CSC’s Leading Edge Forum has released a report recently that identifies a new wave of disruptive technologies that will reshape the delivery of healthcare. These new technologies will help control costs while improving health by ushering in an era of wellness, self-monitoring, increased and earlier detection of disease, and more effective treatments.

The report, “The Future of Healthcare: It’s Health, Then Care,” identifies a wide range of technologies in development, from intelligent pills that deliver targeted doses of medication to specific locations in the body, to brain implants that prevent seizures, to contact lenses with microchips to detect glaucoma, to bioprinting that creates new skin.

“Healthcare needs significant disruptive change to address its problems and there are many maturing technologies that can help,” said Fran Turisco, the study’s lead researcher, who is an Emerging Practices research principal in CSC’s Global Healthcare Services Group. “What we have seen to date is only the tip of the iceberg of a wide range of technologies coming out of commercial, government and university research labs that can make a significant difference for wellness and care delivery.” Read the rest of this entry

Lawrence General Hospital offers a comfortable and extensive sleep study that will enable doctors to diagnose potential problems and begin treatment.Accommodations at the new sleep center, which opened last month, feature a private room with a full-sized bed covered in fine linens, a flat screen satellite TV, a modern art picture on the wall and soft lighting. Hospital administrators hope the new center will raise public awareness in the Merrimack Valley about sleep disorders, which have been linked to several serious health problems, including diabetes, high blood pressure and congestive heart failure.  

Health officials estimate that up to 70 million Americans suffer from sleep disorders like insomnia, sleep apnea, snoring, restless leg syndrome, night terrors, sleepwalking, sleep paralysis and sleep-wake schedule disorders. Nearly 95 %  of these disorders go undiagnosed and are never treated, jeopardizing the health of many people who are afflicted. Close to 80 % of people who are obese are at risk to sleep apnea.  Untreated sleep apnea can increase the likelihood of critical medical consequences, such as irregular heartbeat, high blood pressure, heart failure, heart attack, and stroke. Sleep apnea is one of more than 80 sleep disorders and very few adults who are suffering from a sleep disorder seek medical attention. 

Source: Lawrence General Hospital Sleep Center

SleepApneaDisorder/ [ Press Release ]/ Agoura Hills, CA / November 18, 2010/ The new technology is here and Nationwide Medical, Inc. is making it easy to get a good night’s rest by offering the new in-home sleep test to consumers who may be at risk for Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). The in-home technology has been developed as a way to diagnose OSA and enable physicians to prescribe a variety of methods available for sleep apnea treatment.

The in-home sleep test is a new medical technology that offers a variety of benefits, with the average cost a third lower than a sleep study in an overnight facility. More benefits are the ease of use and convenience of completing the test in the comfort of your own home. Read the rest of this entry

Bruderman Brothers is now providing advisory services to a Pennsylvania-based, privately-owned, JCAHO-accredited regional distributor and provider of home medical equipment and respiratory therapy products including sleep apnea testing dvices and sleep apnea therapy equipments with services.The company generates its revenues from the rental and sale of durable medical equipment (hospital beds, walkers, wheelchairs, etc.), respiratory products (oxygen concentrators, nebulizers, etc.), sleep products (items for sleep apnea, bi-level and auto-titration units), and various rehabilitation services. The company markets its products to various referral sources including physicians, assisted living facilities, personal care homes, surgical outpatient centers, hospital discharge planners, social service case managers, and pharmacies. Bruderman Brothers, Inc. is a New York-based, privately owned broker-dealer.

SleepApneaDisorder/ [Press Release]/ (Raleigh, N.C.) Active Healthcare, an award-winning industry leader in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) treatment, is marking 20 years of service with the launch of three state-of-the-art IntegraSleep diagnostic centers in Raleigh, Clayton and Smithfield. The fully functional sleep labs provide one-stop-shopping for quality diagnosis and care for this dangerous, often life-threatening condition, utilizing CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) systems, the gold standard of sleep apnea treatment.

Headquartered in Raleigh, the IntegraSleep centers were designed by Active Healthcare based on a carefully crafted quality patient care model integrating personalized, extensive follow-up care and maintenance which contributes to the company’s 98% customer satisfaction rate. Read the rest of this entry

Research and Markets has announced the addition of the “Korea Patient Monitoring and Diagnostic Systems Market Assessment and Forecasts to 2015″ report to their offering

This report provides critical market data on the patient monitoring and diagnostics sector in Korea. It includes key market categories such as wireless hospital ambulatory monitors, multiparameter patient monitors, remote monitoring systems, blood pressure monitors, micro-electromechanical systems, cardiovascular monitoring systems, sleep apnea diagnostic systems, hearing diagnostics and glucose monitoring devices.

