"please keep me updated about oximeters "
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Level I II III Sleep Labs?
Busting this post from another thread out on its own to see what you all think. The comment is in response to a patient who has basically diagnosed himself with sleep apnea, even going so far as to show his own desats with an oximeter and buying several home tests, all of which showed severe apnea. even so, he's waiting months for an official sleep test so that his insurance will pay for cpap equipment, and still he waits...
"Jim, such is the sorry state of affairs as is. It's up to great industry folks like Rock and patients like all of us to push the agenda forward. Part of the problem is that the system can't scale to the demand right now because every sleep center is set up to test for every exotic sleep disorder under the sun, and not just for plain old run of the mill obstructive sleep apnea. Perhaps there should be a more streamlined, less expensive, dare we say it -- less rigorous -- sleep lab set up just to process easy cases like yours, and send the more exotic cases that are less straightforward and more complicated to the more sophisticated places to run more sophisticated testing. Isn't that how other areas of medicine deal with structuring themselves? Aren't there Level 1 trauma centers, and then Level 2 trauma centers?"
"Jim, such is the sorry state of affairs as is. It's up to great industry folks like Rock and patients like all of us to push the agenda forward. Part of the problem is that the system can't scale to the demand right now because every sleep center is set up to test for every exotic sleep disorder under the sun, and not just for plain old run of the mill obstructive sleep apnea. Perhaps there should be a more streamlined, less expensive, dare we say it -- less rigorous -- sleep lab set up just to process easy cases like yours, and send the more exotic cases that are less straightforward and more complicated to the more sophisticated places to run more sophisticated testing. Isn't that how other areas of medicine deal with structuring themselves? Aren't there Level 1 trauma centers, and then Level 2 trauma centers?"
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Judy on
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I was thinking during one of the other discussions, the one on the AARC getting in a twit about their RRTs "rights" for Tx'ing sleep apnea .... Questions are always asked about our health condition(s) prior to an in-lab sleep evaluation PSG. How about those w/higher risk of problems during sleep such as COPD, CHF, etc. being referred to HOSPITAL sleep labs whilst the average patient continue to be referred to stand alone sleep labs?
That could give us "levels" of sleep labs. Hospital for highest risk, stand alone sleep labs using ONLY RPSGTs for others of moderate risk and other stand alone sleep labs utilizing "trainees" and PSGTs w/o registration under supervison of an RPSGT being the bottom level or tier?
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Permalink Reply by Marie Davis on
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I think there is just such an overall need for more of everything sleep disorder related....even the supplies of the Machines are overloaded with work. I felt like I was getting "farmed through" with all the other patients It was so oooo crazy busy where I got my CPAP, I was exhausted when I left just watching the employees run around. I have felt kind of abandoned in this whole process by everyone but I AM SOO grateful to have gotten in and got my studies. I hope anyone who needs it will stay persitant, just like you need to sometimes with any other medical condition because it will change their life to get the proper equipment. Thank you again for this forum, it has helped me with support and encouragement than you will ever know. Especially you Mike, as this looks like something you are very dedicated too...again...many thanks...p.s I am getting more compliant every night!!!
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Permalink Reply by RockRpsgt on
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I believe that the sleep industry on whole is going in the right direction. Very slowly, but again it is moving forward. Sleep is only in its 3rd generation. With the new rules that are coming up and the growing demand for credited schools we are about to see a better educated sleep industry. As schools get credited so will sleep as a carreer. The gears are iin motion and the people involved, at least from my point of view, see the problems. We can only hope it gets better. Right now we have 14,000 RPSGTs,10,000 sleep docs, and about 5000 psgs trying to treat 40 million people in only 1000 accredited labs. The labs are going to be spread thin. The best advice I can give the patients is be honest with the lab and make your complaints known verbally and on paper(surveys). People are listening.
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Permalink Reply by Mike on
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Judy-- this is exactly the kind of thinking I think needs to be done by the AASM or whomever it is who runs this show called sleep medicine.
Judy said:I was thinking during one of the other discussions, the one on the AARC getting in a twit about their RRTs "rights" for Tx'ing sleep apnea .... Questions are always asked about our health condition(s) prior to an in-lab sleep evaluation PSG. How about those w/higher risk of problems during sleep such as COPD, CHF, etc. being referred to HOSPITAL sleep labs whilst the average patient continue to be referred to stand alone sleep labs?
That could give us "levels" of sleep labs. Hospital for highest risk, stand alone sleep labs using ONLY RPSGTs for others of moderate risk and other stand alone sleep labs utilizing "trainees" and PSGTs w/o registration under supervison of an RPSGT being the bottom level or tier?
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I think that it could work.
Mike said:Judy-- this is exactly the kind of thinking I think needs to be done by the AASM or whomever it is who runs this show called sleep medicine.
Judy said:I was thinking during one of the other discussions, the one on the AARC getting in a twit about their RRTs "rights" for Tx'ing sleep apnea .... Questions are always asked about our health condition(s) prior to an in-lab sleep evaluation PSG. How about those w/higher risk of problems during sleep such as COPD, CHF, etc. being referred to HOSPITAL sleep labs whilst the average patient continue to be referred to stand alone sleep labs?
That could give us "levels" of sleep labs. Hospital for highest risk, stand alone sleep labs using ONLY RPSGTs for others of moderate risk and other stand alone sleep labs utilizing "trainees" and PSGTs w/o registration under supervison of an RPSGT being the bottom level or tier?
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