Nemours/Alfred I. du Pont Hospital for Children (AIDHC) and Delaware Sleep Disorder Centers are pleased to announce a collaboration to provide sleep studies for children ages six to 18.

Adequate, restorative sleep is essential to maintaining good health. If a child has difficulty sleeping, a sleep test and subsequent evaluation can help identify the problem. Under this collaboration, tests are done at the Smyrna, Delaware Sleep Disorder Center in a child friendly atmosphere with state-of-the-art equipment for a full range of sleep disorders. Following the testing, Nemours sleep specialists will interpret all studies and are available for consultations. 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

In a shrewd execution of its business plan and growth strategy, Craig Sizer,  Co-founder and Chairman, with Keith Houlihan, Co-founder and President of Sanomedics International Holdings  Inc. announced the signing of a letter of  intent to acquire a strategically targeted durable medical equipment (DME)  provider with a platform in sleep apnea treatment services.  The targeted  acquisition is accredited by the “Healthcare Quality Association.” The operation  with approximately $6 million in revenues and over $1 million in (EBITDA)  earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization is expected to  close in early 2012 upon the completion of due diligence and Sanomedics board  approval.

“The acquisition of a sleep treatment service based operations is an  important step in the growth of Sanomedics,  as well as for the distribution and sales expansion of our ThermoMedics line of non-contact clinical thermometers,”  said Craig Sizer Chairman and Co-founder. Read the rest of this entry

Henry Schein Inc., the largest provider of health care products and services to office-based practitioners, today announced the launch of its Sleep Complete™ program, a new integrated comprehensive solution that provides all of the information and products necessary for the successful implementation of dental sleep medicine into the dental practice. A key component of this package will be Itamar-Medical’s WatchPAT home test device for the diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea.The Sleep Complete package will be offered to dentists through a bundled financing package which should significantly lower the financial barrier to entry that often faces dentists interested in incorporating sleep medicine into their practice. Read the rest of this entry

People with obstructive sleep apnea are more likely to stick to prescribed treatment when a partner or parent is involved with their treatment, according to a team of sleep researchers.

Obstructive sleep apnea occurs when the upper airway collapses during sleep. It is the most common type of sleep-disordered breathing, and chances of it occurring become more elevated in obese people.

The first line of treatment for sleep apnea is a non-invasive in-home treatment called CPAP, continuous positive airway pressure therapy. However, if patients do not use the equipment properly, or at all, it cannot help. Read the rest of this entry

Graymark Healthcare, Inc. the nation’s second largest provider of diagnostic sleep services and an innovator in comprehensive care for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), has partnered with Spencer Hospital of Spencer, Iowa to offer comprehensive sleep medicine services to city residents and the surrounding areas.

The agreement represents Graymark’s 100th sleep laboratory nationwide, consisting of 24 standalone or IDTF facilities in large communities and 76 hospital or rural outreach locations. Spencer Hospital increases the total number of new hospital partnership contracts for Graymark to 14 so far in 2011, compared to 11 total partnerships signed in all of 2010. Read the rest of this entry

Clayton Sleep Institute (CSI), in partnership with Sleep Review magazine hosts the 9th Annual Updates in Sleep Medicine 2011. The conference takes place in St. Louis, Mo. at the Four Seasons Hotel beginning on Friday, November 4 and continuing until 12:30 CST on November 5. The annual meeting offers premiere medical and scientific presentations by leaders in sleep medicine on the current trends and latest developments.

Each year, the event attracts sleep specialists, primary care physicians, specialty physicians, nurses, respiratory care practitioners and residents in training from across the United States. The following topics will be covered at this year’s conference:

Managing Circadian Rhythms: Diagnosis and Treatment: this presentation will be given by Mark J. Muehlbach, Ph.D. Dr. Muehlbach is the Clinical Director of the The Clinics at Clayton Sleep Institute. The presentation will help audience members both become familiar with circadian rhythms and identify factors contributing to disruptions in circadian rhythms. Read the rest of this entry

Advocate Condell Medical Center, along with the Alert, Well, And Keeping Energetic support group (A.W.A.K.E.), is hosting a CPAP vendor fair on Tuesday, Oct. 4, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., in the conference center at 801 South Milwaukee Ave. in Libertyville. The event is free and open to the public.

Sleep apnea patients, family members and physicians are invited to learn about new continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) equipment, masks, and other items for clients. Vendors include; DeVilbiss, Phillips Respironics, ResMed, Candance, Fisher & Paykel along with Dr. Debbie Kline, an oral appliance specialist. Additionally, Advocate Home Health Care will offer free CPAP equipment pressure checks.  Read the rest of this entry

According to research presented at the 20th Anniversary Meeting of  the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine (AADSM), the  apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) in patients with severe obstructive sleep  apnea (OSA) was more improved by a combination treatment of a mandibular  advancement splint (MAS) and positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy  than by continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy alone.

