Banking on Shut Eye: Hospital Opens Sleep Medicine Program

Milton (MA) Hospital, an affiliate of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, has entered a partnership with Sleep HealthCenters to develop a sleep medicine program that officials say is a response to increased awareness about how sleep deficiencies impact health.

Through the program, Milton has a sleep medicine clinic where patients with possible sleep disorders can meet with a specialist and get diagnosed for their affliction. There is also a diagnostic lab where people can sleep overnight if their symptoms warrant a sleep study. If a study is needed, staff observe the individual's sleep during the night and patients can have a follow-up visit on-site with sleep specialists.

"We've made it a comprehensive program where essentially it is a one-stop shop . . . rather than having patients seek out services elsewhere, it's meeting the needs of our community base," says Cynthia Page, PT, MHP, vice president of clinical and support services for Milton Hospital. "We're maintaining the service line within our hospital, so we definitely are increasing our capacity through a service line to meet the needs of our community."

Milton Hospital developed the sleep medicine program because of the need and physicians suggesting a program, Page says.

Sleep HealthCenters already operates a sleep lab with Beth Israel, and the partnership with Milton Hospital "was just a really good fit," says Paul Valentine, CEO of Sleep HealthCenters.

"We have programs that kind of surround that area, but aren't necessarily in that specific marketplace," Valentine says. "So it was a nice opportunity to work with them to build a stronger sleep program for that community. The concept here is to provide long-term care, to provide it all in one place, and to provide consistent follow-up."

In addition to conducting sleep studies, Sleep HealthCenters provides physician consults, patient monitoring, patient education, and follow-up care for Obstructive Sleep Apnea patients, including Continuous Positive Airway Pressure Devices.

Sleep HealthCenters operates several sleep medicine programs in New England. "In this case, Milton is billing for the program and helping to build the referral base, but we'll also help them market to their referral provider community, in addition to their patient community," Valentine says.

Both Valentine and Page say that sleep disorders have become quite prevalent in recent years.

Now that sleep problems are seen as contributing factors to diseases, such as obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and even strokes, providers are paying closer attention to how they can improve patients sleep patterns and, in turn, their well-being.

"One of the underlying reasons that really wasn't addressed for many years and is now addressed much more frequently is the fact that chronic sleeping disorders or deprivation could be part of the reason why a lot of those health concerns exist," Page says. "It's really getting back to identifying what the underlying pathology is for many of the chronic health ailments that we see in the patients that we serve."

Valentine agrees, adding that several societal trends has contributed to sleep disorders, including the obesity epidemic and the "plugged in" lifestyle that creates distractions to a good night's sleep.

He says that while sleep medicine has been around for a number of years, only recently has it received formal recognition by the medical community. Now that it is seen as a trigger for more serious problems more hospitals are taking notice and seeing that a sleep medicine service line can improve quality of care and is good business sense.

"The research has proven, and not necessarily surprisingly, that sleep has a significant impact on our health and our life, but at the same time we are also in an environment where the issues around sleep are growing," Valentine says. "The reality is, especially in the hospitals, many of the people they are dealing with have co-morbidities that are related to sleep as well—so adding it makes sense for their practice."