1182 Using Home Delivery Of Home Sleep Tests To Improve The Diagnosis Of Obstructive Sleep Apnea

• Published in: Sleep (New York, N.Y.) Vol. 43; no. Supplement_1; pp. A451 - A452
• Main Authors: Sterner, T, Yankowy, L, Vesnaver, D, Senft, R
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: US Oxford University Press 27.05.2020
• Subjects: Collaboration; Patient satisfaction; Sleep apnea; United States > US
• ISSN: 0161-8105; 1550-9109
• DOI: 10.1093/sleep/zsaa056.1176

Abstract Introduction OSA is a highly prevalent and co-morbid condition across the US and the world. Recent data shows between 14% and 49% of middle-aged men have clinically significant OSA and although the data shows OSA is less prevalent in women, the consequences of this condition is as severe as in men. Further studies suggest 80% of more than 25 million cases of OSA in the US are undiagnosed. At our institution, several factors contributed to the under diagnosis of OSA: knowledge deficit, complicated order process, inconvenience, fear and cost. We developed a plan to increase the diagnosis of OSA by increasing home sleep testing by 50% within 6 months of initiating a home delivery model. Methods Our multifaceted, multidisciplinary and comprehensive plan included a contractual agreement with the manufacturer of our preferred device, WatchPAT, to directly ship the HSAT device to the patient, receive the device back after testing and upload the data for physician interpretation. Integration was established between middle-ware and the HSAT software for flow of information. A collaborative effort with our marketing department to develop a health risk assessment tool specific to sleep apnea, targeted by health history, resulted in mailings to thousands of patients. A coordinated effort with our Call Center to explain delivery process and schedule testing was done. Paramount to our success was streamlining the ordering process for providers. Results 2,122 HSTs were done in the initial 6 months of using home delivery compared to the same 6 month time frame the previous year - an increase of 71%. Conclusion Using a broad, collaborative effort among several disciplines within our health care system, we found the access and use of home sleep tests dramatically improved. This was cost effective, saving .5 FTEs, provided a high degree of patient satisfaction and resulted in increased diagnoses. Support