ITAMAR MEDICALÂ’S NEW HOME-BASED OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA DIAGNOSTIC TOOL ENABLES MEDICAL PRACTICES TO ADD VALUABLE PATIENT SERVICE AND INCREASE REVENUE
Revolutionary Watch PAT Tool Performs Unattended OSA Testing at Home. New Patient Service Can Add $30K Per Year to Physician Income
(PRWEB) December 4, 2003
Itamar Medical, a leading medical products and services company, today announced a revolutionary new product that takes the diagnosis of sleep disorders out of the sleep lab and puts it in the hands of physicians and their patients. The Watch PAT (Peripheral Arterial Tone) keeps the diagnosis of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) in the clinical practice setting, allowing patients to be tested unattended in the natural sleep environment of their own homes. It is the first new signal in sleep medicine in over 20 years.
“The Watch PAT offers significant benefits to both patients and physicians,” said Pat Bohan, Itamar’s VP of Marketing and Business Development. “Patients no longer need to be referred to a specialist, wait for sleep lab appointments, be tested in an impersonal, unfamiliar setting, or be videotaped all night. With the Watch PAT, physicians can offer a much more simplified, desirable alternative to patients. In addition to drawing new patients to the practice, the Watch PAT gives physicians better patient control and continuity, improves hypertensive care, and can add as much as $30,000 per year per physician to their net income.”
A major advantage of the Watch PAT over traditional sleep lab diagnostic testing is that it is designed to be patient-friendly in every way. It is portable, compact in size, and not intrusive to the patient. Nothing more than an index finger probe, which is held in place by a forearm splint, is worn by the patient, so he or she can have a normal nightÂ’s rest. Contrast this with the traditional sleep lab -- a hospital-type environment which is not conducive to a good nightÂ’s sleep, and where the patient is connected to a multitude of wires and leads. The Watch PAT is an appealing alternative, so patients are more compliant.
Michael Jakobsen, MD, with Head & Neck Associates of Orange County, in Mission Viejo, CA, was the first ENT specialist in the U. S. to use the Watch PAT in his practice a year ago. He says, “The Watch PAT is a great screening tool for us. It gives us a reliable way to clarify if sleep apnea is the problem, and enables us to control the testing ourselves. It is well-accepted by our patients. They appreciate the convenience of doing the testing in their own homes. Also, they don’t have to worry about losing time from work. The Watch PAT allows patients already being treated for sleep apnea to confirm that their home set-up is working. This results in better patient follow through with treatment.”
The Watch PATÂ’s patented technology has been exhaustively validated in actual tests and is supported by the widest body of peer-reviewed articles available. It adds no additional overhead to a medical practice and no outside support is required. Practices can submit to their payers for Watch PAT services reimbursement.
The Catalyst Medical Clinic P. A. in Watertown, MN, was the first family practice clinic in the United States to initiate a home-based program for studying sleep disorders with the Watch PAT. According to Scott Jensen, MD, of Catalyst, “We have been using the Watch PAT for several months and have done a multitude of studies. Results have been excellent and correlate very nicely with full polysomnogram studies. The data quality has been excellent, reliable and reproducible. And, the results are easier to read than EKGs! In addition, we follow the home studies with titration studies over 3-4 weeks which allow the patients to have therapy truly tailored to their individual needs.”
Providing the Watch PAT OSA service is easy. The device itself is simple. The physician consults with the patient, instructs him or her on how to use the Watch PAT, then sends him or her home the same day with the sleep study unit. During the night, the Watch PAT records respiratory disturbance indices, oxygen saturation and desaturation values, actigraphy measurements and heart rate values and changes. The next morning, the patient returns the Watch PAT to the office. Test results are known within a few minutes through a simple download into the practiceÂ’s PC.
One of Dr. Jensen’s patients, 45-year-old SF, is a perfect example of the type of patient who can be helped with the Watch PAT. SF, a school bus driver, used to fight off sleepiness while driving. She even needed to return home at noon and nap for an hour before she felt comfortable driving in the afternoon. Thanks to the Watch PAT, SF says that her life has been “absolutely turned around.” She no longer is tired in the afternoon and does not need a nap; she sleeps better at night, and generally has a lot more energy. Her overall health has improved as well. Her blood pressure has dropped to 124/66, the lowest ever recorded by Dr. Jensen. Before, it was routinely in the 130/80 range.
The Watch PAT is available immediately. To learn more about the Watch PAT, request a demonstration, or to speak with a representative, call Itamar Medical at 1-888-748-2627.
About Itamar Medical
Itamar Medical, Inc. is dedicated to the research, development and commercialization of a wide range of medical products and services based on its proprietary PAT signal and innovative non-invasive measurement technologies. It is headquartered in Cessaria, Israel, with offices in Boston, MA. For more information, visit www. itamar-medical. com.
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