Results show that without lowering the pressure substantially, CPAP  tolerance can be improved and severe OSA can be effectively treated  using a MAS that physically supports and stabilizes the position of  nasal pillows (TAP-PAP). Read the rest of this entry

Nancy Collop, MD, director of the Emory Sleep Center and professor of Medicine and Neurology at Emory University School of Medicine

Nancy A. Collop, MD, director of the Emory Sleep Center and professor of Medicine and Neurology at Emory University School of Medicine, became the 26th president of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) in June.  Her one-year term as president of the board of directors began Monday, June 13, 2011, at the 25th Anniversary Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies LLC (APSS) in Minneapolis, Minn.

A renowned sleep specialist and recognized expert in sleep-related breathing disorders, Collop will provide leadership for the professional society, representing more than 9,000 physicians, scientists and allied-health professionals in the field of sleep medicine.

“It is a privilege and an honor to lead a professional society that has been the catalyst for growth and development  in the sleep field during the past four decades,” said Collop. “As president, I will ensure that the AASM continues to promote the highest standards of medical care for patients with sleep disorders while also supporting the scientific and clinical advances that will lead to diagnostic and therapeutic innovations in the future.” Read the rest of this entry

Jeannine Gingras, M.D., a nationally and internationally recognized expert in sleep disorders, has opened Gingras Sleep Medicine in Charlotte and Concord, North Carolina.

Dr. Gingras treats infants, children, teens and adults and practices sleep medicine exclusively. She sees patients for all sleep disorders, including sleep apnea, insomnia, snoring, sleepwalking, restless legs syndrome, periodic limb movement disorder, narcolepsy, and excessive daytime sleepiness. Read the rest of this entry

Watermark Medical, Inc. (“Watermark”), the leader in Health Information  Technology for managing chronic diseases, has aligned with the American Academy  of Sleep Medicine (AASM) in expanding requirements for board certified doctors  on their end to end cloud based platform for diagnosing Obstructive Sleep Apnea  (OSA).In addition, Watermark announced today the commercial availability of WM  Secure Sleep Study™ (WM S3). The WM S3 integrates with the ARES™ home sleep test to provide “chain of custody” (CoC) validation to support occupational testing  of commercial truck drivers in the comfort of their home or cab. The  transportation industry’s growing recognition of the liability, cost and health  risk resulting from untreated OSA has caused a call to action to implement more  robust screening and testing protocols. Read the rest of this entry

SleepApneaDisorder/ [ Press Release ]/ OKLAHOMA CITY, June 2, 2011 /- Graymark Healthcare, Inc. , the nation’s second largest provider of diagnostic sleep services and an innovator in comprehensive care for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), has partnered with North Oak Medical Park of Kansas City to offer comprehensive sleep medicine services to the county’s residents.Offering the most comprehensive sleep care in the region, the new custom built sleep facility at North Oak Medical Park will be able to accommodate day and evening sleep testing services seven days a week. The facility provides a comprehensive care model of sleep medicine services through partnerships with the Midwest Sleep Specialists, somniTech sleep testing, and somniCare CPAP/BiPAP equipment. This enables patients to get their sleep disorders diagnosed and treated all in one convenient location. Read the rest of this entry

Due to the increase in awareness about the importance of quality sleep to  each individual’s health along with the well-documented negative impact that  untreated sleep disorders can have in the general population, Premier is now contracting for a sleep services option that will help hospitals initiate  new services or expand and improve services already being offered.“SleepMed is extremely excited about  this new relationship” said David Lewis, Chief Executive Officer of SleepMed. “We know that Premier is dedicated to providing its membership with  priority access to well-vetted, high quality products and services.  With almost  20 years of experience in the rapidly expanding field of sleep medicine,  SleepMed brings to Premier a superior resume and an unmatched track record with  its hospital clients over those years. The expertise that SleepMed has developed  will provide Premier members with access to both excellent on-site testing  services as well as unique insights into the business of sleep medicine that  will help each hospital properly position their total sleep program as the  healthcare landscape continues to evolve.” Read the rest of this entry

A new sleep medicine practice, Sleep HealthCare of Connecticut, is providing the latest treatments for insomnia, sleep apnea and other sleep disorders that can seriously harm overall health.

Sleep HealthCare of Connecticut was founded by three health professionals in the field — A. Joel Papowitz, M.D., Medical Director; Edward B. O’Malley, PhD, Managing Director; and Derek Guice, RPsgT Technical Director.

The practice offers techniques, including neurofeedback — to promote natural, drug-free sleep – in a comfortable, spa-like setting. It departs from the traditional approach to treating sleep disorders, recognizing that they are chronic — rather than acute — problems that require longer term management. Read the rest of this entry