Dealers Discuss
Michigan Provider Reaches Out to Sleep Community
On June 16, Regional Medical Supply (RMS) in Ypsilanti, Mich., hosted a free educational presentation on the Basics of Sleep and Obstructive Sleep Apnea. The event brought in approximately 50 new and current CPAP users from the community. The presentation addressed compliance issues and offered information on the benefits of quality sleep as well as the consequences of unrecognized and untreated sleep disorders.
“Sleep apnea has potential health hazards,” says Charlene Oldeck, RT at RMS. “Patients are experiencing that if they treated their sleep apnea, some of those health issues will go away or be reduced … such as hypertension or cardiac disease, stroke (and) depression. Patients, (especially) those that have fallen asleep at the wheel, want to find out more about what could be causing them to be sleepy all the time.”
Oldeck, who formerly worked as a polysomnographer at a sleep lab and taught more than 20 presentations to the community last year, says there’s a real need for education. That need was evident by the number of questions asked during the event.
In addition to the presentation, attendees received materials from the National Sleep Foundation and CPAP pressure checks. CPAP users also browsed mask selections and talked with representatives from Fisher & Paykel and Respironics that were on hand to answer questions about their mask products.
Attendees especially enjoyed information about the company’s follow-up procedure, Oldeck says. “The follow-up includes education on their disease and following up with them to make sure that they’re compliant at a regular interval.” The RMS staff checks in at seven days after setup, 30 days, 90 days and every six months thereafter.
Another popular component of the event was the interaction with other CPAP users. Oldeck says attendees asked for tips on how to get used to wearing the CPAP.
Though educating the public was the primary goal, the company also expects the event to help strengthen its relationship with sleep labs in the area. RMS President Ike Odum invited a nearby sleep lab to participate. His goal is to establish a mutually beneficial referral system — he’ll offer overnight oximetry and refer patients to the sleep lab, and the sleep lab will refer patients who need CPAPs to RMS.
Odum also hopes the event showed the community that RMS is ready to help with sleep apnea needs. He says that awareness will bring more business, “not just sleep, but oxygen users and anything respiratory.”
Building on the success of the event, the company will take the show on the road. Presentations are planned at local senior centers and A.W.A.K.E. (Alert, Well and Keeping Energetic) meetings this year.
Oldeck says getting the word out about sleep apnea is important because people need to understand the serious consequences of sleep disorders and the treatment options.
“The more that they know about sleep disorders and consequences, the more apt they are to talk about it with their physicians,” she says.
This article originally appeared in the Respiratory Management Sept/Oct 2007 issue of HME Business.