Sleep Study Aftercare Program

St. Luke's Health Center of Sleep Medicine also offers a Continuous Patient Aftercare Program. The program's objective is improving patient therapeutic compliance through education. Research has shown that patient compliance with Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) therapy can be as low as 40% to 50%.
    
The rate of refusal of CPAP therapy once a patient has been diagnosed can be as high as 24%. The failure to use CPAP returns the patient to the initial risks of cardiac compromise, motor vehicle accidents and other co-morbidities associated with sleep apnea.

The St. Luke's Health Center of Sleep Medicine extends the following services AT NO COST:

• Group education clinics for patients providing education on sleep disorders including sleep apnea and CPAP therapy.
• Individual patient education sessions addressing a patient's unique concerns regarding their CPAP machines, mask fit, and techniques related to a "better night's sleep."
• Individual patient CPAP desensitization sessions with a registered polysomnography technologist. This is for patients who have failed to use their CPAP but wish to comply. The technologist helps the patient to get used to the CPAP.
• An optional Rapid Intervention Program that expedites the initiation of the CPAP prescription. The goal is to have the patient using their CPAP within 48-72 hours after they have been diagnosed with an obstructive sleep disorder and treated appropriately. The patient chooses the DME company to be contacted. DME companies that are recommended are Medicare approved and CPAP set-ups are performed by licensed health care practitioners, and state the art equipment.
• Compliance monitoring with CPAP "smart cards" and phone follow-ups.
• Desensitization and educational DVDs at the time of the patient sleep testing. Licensed staff educating the patients at the time of their sleep study.