DARIEN, IL – The American Academy of Sleep Medicine encourages patients who have been affected by the closing of multiple Sleep HealthCenters facilities in New England and Arizona to contact a local AASM accredited sleep disorders center to make arrangements for the immediate transition of their medical care. An online directory of AASM accredited member centers is available at www.sleepeducation.com, or patients can contact the AASM national office at 630-737-9700 or inquiries@aasm.org to get contact information for a local sleep center accredited by the AASM.
Founded in 1997 in Brighton, Mass., Sleep HealthCenters was a leading sleep medicine provider with numerous offices in the Boston area and throughout Massachusetts, as well as additional satellite facilities in Connecticut, Rhode Island and Arizona. On Thursday, Jan. 24, the company announced on its website and via signs posted at its facilities that it was closed for business due to “circumstances beyond its control.”
Our chief concern is for the health and well-being of thousands of patients who now must find a new sleep medicine provider. Sleep illnesses such as obstructive sleep apnea, chronic insomnia, restless legs syndrome or narcolepsy can have detrimental effects on an individual’s physical health, daytime alertness and cognitive functioning.
Therefore, it is critical that patients receive ongoing, specialized medical care from a board-certified sleep medicine physician and the team of health care professionals at an AASM accredited sleep disorders center. Since 1977 AASM accreditation has been the gold standard by which the public can evaluate a sleep center, and the AASM Standards for Accreditation ensure that patients receive the highest quality of medical care throughout their evaluation, diagnosis and treatment.
Currently, there are more than 2,500 AASM accredited sleep centers across the U.S., including centers in Boston and other cities where Sleep HealthCenters was operating such as Mesa, Phoenix and Scottsdale, Ariz.
Organized medicine is facing the impact of changes to the U.S. health care system, and the closing of Sleep HealthCenters shows that the field of sleep medicine is no exception. Changes in insurance reimbursement in the Northeast and other regions of the country have had a dramatic impact on sleep medicine providers. As the leader in setting standards and promoting excellence in sleep medicine health care, the AASM will continue to equip sleep medicine physicians and sleep centers so that they can adapt to the changing health care landscape and continue to thrive as they provide exceptional medical care for patients with a sleep illness.
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Contact: Thomas Heffron, 630-737-9700, theffron@aasm.org
The AASM is a professional membership society that is the leader in setting standards and promoting excellence in sleep medicine health care, education and research (www.aasm.org).
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine considers sleep disorders an illness that has reached epidemic proportions. Board certified sleep medicine physicians in an AASM accredited sleep center can provide effective treatment. AASM encourages patients to talk to their doctors about sleep problems or visit www.sleepeducation.com for a searchable directory of sleep centers.
