SleepQuest - About Us - SleepQuest Overview

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Unique Health Care Company

SleepQuest, Inc. has emerged out of the Silicon Valley as an innovative leader in sleep care. Using a business model unique in health care, SleepQuest provides in-home sleep care services for patients suffering from the health and life-threatening condition known as Obstructive Sleep Apnea. We are a privately held company that has served the medical community in California for over five years.

SleepQuest is a "hybrid" health care organization that combines the best features of both a service provider that excels in delivering diagnostic and treatment services and an equipment supplier providing the best in patient education and customer response. Because we provide a comprehensive "continuum of care" program that includes initial sleep study diagnostics, education, treatment and monitoring, we have become a "single source" for sleep care needs that physicians, patients and insurance companies have come to rely upon. We work closely with patients and physicians to ensure the long-term management success of treating sleep disorders while helping HMO's and insurance companies control costs.

A National Problem

In the last few years, we have come to realize that sleep deprivation and disorders is a national problem of epidemic proportions that affects tens of millions of Americans in all socioeconomic groups. Researchers and health care professionals are now sounding the alarm that we must deal with the problem now because it is taking a toll on personal health, business productivity and managed care costs.

Experience and Expertise

Sleep medicine is a relatively new specialty requiring clinical experts and highly trained staff who understand the needs of patients. We have assembled a staff that is unequaled in this area.

Dr. William Dement, the world's leading authority on sleep and sleep disorders and the founder of the world's first sleep disorders clinic at Stanford University, is the Chief Scientific Advisor to SleepQuest. He has forty seven years of experience in sleep research, was Chairman of the National Commission on Sleep Disorders Research and is considered to be the "father of modern sleep medicine".

SleepQuest utilizes only Board-Certified Sleep Physicians to interpret each study. These sleep experts also provide consultations for referring physicians at the local level. This ensures optimal care for each patient tested and treated by SleepQuest.

Performing sleep tests and instructing patients in CPAP treatment is a difficult, time-intensive job requiring a high degree of skill, patience and effective communications. SleepQuest employs only Licensed Respiratory Care Practitioners (RCP) and Polysomnographic Technologists (PSG) for this critical task. They are highly trained health care professionals who execute the physicians instructions to exacting standards and provide patients with an extra measure of clinical education and training.

In addition, every SleepQuest employee undergoes comprehensive training in all aspects of sleep care with special attention to serving the special needs of our patients.

Customer-Focused

In order to be competitive and effective in today's managed care system, an organization must be customer-driven. One of the most common patient complaints is that the health care system often treats them as if they were unimportant or a low priority. At SleepQuest we give our patients the highest priority. For example, we designed our schedule for the convenience of patients, not our staff. We schedule all patients within one week of referral and quickly provide the doctor with test results and interpretations so that patient and doctor can make the best health care decisions possible.

In a complex healthcare system that serves an increasingly multi-cultural population, communication is critical. That is why we follow-up frequently with patients and doctors, troubleshoot problems and provide consistent, clear and effective communications.

And we never forget that the physician is also our customer. When we receive a referral for diagnostic or treatment services, we manage all of the insurance paperwork including coverage confirmation, pre-approval, authorization, benefits and processing. This in effect translates to a service for the physician by freeing their staff to do other things.

Patient Education

One of our prime goals is to educate patients about their sleep disorders. We provide a wide range of educational services and products from sleep apnea seminars and support group sponsorship to patient screening tools. In addition, our web site contains a wide variety of information to educate the patient about sleep disorders.

High Patient Compliance Results in Successful Treatment

One of our highest priorities is to ensure that patients are thoroughly educated and trained in the use of therapeutic equipment and the management of their sleep disorder. This results in the consistent successful treatment outcomes for which SleepQuest is known. Our comprehensive compliance monitoring process begins the day after patients start treatment, and continues for one year. As a result, our CPAP patient compliance rate is 93%, the highest in the industry where the average is 41% (as reported in Wheat First Union, Home Health Care Monitor, May 12, 1998)

Physician Education

SleepQuest administers a comprehensive program of sleep education for physicians. The program was created by Dr. William Dement, the world's leading authority on sleep and sleep disorders, to educate primary care physicians in this growing area. It is available as a group seminar and will soon be available as the definitive textbook for Primary Care Physicians who want to become more educated about sleep disorders.

The Leader in Sleep Care

SleepQuest takes pride in the fact that a major portion of our business comes from repeat referrals from satisfied physicians and managed care groups who recognize the value of our quality of care, patient education. high compliance rate and cost competitiveness. SleepQuest is playing a major role in defining sleep care for the new millennium, and we are committed to doing everything necessary to support patients and physician in managing sleep disorders.