SleepQuest, San Carlos, Calif, a provider of in-home sleep testing and continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment, recently signed a contract with Aetna Inc. SleepQuest will be a national provider of sleep apnea testing and treatment as part of Aetna's participating network of health care providers.
The new national program will provide centralized, and consistent sleep patient, screening, diagnosis, therapy and compliance support.
"Aetna has taken a national leadership position in increasing access for diagnosing sleep-related illnesses like sleep apnea. It is our hope that if these conditions are diagnosed sooner, patients will receive treatment, which could improve their quality of life," said Robert Koenigsberg, president and CEO of SleepQuest. "SleepQuest is very excited to be in a position where we can reach out to more physicians and patients to help fight these debilitating disorders."
"Aetna is the first insurance company to allow for a change in the delivery of sleep services encompassing a home-based continuum of care approach that focuses on successful patient outcomes at a reduced cost. Other major payors, including Blue Cross/Blue Shield, are also expected to follow their lead by allowing for home sleep testing," says Koenigsberg.
"As one of the first national insurers to provide increased access to in-home testing, Aetna is ahead of the curve," said Lori Schulman, SleepQuest's director of contracting, in an announcement about the partnership.
"The Aetna SleepQuest program is designed to ensure that home sleep testing is successful and cost-effective by providing screening, diagnostic and CPAP therapy services as part of an integrated program that measures both the economic and clinical outcomes of the patients," says Koenigsberg.
Unlike a "cost-control" approach, SleepQuest will be employing a "cost-effective" approach for Aetna physicians and patients. The comprehensive program begins by providing initial screening tools to choose the most appropriate care pathway. This is done prior to any testing commencing and therefore acts as a triage mechanism to assure that the insurance company only pays for the necessary testing and treatment services at the lowest total cost possible.
SleepQuest also provides comprehensive education and ongoing CPAP therapy which assures patient compliance and improved health.
As a national contract provider with Aetna, SleepQuest will now be able to serve more patients with sleep-related illnesses such as OSA who are in need of sleep testing services and CPAP treatment.