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Information for Clinicians
Opportunities for ARES
Perioperative Screening: The American Society of Anesthesiologists recommends that all patients undergoing general anesthesia are screened for OSA. A study conducted at Washington University with the ARES found that 50% of those admitted for surgery had probable OSA based on the ARES Screener), and almost 20% of those who had an ARES sleep study had undiagnosed moderate to severe OSA based on a sleep study. The ARES Perioperative Screening Program provides a fast and inexpensive means for hospitals and referring clinics to identify patients at risk of OSA prior to surgery.
Transportation:The United States Department of Transportation guidelines require all drivers with commercial licenses to have a fitness-for-duty physical upon hire and every two-years thereafter. There are over 9 million commercial drivers in the U.S. Undiagnosed OSA is one of the leading causes of fatigue in the workplace. The DOT guidelines require drivers diagnosed with OSA (i.e., AHI > 30) wear CPAP. A recent study found a 50% prevalence of undiagnosed OSA in transportation workers holding commercial drivers licenses. A number of large transportation companies, including Schneider National Inc., have recently implemented OSA management programs for commercial drivers. Recent reports suggest that the health care savings for treating previously undiagnosed drivers is over $5000 per year. ABM recently collaborated in a commentary on the legal implications for drivers, employers or clinicians who might ignore this national safety concern.
Disease Management: Many of the conditions covered by disease management programs, including coronary heart disease, hypertension, heart failure, obesity, diabetes, clinical depression and smoking cessation are ailments which have been closely linked to OSA. However, few programs routinely screen, diagnose and treat OSA as a means to achieve better outcomes in the management of the other co-morbid disease. ARES Quest can provide a link for disease management and wellness programs to screen all of their patients online, and then refer 'at-risk' patients to a sleep specialist for diagnosis and treatment.
Referral Management Program: The ARES Referral Management (ARM) Program provides an integrated approach to easily and accurately identify patients at risk of having undiagnosed obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Its purpose is to use technology to assist sleep centers in providing a high level of support to their referral sources. Using a validated questionnaire, referral sources can simply and easily input responses and review the results with the patient during an office visit.
Obtaining ARES for your practice
Healthcare providers can obtain the ARES from one of two sources:
Watermark Medical – is the exclusive distributor of ARES in the United States. WM has a direct sales force and a national distributor network of sales reps selling the WM Home Sleep Testing solution for sleep breathing disorders. The WM web portal enables physicians and dentists to improve patient care through a turn-key home solution for conducting sleep studies. The data is evaluated and the Physician and/or Dentist can prescribe therapy or follow up testing. WM provides solutions for improving ongoing patient care and sleep disorder management.
Rotech Heathcare’s Sleep Central – provides a service to the VA hospitals and insurers whereby the ARES Unicorder is shipped directly to the patient to complete the in-home study. After wearing the Unicorder for one or more nights, the patient ships the Unicorder directly back to Sleep Central, where the recordings are processed, interpreted and an ARES report generated.
Dr. Philip Westbrook, the inventor of the ARES, oversees the Quality Control program for both Watermark Medical and Sleep Central.