Glen Burnie, MD, October 11, 2011 -- NovaSom, Inc., the market leader in technology-driven, payer-aligned cost-saving solutions for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) management, today announced it has entered a preferred relationship to aid HealthAmerica with managing its sleep disorder diagnostic expenses. Under the agreement, HealthAmerica will direct physicians and patients to the NovaSom® Home Sleep Test (HST) instead of in-facility testing for diagnosing OSA, when clinically appropriate. In addition to managing costs, patients overwhelmingly prefer the privacy, convenience and cost savings associated with home testing.
"HealthAmerica is driving the adoption of home sleep tests as the preferred solution for addressing the OSA epidemic," said John Wallendjack, MD, Medical Director, HealthAmerica. "NovaSom has invested in clinical content, work flow process and technology solutions to enable us to rationalize OSA diagnosis and redirect testing to the home, when clinically appropriate."
With 10 years of operating experience and two peer-reviewed articles demonstrating night-for-night diagnostic equivalence to in-facility polysomnography for diagnosing OSA, NovaSom is well prepared for this innovative partnership. NovaSom's proprietary device collects the American Academy of Sleep Medicine's recommended physiologic parameters for diagnosing sleep apnea. Additionally, the NovaSom test can collect up to three nights of sleep data, assuring the most accurate diagnostic outcome and virtually eliminating the false-negative burden associated with one-night, in-facility sleep testing.
NovaSom's field-based provider relations team is educating physicians and their staff throughout Pennsylvania about the benefits of home sleep testing and the HealthAmerica program.
"OSA is one of the most serious and under-diagnosed medical problems in our country," said Richard Hassett, MD, CEO, NovaSom, Inc. "The prevailing approach to diagnosing OSA using in-facility overnight sleep center studies is both costly and limited in its capacity to serve large numbers of patients. The company's proprietary home sleep testing service is proven to be clinically appropriate and as accurate as lab-based study for OSA detection in most patients."
About Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Obstructive Sleep Apnea is a disorder characterized by impaired breathing during sleep due to airway obstruction, compromising airflow and oxygenation, usually accompanied by loud snoring. An estimated 40 million Americans have OSA, 18 million of them with moderate-severe disease, the vast majority of whom are undiagnosed and untreated, resulting in costly complications and premature death. Sleep Apnea is strongly linked to hypertension, heart attacks, congestive heart failure, fatal arrhythmias, diabetes, erectile dysfunction, depression, obesity and stroke. In addition, deprivation of quality sleep results in absenteeism, reduced productivity, fatigue, irritability and reduced quality of life.
About NovaSom, Inc.
Privately held, NovaSom utilizes its proprietary NovaSom® diagnostic device and MediTrack® portal to provide in-home diagnosis, therapy and compliance management of OSA at significantly reduced cost. For additional information, please visit www.NovaSom.com.