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

As the number of patients diagnosed with sleep apnea is increasing the costs related to the health insurance is also increasing exponentially. This skyrocketing of the insurer’s sleep apnea related costs has now compelled the insurance companies to change their health coverage policies for the disorder.

A sleep apnea diagnosis usually requires patients undergo tests overnight in a sleep lab; some patients spend two nights in the lab to separately test for sleep apnea and to try a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine. Insurers often spend $1,900 for one overnight stay.

As a result of this increased spending, some experts are concerned that overnight tests to diagnose apnea are over-prescribed. Medicare payments for sleep testing increased from $62 million in 2001 to $235 million in 2009.

This contrasts effective home sleep tests that cost less than a fifth of the lab version. Although Medicare began paying for home sleep tests in 2008, the tests have had only modest growth. 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

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

The Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee and  the Medical Review Board of the FMCSA held a joint  public meeting in Alexandria, VA, to discuss guidance for medical examiners  to identify commercial drivers with a high pre-test probability of having  Obstructive Sleep Apnea, define conditional certification, and what constitutes  immediate disqualification. “These recommendations are a step in the right  direction,” commented Richard Thiel, Director of Making Sleep Work For You?, a  nationwide sleep disorder program, “both entities recognize how OSA is an issue  in the industry, and are taking steps to not only address it, but also give  clear guidelines to all stakeholders involved.”

Subcommittees of each group working together will meet in January to draft  more detailed recommendations to the FMCSA, and another joint meeting of these  entities will take place in February 2012 to finalize the detailed  recommendations. A public comment period will also be available before the FMCSA  issues these recommendations as final guidance. Read the rest of this entry

NovaSom, Inc., the leader  in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) home testing and cost-containment solutions, announces the launch of its next generation MediTrack(R) cloud-based CRM  application. The MediTrack OSA management platform is designed to enable custom  processing of payer-specific medical policy, billing, utilization management and  therapy coordination requirements to efficiently manage home sleep testing, OSA  diagnosis and recommended therapy.

NovaSom’s proprietary MediTrack system allows physicians to order a NovaSom  home sleep test online or by fax. The platform provides customizable information fields for easier physician entry of payer required data, leverages payer  communication preferences, and incorporates payer-specific messaging into patient shipping and handling and device return logistics. The system also manages rapid upload of patient sleep data for interpretation by a Board Certified physician, and then promptly publishes the OSA study results for secure online and fax delivery to the ordering physician. Upon positive diagnosis, the MediTrack technology integrates assignment of payer-preferred therapy providers. Read the rest of this entry

The ResMed S9 is a uniquly designed sleep apnea device and only because of this the device ResMed S9 won a Red Dot design award last year.

Michael Farrell, senior vice president at ResMed’s global sleep strategic business unit, said: “Great design in medical devices should combine good looks, innovation and user-friendliness, as well as address an unmet medical need.”

The device uses special quality plastics in its manufacturing. This is called the “ Cycoloy polycarbonate/acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (PC/ABS) resin”.Sabic Innovative Plastics is the company that manufactures the ”Lexan and Cycoloy materials” that have been used in the making of the award-winning ResMed S9 series of sleep apnea devices.

Sabic’s Cycoloy polycarbonate/acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (PC/ABS) resin is used to mould the complex, thin-wall S9 chassis. The high-flow material uses a non-halogenated flame retardant.

The tough Sabic Lexan polycarbonate is biocompatible and has a high-quality surface finish. It is used for the S9 top case and also in ResMed’s H5i humidifier flip lid.

The company says: “These new devices are designed with the SABIC Lexan and Cycoloy resin materials to be unobtrusive in the home – looking more like a clock radio or stereo than a piece of medical equipment.”

A new classification system detailing the type of signals measured by home sleep testing devices for diagnosing obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) appears in the latest issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine.

The proposed system categorizes home sleep testing devices, called out-of-center (OOC) testing devices in the paper, based on measurements of Sleep, Cardiovascular, Oximetry, Position, Effort, and Respiratory (SCOPER) parameters. Criteria for evaluating the devices are also presented, based on pre-test and post-test probabilities.

The first widely used classification system for describing sleep testing devices was published by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) in 1994. Read the rest of this entry

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 home sleep testing (HST)  devices (and interpretation), which have become a popular way to allow the  sufferer to get tested in the privacy of their own home, no over night stay in a  sleep lab needed.  The results are easily uploaded by the physician/practitioner  to InterpStudies.com for a quick diagnosis  of OSA (Obstructive Sleep Apnea).

Historically, an overnight sleep study in a sleep lab was the only way to  obtain a diagnosis of OSA (Obstructive Sleep Apnea).  Recent advancements in  technology has made its way directly into the consumers hands, creating an  increase in sleep apnea diagnosis.  Read the rest of this entry

SleepApneaDisorder/ [  Press Release  ]/ Versailles, Ohio /October 17, 2011/ Sleep Apnea: A Growing Health Concern According to the National Institute  of Neurological Disorders and Strokes, an estimated 18 million Americans have  sleep apnea. However, few of them have had the problem diagnosed.

