treating sleep apnea.  “Treating  obstructive sleep apnea impacts the systemic health of our patients more  significantly than almost any other service we provide. Read the rest of this entry

Verizon Wireless and NovaSom, Inc., the leader in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) home testing, will be showcasing the NovaSom’s AccuSom  Home Sleep Test at 2012 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), [the Verizon booth ,Las Vegas Convention Center, South Hall, Booth #30259].

The AccuSom Home Sleep Test is used in the diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea(OSA), one of the most serious and under-diagnosed medical conditions in the United States, affecting nearly 18 million Americans.  AccuSom is the only FDA-cleared wireless home sleep test on the market, utilizing Verizon’s network to wirelessly collect and transfer sleep data from the patient’s home to a proprietary cloud-based sleep apnea management platform for physician interpretation and diagnosis. Read the rest of this entry

In the latest step of their national expansion campaign, The Snoring Center is pleased to announce the opening of a Chicago location on January 9. The company is the nation’s leading provider of minimally invasive, office-based treatment for snoring and sleep apnea, including the Pillar Procedure from Medtronic.

Dr. Victoria Brkovich, a Board Certified Otolaryngologist with years of clinical experience, has been appointed Medical Director of the Chicago office, located at Water Tower Place.

“I couldn’t be more honored to join The Snoring Center team,” said Dr. Brkovich. “The Snoring Center’s innovative approach and progressive treatment options have helped people from around the world to find healthy, restorative sleep, which is essential to physical and emotional well-being. The opening of our center gives more people access to convenient, effective snoring and sleep apnea treatment options.” Read the rest of this entry

Lee A. Surkin, MD is the first medical practice in the state of North Carolina to offer Provent Sleep Apnea Therapy, an innovative, non-invasive treatment for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) to patients in Greenville and throughout North Carolina. Cleared by the US FDA in 2008, Provent Therapy is a simple and effective new treatment option for obstructive sleep apnea. Provent Therapy utilizes the patient’s own breathing to provide clinically proven results in the treatment of OSA.

CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) is currently the gold standard for treatment of OSA and is extremely effective at treating OSA when worn as directed. However, up to half of all patients are not compliant with CPAP therapy due to the cumbersome nature of the treatment. Provent Therapy was developed to help patients who cannot tolerate CPAP therapy and may benefit from the small non-invasive and effective technology Provent Therapy provides. Read the rest of this entry

Reportlinker.com announces that a new market research report is available in its catalogue:

United States Anesthesia and Respiratory Devices Market Outlook to 2017 – Respiratory Devices, Respiratory Measurement Devices, Airway and Anesthesia Devices, Anesthesia Machines, Sleep Apnea Diagnostic Systems, Pain Management Devices and Others

The report provides key market data on the United States Anesthesia and Respiratory Devices market. The report provides value (USD million), volume (units) and average price (USD) data for each segment and sub-segment within eight market categories – Airway and Anesthesia Devices, Anesthesia Machines, Pain Management Devices, Regional Anesthesia Disposables, Respiratory Devices, Respiratory Disposables, Respiratory Measurement Devices and Sleep Apnea Diagnostic Systems. Read the rest of this entry

In an industry first, Celadon, a major Canadian trucking firm, acknowledged in a recent legal settlement that sleep apnea in one of their drivers most likely led to the death of John Lindsay in a May 2010 trucking collision.  Wanda Lindsay, founder of The John Lindsay Foundation, recently announced the $3,250,000 settlement of a lawsuit she and her 3 children filed against Celadon Trucking Company and its driver. The lawsuit arose out of the death of John Lindsay on May 9, 2010.

The Lindsay family was represented by Jim Cole and the Cole, Cole & Easley law firm in Victoria, Texas.

“This is the first case in which a trucking company has acknowledged a death resulting from a driver with sleep apnea,” Cole said.  “I believe this will have a national impact on the trucking industry.” Read the rest of this entry