Physician Groups Make Headway in Battle Against Sleep Apnea

Thursday, August 18th, 2011 at 6:16 PM

The Aviisha Medical Institute, LLC is making headway in the battle against sleep apnea as physician groups continue to join its MD Home Sleep Program at a record pace. The program equips physicians with the knowledge and tools to diagnose and treat sleep apnea without resorting to costly lab testing.

The surge in group signups has helped Aviisha, the national leader in home sleep testing, reach more sleep apnea patients than ever before. “We’re seeing a remarkable number of patients getting treated thanks to the collective effort of our physicians,” said Dr. Avi Ishaaya, the cofounder and Medical Director of Aviisha. “Only 10-20% of sufferers are diagnosed despite the fact that untreated sleep apnea has such devastating health consequences.” Sleep apnea has been linked to increased risk of stroke, diabetes, heart failure, hypertension, obesity, sexual dysfunctional, depression, loss of motivation, and chronic fatigue.”

The groups come from a variety of states and comprise numerous specialties.

Aviisha’s MD Home Sleep Program

The MD Home Sleep Program is made possible by a combination of state-of-the-art home sleep diagnostic equipment from Philips Respironics and innovative software. Physicians are assigned the task of identifying patients at high risk for obstructive sleep apnea. Recent studies suggest that at least 1 in every 5 people suffers from mild sleep apnea and 1 in every 15 suffers from moderate-to-severe sleep apnea.

Once identified as being at risk, the physician prescribes a home sleep test online with the click of a button. Prescription takes less than 30 seconds and can be accomplished via computer or smart phone. The entire sleep test is administered and scored by Aviisha who also provides technical support and free shipping. A summary report with the study’s findings is emailed to the physician along with diagnosis and treatment recommendations from a sleep-boarded physician. From there, the physician can prescribe AutoCPAP treatment. Aviisha ships the Philips AutoCPAP device to the patient and manages treatment compliance. The physician receives compliance reports every 3 months.

“The whole objective of the program was to empower physicians to diagnose and treat sleep apnea,” said Dr. Avi. “We wanted to make it as easy as possible without sacrificing care or confidence. We give physicians the knowledge and data they need to prescribe sleep tests and treatment while we do all the labor.”