A developer of digital diagnostic devices for ambulatory care is touting its new sleep testing device as an important tool in the diagnosis and treatment of obstructive sleep apnea.
The Midmark SleepView Monitor, launched last year by the Versailles, Ohio-based Midmark Corporation, offers physicians the ability to diagnose and treat patients suffering from OSA in their own homes. Officials say it can also reduce by as much as 70 percent the cost of diagnosis and treatment, which is typically done in a lab or hospital setting.
OSA is a significant health problem that often goes undiagnosed, according to a white paper prepared by Midmark to support its product. Up to 90 percent of patients with significant sleep apnea remain undiagnosed, the report said, leading to higher rates of complications for associated chronic diseases within the metabolic syndrome.
The development of home sleep testing solutions is a significant step in the diagnosis of treatment of OSA, officials said, primarily because testing patients in lab or hospital settings isn’t as accurate or reliable as testing them in their homes. Such devices are now small enough to fit in the palm of the hand and can unobtrusively measure several independent sensor channels while a patient sleeps.
Midmark’s claims are based on a five-month study conducted through four physician practices – Medical Associates of Fremont, Calif., the Family Medical Group in Silverton, Ore., the Lake Zurich Family Treatment Center near Chicago and Z&Z Medical Associates in Dallas – and involving 60 patients determined to be at risk of developing OSA. Using the Midmark SleepView Monitor and Portal, medical staff at the four practices were able to diagnose 80 percent of the patients as positive for OSA, while another 3.3 percent showed inconclusive results and were referred to an overnight facility for further testing.
Company officials said the pilot project also demonstrated a 70.4 percent reduction in diagnostic testing costs to the patient and insurer, based on national average reimbursements rates from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. That translated to a savings of almost $30,000 for those involved in the pilot.
“We are very pleased with the results of this physician usage study. It demonstrates that home sleep testing with SleepView is a step in the right direction towards improving patient care related to obstructive sleep apnea,” said Tom Schwieterman, medical director for Midmark, in a press release. “With a 93 percent first-night study success rate, it was shown that not only can patients effectively self-administer the at-home test, but that SleepView is a reliable and accurate diagnostic solution that can deliver 70 percent lower diagnostic costs of care for patients found to have OSA.”
Just as important, officials say, was the acceptance rate by patients.
“The simple words ‘We can test you tonight at your own home’ – as opposed to ‘We can test you in two weeks at an overnight facility’ – proved to be highly influential in getting the patients to agree to a test,” said Stewart Segal of the Lake Zurich Family Treatment Center in the press release issued by Midmark. “When I said those words about having the test done immediately and at home, fewer patients objected.”
Barrett Tilley, of Medical Associates of Fremont, Calif., said the Midmark system enables primary care providers to have a more direct role in the patient’s diagnosis and care, rather than deferring to a lab or hospital. In the white paper, Tilley said he was able to counsel his patients on the significance and meaning of the test results, then work his way into treatment plans that might include weight loss, oral appliance therapy or CPAP therapy.
“I know my patients’ lifestyle issues, their problems, and support systems and can therefore make a more significant impact on initiating a best therapeutic approach – one tailored for each patient,” he said. “Many times, this involves a weight loss program, something I frequently use with my diabetic and hypertensive patients.”