//////////////////////WELCOME///////////////////////////////////////
CPAP Supplies Plus/Direct Newsletter -where you will find information on the
latest sleep products and articles on Obstructive Sleep Apnea. We hope that
this information is helpful and informative. If you have any questions about
anything mentioned in this newsletter or with CPAP in general, please give us
a call, toll free, at 877-791-3195 and we will be glad to help.
Come visit us at http://www.cpapplus.com
///////////////////////////////////////////NEW PRODUCT INFORMATION///////////////////////
In case you missed our short message alerts we sent out during the month, we
would like to recap CPAP products and Specials we have.
Presenting the best reason to change your tubing – IT’S FREE!!
While supplies last - on internet orders only – when ordering the selected
Fisher & Paykel, Respironics, Puritan Bennett and Tiara Medical mask, you
will automatically receive a FREE standard weight, 6 ft. gray tube with your
order! Again, orders must be placed on line and this offer is available while
supplies last!
http://www.cpapplus.com/Manufacturer/Fisher_Paykel/FIsher_Paykel_Products.html
Don’t forget, while you are replacing that old tubing – your filters
probably need to be changed too!
CPAP Filters:
http://www.cpapplus.com/CPAP_Filters/Cross_Ref.html
An affordable CPAP
The Zzz-Pap continues to be one of the most affordable CPAP machine on the market.
In addition, consumer reviews have been great. To learn more:
http://www.cpapplus.com/Machines/CPAP/Probasics/7501Machine.htm
New Product:
The Tube Jacket from Homecare Warehouse. Tired of that cold CPAP Tube brushing
against you during your sleep? Tired of “Rain Out” causing that
irritating noise in you CPAP circuit? The Tube Jacket will help eliminate these
problems for you. To learn more, go to:
http://www.cpapplus.com/Miscellaneous/TubeJacket.htm
/////////////////////////////////////////////HEALTH INFORMATION///////////////////////////////////////
Sleep is coming to the forefront of health conditions affecting millions in our country and the importance of research and funding is also becoming an issue. Read about it as it appears in Sleep Review’s On Line Sleep Report issue for 6/27/07.
Sleep Funding Issue in the Balance
For the first time, the fiscal year 2008 Federal budget passed by the House
of Representatives includes funding for the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) to broaden surveillance of sleep as a public health issue.
However, at press time for this newsletter, the final status of this funding
still hung in the balance.
The Federal money would, among other things, pay to have questions about sleep health included in the Behavioral Risk Factors Survey (BRFS) that the CDC conducts annually. This is of critical importance because the results of the BRFS are what the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) looks at when determining its funding priorities, said Darrel Drobnich, policy, education, and research chief program officer for the National Sleep Foundation (NSF). Without good BRFS data showing that sleep disorders are a national public health problem, sleep medicine is unlikely to get the same type of attention (and resources) as health issues that are tracked by the CDC’s survey.
“Those public health questions are what helps drive the agenda for HHS,” Drobnich said. He was watching the markup of the Senate 2008 budget bill to see if it also would include a line item about funding sleep disorder surveillance. If it does, the funding will most likely be included in the final version of the Federal budget that is sent to the President to sign into law. However, if the Senate leaves out the funding, the issue would be up for discussion during the joint House-Senate conference committee meeting where differences between the House and Senate budgets are ironed out and a compromise budget is developed.
Still, the fact that the funding measure had gotten so far already was a good sign and a testament to those who had worked hard to organize grassroots support for it. Drobnich said that one of the things that made a difference this year in government advocacy for sleep research was the formation of the National Sleep Awareness Roundtable (NSART) in March. NSART members—including the American Sleep Apnea Association, the Restless Legs Syndrome Foundation, the Narcolepsy Network, and the Board of Registered Polysomnographic Technologists—augmented the efforts of the NSF’s staff and volunteers, as well as other interested parties, such as drowsy driving prevention groups, in calling on legislators and educating them about how sleep disorders touch on almost all of the top public health issues (diabetes, obesity, smoking, vehicle accidents, depression, heart disease, stroke, etc).
“It has been kind of a full court press in getting the grassroots advocacy out there,” Drobnich said.
What also helped, he added, is that the Democrats, who won control of both houses of Congress in the 2006 election, have increased health funding, which made finding dollars in the budget for sleep somewhat easier. Still, Drobnich is well aware that even though there is a little more money this year, sleep advocates still face a fierce competition for resources with not just all of the other health groups but also all of the other departments of government, including defense, education, and transportation.
That is why having members of Congress hear from people from their home districts that have the voting power to either keep them in office or replace them is so important. “I can talk [to legislators] until I’m blue in the face, but members [of Congress] really want to hear from their constituents,” Drobnich said.
With an estimated 80% of people with sleep disorders being undiagnosed, the need for funding for public awareness education is important. Drobnich encouraged all those who have a stake in sleep medicine to make time to follow public policy issues and let their legislators know that they stand behind delegating public health funding toward sleep disorders. “No one else is going to do this for us,” he said.
To check the status of the fiscal year 2008 funding issue and get information on where to contact your legislators and what to say to them, see the NSF’s Advocacy Web site.
In the meantime, the NSF is continuing to work with the CDC’s Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion on how sleep information can be included in many of its existing major programs (including education, physical activity, diabetes prevention, etc) that go to the state and county level. “They have been a wonderful partner,” Drobnich said.
Medicare Coverage Advisory Committee to Review At-Home Sleep Testing
The Medicare Coverage Advisory Committee has set a meeting for Sept. 12 in order
to determine if at-home sleep testing for sleep disorders will lead to clients
being reimbursed for their CPAP therapy. Currently policy specifies that clients
who receive testing outside of polysomnography at a sleep lab are not covered
for their positive airway pressure therapy.
The American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (AAOHNS) formally
asked CMS to review its national coverage determination to see if the current
policy can be changed. AAOHNS reports that at-home sleep testing often shows
the same results as sleep-lab testing and at-home testing will open doors for
more people to be tested. On the other hand, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine
reports that sleep labs are more prevalent than they used to be and home-testing
isn't a proven method of evaluation.
The meeting will determine the validity of at-home sleep testing.
/////////////////////////////////////////////IINDUSTRY NEWS///////////////////////////////////////
Respironics Opens New Manufacturing Facility
In other sleep news, Respironics Inc. has announced plans to build a $32 million
manufacturing facility focused on the production of its sleep therapy devices.
Situated on 56 acres at Westmoreland Business & Research Park in Upper Burrell
Township, the new 165,000-square-foot facility will be located approximately
seven miles from the company's Corporate Headquarters and its current Sleep
and Home Respiratory manufacturing facility in Murrysville, Pa.
The need for a dedicated plant for sleep therapy products is owed to sizable
growth in the global sleep market, estimated to be growing at 15 percent to
20 percent coupled with Respironics' widening portfolio of medical devices designed
to address market needs in the overall sleep and respiratory markets globally.
Since the current plant was constructed in 1990, Respironics has grown to a
$1.2 billion company with a presence in more than 131 countries. It operates
manufacturing sites in Pennsylvania, California, Georgia, Connecticut, Oregon
and abroad.
"This new facility will enable us to further the development of our center
of excellence manufacturing strategy by focusing on products to support our
obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) business, a core growth driver of the company,"
said John L. Miclot, president and chief executive officer. "It also offers
us many other benefits including the potential for high volume material logistics
and production and optimization of process efficiencies," Miclot added.
Visit www.respironics.com for more information.
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As always we hope that you find this information helpful and informative. We
thank you for choosing CPAP Supplies Plus/Direct as your supplier for CPAP equipment
and accessories.
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