How to Run a Successful Sleep Center

There are over 50 million people that suffer from obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). And that’s just America—not to mention the rest of the world! With so many people falling victim to OSA, sleep apnea is the most common sleep disorder. While this is horrible news for sleep apnea patients, this ensures some business opportunity for sleep labs and sleep centers. However, just because one in eight people suffer from this sleep disorder, this doesn’t mean that your sleep lab will be an instant success. Read on to learn a few tips to help make your sleep center a successful one.

Obviously, amassing a good number of patients is one way to ensure financial success. It’s important to branch out to build the necessary foundation to support such a population. Not only is it important to have a good flow of patients coming in and out of your sleep center, but it’s significant to attract the “right kind” of patients. Some may find patients that suffer from restless leg syndrome (RLS) and insomnia to be somewhat interesting and overall challenging to treat. Some would say that treating other sleep disorders would be more profitable. Sleep disorders like sleep apnea, aren’t as challenging or “interesting” to treat, so your sleep center will be more likely to have more time to treat more patients and gain a greater profit.

The way your sleep center is run also factors into its success. Your sleep center should be run similar to how a business would be run. Some of your top concerns should be improving clinical services, supporting overall clinical quality, and developing patient-centered care. Such attention to detail will not only benefit your sleep center, but your patients will also appreciate it too!

Managing your sleep center is crucial. By management, we mean that if you planned for something to happen, you should make those very things happen. Make things happen for yourself! Just winging it or going with the flow won’t guarantee you the results you seek. Your competitor could become the leader and your financial revenues could take a hard blow if you just sit back and let it all happen. Take action, and your sleep center and your patients will thank you for it in the end!

Sleep Lab Automation

Our previous blog briefly discussed sleep scoring and the sleep study process. And even then, the overall process can appear complex and tedious for some. Many labs and sleep centers may want to refer to another source to help them out with this. This is where Sleep Work Flow comes in. There are many benefits that come with sleep lab automation.

This software was built by sleep lab experts just for sleep lab experts. This 100% web-based solution for sleep labs and centers will increase sleep center productivity and profitability. Consumers can organize and view patient data before, during, and even after a sleep study. Such a convenience is appealing to labs because they are most likely too busy to deal with such tedious things. Complete visibility and transparency for referring physicians, reading physicians, technicians, and office staff are offered as well.

We believe that it’s the little things that truly do count. Sleep Work Flow covers all those “little things” that make helping patients that much easier for sleep labs and centers. Sleep lab experts will be able to see and identify their “no show” population—usually 20% of all patients. By doing so, sleep labs can convert their “no show” population to an ambulatory testing platform. Sleep lab experts can then see and track those patients’ data. Not only that, but Sleep Work Flow offers complete patient data access anytime, anywhere.

This seamless flow of data can increase patient compliance, decrease appointment cancellations, and maintain follow-up schedules. Sleep Work Flow is software that can allow sleep labs to better help patients everywhere.

Sleep Studies & Sleep Scoring

In order to determine whether or not you suffer from sleep apnea, a sleep study must be conducted. This is called a polysomnography. It is a comprehensive recording of biophysical changes during sleep such as brain (EEG), eye movements (EOG), muscle and skeletal activity (EMG), heart rhythm (ECG), respiratory airflow and effort, and peripheral pulse oximetry.

However, this is not a simple process wherein the patient basically walks into a sleep lab and sleeps soundly for the whole night. Rather, the patient must go to the sleep lab in the early evening due to the preparation time. It takes about one to two hours to be introduced to the setting and to get “wired up.” The polysomnography records a minimum of twelve channels or leads. These leads require a minimum of twenty-two wires that are attached to the patient. The wires lead from the patient and converge into the central box that is connected to the computer system. This system records all of the information as well as stores and displays the data. The sleep study takes around six hours to gather all of the necessary information.

Once the sleep study is complete, the sleep scoring takes place. Scoring of the data is interpreted with the necessary background information of the patient including their medical history and a complete list of drugs being taken by the patient. Sleep efficiency is also determined. This is calculated by dividing the number of minutes asleep by the total number of minutes in bed.

There are four stages of sleep. The first three stages are referred to as non-REM while the last stage is called REM, or “rapid eye movement.” When someone is sleeping lightly, they are in the first or second stages of sleep. The second stage of sleep makes up the majority of sleep time. Stage three is referred to as slow wave or deep sleep. The fourth stage, REM, takes up twenty to twenty-five percent of sleep time.

All of this information goes into account when the sleep specialist is trying to determine whether or not someone has sleep apnea. It is important to confirm or deny having this sleep disorder as it is crucial that it be treated right away. If you or someone you know might suffer from this disorder, have a sleep study conducted as soon as possible.

Why are more and more companies opting for outsourcing firms?

