MINNEAPOLIS (ATA Conference Booth #2020) – The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) announced today that AASM SleepTM, a state-of-the-art telemedicine platform for board-certified sleep medicine physicians and accredited sleep centers, now has a new patient self-pay feature that facilitates convenient, secure payments. The new functionality of AASM SleepTM is on display May 14 – 17 in the Minneapolis Convention Center at booth #2020 of ATA 2016, the annual conference and trade show of the American Telemedicine Association.
“Telemedicine is changing the health care landscape by improving patient access to care,” said AASM Executive Director Jerry Barrett. “As the first telemedicine platform to be designed, developed and custom-built by a professional medical society, AASM SleepTM is the standard-bearer for a new era of sleep medicine that will enhance the availability of affordable, convenient, patient-centered care nationwide.”
AASM SleepTM provides a comprehensive solution for the field of sleep medicine. A core component of the system is a secure, web-based video platform that facilitates live, interactive consultations and follow-up visits between patients and sleep medicine providers, regardless of distance. AASM SleepTM also features an interactive sleep diary, sleep log and sleep questionnaires, and it can sync with Fitbit® sleep data, giving sleep physicians an unparalleled view of their patients’ sleep habits.
“By delivering live, secure video consultations through WebRTC technology, patients can easily speak with qualified sleep clinicians straight from their web browser,” said Steve Van Hout, AASM assistant executive director and chief architect of AASM SleepTM. “With the additional features contained within the AASM SleepTM platform, sleep medicine practices have all of the tools necessary to begin their own telemedicine program. While AASM SleepTM contains custom-designed features for sleep clinicians, our long-term plans also involve providing the platform to other specialties to increase the patient populations that can be served.”
As about 70 million Americans suffer from sleep problems – and nearly 60 percent of them have a chronic disorder such as obstructive sleep apnea or insomnia – the need for quality care in sleep medicine is evident nationwide. Untreated sleep disorders are associated with increased risks for numerous medical complications, including hypertension, heart disease, stroke, Type 2 diabetes and depression. The effective treatment of a sleep disorder also is essential to prevent excessive daytime sleepiness, reduced alertness and impaired cognitive functioning, which can contribute to workplace accidents and drowsy driving.
AASM SleepTM launched in January 2016, giving sleep medicine providers around the country an innovative way to provide convenient, high quality care for patients.
Sleep medicine is a recognized medical subspecialty with a biennial board certification exam provided by six member boards of the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS). To date, more than 6,000 physicians have been certified in sleep medicine by a specialty board of the ABMS. The AASM accredited a sleep center for the first time in 1977, and today there are more than 2,500 AASM accredited sleep centers across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Guam.
For more information, visit www.sleeptm.com.
Contact: Rebecca Raudabaugh or Matt Kasik, L.C. Williams & Associates, 800/837-7123 or 312/565-3900, rraudabaugh@lcwa.com or mkasik@lcwa.com
About the American Academy of Sleep Medicine
Established in 1975, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) improves sleep health and promotes high quality patient centered care through advocacy, education, strategic research, and practice standards. The AASM has a combined membership of 11,000 accredited member sleep centers and individual members, including physicians, scientists and other health care professionals. For more information about sleep and sleep disorders, including a directory of AASM accredited member sleep centers, visit www.sleepeducation.org.
Fitbit is a registered trademark and service mark of Fitbit, Inc. SleepTM is designed for use with the Fitbit platform. This product is not put out by Fitbit, and Fitbit does not service or warrant the functionality of this product.
