Study Shows Patients Consistently Adhere to Sleep Apnea Treatment
SleepQuest announced today that an internal study has shown their patients comply with Obstructive Sleep Apnea treatment at a rate nearly twice the industry average.
Analysis performed in October 2008 looked at Northern California patients who received home sleep testing and treatment with Positive Airway Pressure beginning in early 2008. Of the patients surveyed, 91% were compliant, while known industry standards are closer to 50%. This percentage is based on the average number of treatment hours for patients using CPAP more than four hours per night.
"Compliance is dependent upon the caregiver's expertise with the many different complications that might occur with PAP treatment," said Robert Koenigsberg, SleepQuest President/CEO "Our resolute focus is to troubleshoot problems that patients may experience and to find the right solutions for them.
" Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is a dangerous condition in which soft tissues in the throat collapse during sleep, triggering a partial awakening to prevent suffocation. During PAP treatment (Continuous, Bi-level and AutoPAP), the patient receives positive air flow via a mask or nasal interface that keeps the airway open, allowing regular, quiet breathing and restful sleep to occur. Patients frequently have a hard time adjusting to treatment. Trial and error is often required to find the right combination of facial interface type, the most appropriate PAP device, and air flow settings that are most comfortable. If patients find it unpleasant, difficult to operate, or ineffective, they may lose interest in adhering to treatment.
"Most providers of CPAP therapy are general home care companies," said Lori Schulman, SleepQuest's Director of Contracting. "They focus on providing 1500 different products aimed at 150 different disease states, rather than providing comprehensive follow-up for OSA patients.
" SleepQuest, in contrast, is a disease management specialist has been a leader in home sleep testing and treatment of Sleep Apnea for more than 14 years. A similar analysis of patient compliance from 1999 also showed a treatment adherence rate of over 90%.
"Our Sleep Care Specialists work directly with patients and their doctors to find the solution that works best and is easiest to sustain," said Koenigsberg. "We help our patients feel better as they continue their treatment. That's why our rates are so high."
For more information, call 800-813-8358 or email contact@sleepquest.com.