Sleep apnea is the repeated interruption of normal breathing during sleep.  Obstructive sleep apnea is the most common type of breathing-related sleep disorder. In patients with OSA, the airway collapses, temporarily restricting  airflow to the lungs. This partial airway obstruction causes the upper airway  tissue to vibrate and produce the sound of the classic snore.

As OSA develops, it has a cumulative effect, meaning that the longer the  disease goes untreated, the greater the negative side effects and associated  health risks. According to numerous  research studies, if sleep apnea remains untreated, other health conditions  may emerge or current health problems may worsen, including: Read the rest of this entry

SleepApneaDisorder/[Press Release]/ Philips Respironics, a unit of Royal Philips Electronics is shaping the future of sleep therapy by providing an innovative technology for treating and managing obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) – in its most advanced CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) device to date. The new REMstar Pro with AutoIQ is a prime example of an intelligent solution that allows providers and physicians to deliver exceptional care while helping their patients take control of their sleep therapy.

The new AutoIQ mode has the ability to track a patient’s progress over several nights, establish or readjust to an ideal therapy pressure, and check back periodically to reassess and adjust treatment as needed. This is all done without requiring the provider to visit the patient’s home. Read the rest of this entry

The diagnosis and treatment of sleep disorders have come a long way in recent years. In the past, people who snored might be advised to sew a tennis ball onto the back of their pajama top. The “snore ball” would discourage them from sleeping on their back and might quiet their droning. Or a doctor might use the “dog index” to measure poor sleep: If your dog generally sleeps with you but by morning has left the bed more than half the time, it may be because you’re such a loud, restless sleeper that the dog has gone elsewhere for some peace and quiet.

How things have changed. Now, doctors with special training diagnose and treat more than 80 sleep disorders – from obstructive sleep apnea to narcolepsy – at special centers with labs where a patient’s every sleeping moment may be recorded and measured. Read the rest of this entry

Fragmented sleep, loud snoring, debilitating daytime fatigue, low oxygen levels, missed work days, morning headaches and problems remembering and concentrating are among the symptoms of sleep apnea disorder, the most common sleep disorder.

According to estimates there are more than 18 million Americans suffer from the deadly disorder called sleep apnea.

One of the first steps is generally to undergo an overnight sleep evaluation, or “nocturnal polysomnogram.” It is commonly known as overnight sleep study at the sleep center.

Patients spend one night in a special laboratory or a bedroom hooked up to sophisticated computer equipment that monitors heart, lung and brain activity; breathing patterns; arm and leg movements; and blood oxygen levels. The room generally includes soft lighting; a comfortable bed; a quiet, calming atmosphere; television; and other amenities to help the patient sleep.

In some cases, a portable home monitoring device can also be used to track heart rate, blood oxygen level, airflow and breathing patterns. Unfortunately, however, it does not always provide the most effective readings. An overnight, in-center polysomnogram may still be needed.

SleepApneaDisorder/[ Press Release ]/ July05,2011/ Sleep Group  Solutions (SGS) is pleased to announce the widespread launch of InterpStudies.com, a home sleep  study interpretation portal. Home sleep testing has been among the fastest  growing segments of the sleep and medical market as it is a viable and cost  effective study, similar to the overnight PSG tests done in sleep labs.

Home sleep tests (HST), such as the Embletta  is the same home sleep test device used today in many hospitals, Sleep Disorders Centers, VA  and Kaiser Systems.  These home sleep tests are user friendly, and frequently  administered by primary care physicians, internal medicine physicians, dentists  and other specialties. Since Embletta supplies many sleep labs with sleep study  technology-sleep doctors are familiar with the data and diagnosing is seamless  when studies are uploaded to InterpStudies.com.   Read the rest of this entry

Watermark  Medical Inc, Boca Raton, Fla, recently announced that it will offer CareFusion’s  NOX-T3 Home Sleep Testing (HST) device for the diagnosis of obstructive  sleep apnea (OSA). The NOX-T3 portable sleep monitor will be available  through Watermark Medical’s network and will expand the company’s HST  product line, which already includes the ARES wireless HST device.

“We are excited to add another HST option to our current offering,”  said Charlie Alvarez, president of Watermark Medical. “As obstructive sleep apnea(OSA) awareness increased and insurance companies are mandating a home sleep test option, availability of the CareFusion NOX-T3 home sleep testing device allows us to further expand the Watermark Medical platform and allow  other HST devices to access our extensive physician, sleep lab, and DME  networks.”

CareFusion’s NOX-T3 features an array of sleep sensors, including a  Bluetooth receiver. The product will be available via Watermark  Medical’s nationwide network in Q3 2011.