The report also provides market size of products in value ($mn), & volume (units) at each level of segmentation, average selling price ($) for each product type (last level of segmentation), and market shares (%) of companies at sector and category level.

SleepQuest, Inc., the highly regarded national provider of sleep medicine services, announced today that Humana has contracted with SleepQuest to expand access to affordable Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) screening, diagnostic, therapy and compliance services for the Insurer’s PPO and Medicare members.

Almost 30 million Americans are affected by OSA and approximately 20 million remain undiagnosed and at risk for more serious complications like obesity, diabetes, heart disease and stroke. As it has done with payers insuring over 200 million lives, SleepQuest will bring affordable sleep medicine to Humana physicians and patients across the country. Read the rest of this entry

PulseOximetersDIRECT.com introduces the first Pediatric Pulse Oximeter from Landon Medical. The Landon Medical LM-500 Pediatric Oximeter is specifically manufactured for children vital sign monitoring. Landon Medical’s LM-500 (FDA Approved) Pediatric Pulse Oximeter provides on spot SpO2 (percentage of oxygen saturation in the blood) and pulse rate of children with accuracy and ease. The LM-500 offers a special design and chipset technology specifically manufactured for a kid’s finger. It uses a customized pediatric oximetry sensor adusted for children’s skin to ensure accurate readings.

The LM-500 Pediatric Oximeter is widely-used in all healthcare facilities, including hospitals, nursing homes, outpatient surgery centers, physician offices, dental clinics, emergency and ambulatory situations, as well as for home diagnostics to monitor such illnesses as cardiac issues, respiratory problems, asthma, and many more. The LM-500 Oximeter model features the latest Organic Light Emitting Device (OLED) color display and Plethysmograph capabilities.

Alarming new statistics show that twenty-six per cent of Canadian adults aged 18 years and older are estimated to be at high risk for having sleep apnea, according to a large national survey, and the Canadian Lung Association urges Canadians to find out if they are at risk.

Sleep apnea is a serious breathing disorder that causes sufferers to have dozens or hundreds of breathing pauses or “apneas” per night. The survey revealed that about 7 million Canadians either have sleep apnea or are at high risk for having sleep apnea.

“It is alarming that very few of these at-risk Canadians have been assessed for sleep apnea,” says Dr. John Fleetham, an advisor to the survey and chair of the Canadian Thoracic Society (CTS) Sleep Disordered Breathing Committee. The CTS is the medical arm of the Canadian Lung Association. Read the rest of this entry

The Sleep Disorders Center at Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital, Barrington invites community to tour the facility from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday.

The Sleep Center is in Medical Office Building I on the campus of Good Shepherd, 450 W. Route 22, Barrington.

Attendees are asked to call 1-800-323-8622 to register for a specific arrival time and reference event 3G16. All those registered are entered into a raffle.

Individuals suffering from conditions such as sleep apnea and periodic limb movement during sleep can be referred to the Sleep Disorders Center for sleep study testing by their primary physician.

Individuals suffering from narcolepsy, insomnia, sleepwalking, sleep tremors, nocturnal leg cramps, or night terrors should be seen in consult with a sleep specialist.

Sleep disorders come in many forms and are often misunderstood and misdiagnosed because the telltale signs — excessive snoring and daytime drowsiness — can result from a multitude of factors, including stress, obesity, work or travel schedule, anxiety, diet, medication or alcohol use or even a bad mattress or poor lighting. 

Any time we change our sleep patterns, like during the switch to or from Daylight Saving Time, our ability to rest properly is affected. But sleep deprivation and sleep disorders are year-round problems that must be properly diagnosed and addressed to preserve the health of the individual”, according to Dr. Arnold Pallay, medical director at Changebridge Medical Associates in Montville. Read the rest of this entry

Active Healthcare, an award-winning industry leader in sleep apnea treatment, hosted a meeting of the Durham A.W.A.K.E. (Alert, Well and Keeping Energetic) support group Thursday, October 28 to share meaningful education and resources for managing this dangerous condition.

Participants learned how to deal with challenges in CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) therapy, an effective method for treating obstructive sleep apnea. Presenters Julie Shannon and Angela Martinez, sleep specialists with Active Healthcare, were on hand to showcase the latest equipment and perform screenings for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in addition to testing attendee CPAP equipment on-site. Read the rest of this entry