This is a common question when it comes to outsourcing. As discussed in the blog I wrote earlier, many firms are finding it difficult to outsource tasks since they feel like they will be handing down important tasks to strangers. That is of course, an argument that has merit. However, the future of the industry is actually now on outsourcing. If we were talking ten years earlier, then, we may say that these worries are valid. However, these days, where outsourcing firms have enough capacity and more than adequate training when it comes to various fields, these fears have now become unfounded.

For one, when you outsource, you are leaving it to the hands of trained experts. Outsourcing firms know that their biggest advantage is in their team of trained professionals. When you hand over tasks to them, what you do is leave it to the hands of professionals who have been specifically trained for the job. What you get are highly accurate results by only the best in the field. As in the case of n2sleep (www.n2sleep.com), the main supervisor is none other than world renowned Dr. Glenn Roldan who supervises all the activities and personally trains the staff.

Secondly, when you outsource, you save a lot of time. Just think about it, when you outsource, what you are doing is assigning the task to people whose only job is to score sleep studies and nothing more. Compare it to your lab staff who have a lot of things to do other than score sleep studies. You get faster results this way.

And of course, it saves you a lot of money. Outsourcing is a lot cheaper than hiring more staff and still get slow results.

Outsourcing surely is the key to the future of sleep studies and sleep labs. Experience it today!

Debunking Outsourcing Myths

There are many outsourcing myths entrepreneurs fall into. These myths hinder them from achieving optimum productivity in their office. Most especially for sleep labs, where time is of the essence, outsourcing is the best option in order to save time and achieve the best and most accurate results. Here are some popular outsourcing myths:

(1)    Outsourcing tasks only produces mediocre results.

 

Springing from the well known concept that if you want something done right you should do it yourself, most entrepreneurs think that outsourcing is like giving away your precious job to untrained hands. For sleep labs, the fear is inaccuracy. However, if you weigh it, the inaccuracy will most probably occur in the hands of people who have a lot on their minds and still have to mind other tasks aside from the actual scoring. When you outsource sleep scoring, you are handing it down to people who know the trade and whose only task is to score. You are sure to get their 100% in their jobs, producing only the best possible results.

 

(2)    You spend more than usual for a little upgrade.

 

Most people think that since you are outsourcing, you will have to pay a lot of money in order to get the results you want and need. In reality, outsourcing is very cheap. For very low costs, you get optimum results, in the fastest possible time. The more results and the faster you get them, the more people you will be able to sign up to your lab and the great cycle continues!

 

(3)    You spend more time waiting and communicating than actually getting results.

 

Another usual worry is the turnaround time. The best outsourcing firms would only ask two days of your time to produce results.

 

These myths are nothing but, well, myths. When it comes to specific tasks which need a hundred percent of attention, outsourcing is your best bet to get the best results.

Head over http://n2sleep.com/ResourcesforSleepCenters/SleepStudyScoring/tabid/15654/Default.aspx to learn more.

Why is Outsourcing the Best Option for Sleep Scoring?

Let us count the ways.

Sleep Scoring is not the sole activity that sleep labs busy themselves with within a day’s work. In fact, the sleep scoring is only a part of the many activities inside the sleep laboratory. Now, the thing about that is – Sleep scoring is very time consuming. And before anything else could actually be done, this is the first step. Now, many have turned to outsourcing, as it is not only the most logical but is the best choice – if not the only option! Here are five decisive reasons why outsourcing is the best option for your sleep laboratory!

(1)    Outsourcing sleep scoring activities saves time… a lot of it.

 

It is one of the most tedious activities inside the sleep lab. It takes time organize all the items in the database, to actually score, re-check the items on the data, record the data and forward everything. These activities are done by staff that also have a lot of other things they need to do. When you outsource, you hand these over to staffs whose only task is to score.

 

(2)    It saves not only time, but also money.

 

Instead of spending money on hiring more people or stalling some sleep lab activities since it scoring takes a lot of time, enlisting the help of an outsourcing scoring firm would only cost you not even half of the expenses that you are currently getting.

 

(3)    As it save you both time and money, it helps you increase work output.

 

Now, since you don’t need to do the scoring yourself on your lab, you get more time to dedicate on other activities. This increases the amount of work that you can do as you take your hands and mind off scoring.

 

(4)    It marries efficiency and accuracy in one.

 

Work becomes more efficient inside the lab. Not only that, you can also be assured that the accuracy of your scoring is top notch since you know that the people doing the scoring now are well trained professionals whose only task is to score and produce results.

 

(5)    It ultimately increases your profitability.

 

With more time, heightened efficiency and accuracy – this is the most natural order of things!

 

Save time, money and become more profitable.

N2sleep Diagnostics, Inc. offers the best sleep lab scoring service to date.

Head over to this link to sign up http://www.n2sleep.com/ResourcesforSleepCenters/SleepStudyScoring/tabid/15654/Default.aspx