An Engagement Solution You Won t Lose Sleep Over

An Engagement Solution You Won t Lose Sleep Over

Providing Results & A Positive ROI How two sleep centers utilize engagement technology to prepare patients, encourage attendance & increase use of CPAP therapy. A Shared Struggle Like any healthcare organization, the struggle for sleep centers is conceptually simple do more with less. At every touchpoint along the continuum of care, providers need to extend communication with patients and increase adherence to instruction, while requiring little to no additional effort from staff. Finding a solution to this challenge, however, is more complex. A solution must provide concrete results that show an enhanced patient experience and positive return on investment. Extending Communication with Patients A successful solution should incorporate a channel of communication between patients and providers outside of the inpatient setting. Prior to studies, sleep centers need to ensure patients are fully prepared and know what to expect. Additionally, beyond such preparatory education, providers must be able to efficiently reach patients to reinforce class attendance for Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) and encourage consistent use of Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) therapy. Patient Adherence It is difficult to drive patient action and behavior change. For sleep centers, it can be particularly complicated. Studies show 29 to 83 percent of patients are non-adherent with CPAP therapy, the most common solution to OSA. 1 Patients dislike the idea of having to be tied to a machine all night, every night, they dislike the occasional unpleasant side effects and, mainly, as many patients do, they want to feel (or at least sleep) normally. Sleep centers need a way to reinforce the importance of CPAP therapy, address patient concerns and ultimately increase usage. Results and a Positive ROI Patient knowledge and adherence to medical instruction is crucial, not only for patients, but for the success of a healthcare organization. For sleep centers, there is a clear financial benefit to improving patient adherence with CPAP therapy. According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), sleep centers are eligible for reimbursement if they are able to prove a patient used their CPAP device for 4 or more hours per night, 70 percent of nights during the first three months of initial use 2. Additionally, educating and preparing patients contributes to a satisfactory experience, which is central to improving patient loyalty and referrals. 1

Improving No-Show Rates, Patient Prep & Workflow Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas, Mercy Sleep Center Rogers The Business Challenge The Sleep Center at Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas faced limited staff resources to educate and prepare patients for sleep studies. With just a two-person staff, patient consults were often under time-constraint, making it difficult to ensure all information was fully understood. And, despite these consultations, patient no-show rates remained high. The Solution The Sleep Center sought to improve both its process bottleneck and patient preparation. Despite initial skepticism, staff watched the relevant Emmi programs and realized they contained the same information that was currently shared with patients. Additionally, the programs explained the necessary information thoroughly and at an appropriate patient level. The Sleep Center now prescribes Emmi programs during the scheduling process and instructs patients to watch them at their convenience prior to their sleep study. The Results By standardizing patient preparation with Emmi programs, the sleep center: + Saved approximately 25 staff hours per week for a two-person staff 3 + Reduced patient no-show rates by 51 percent 4 + Attained a more engaged and informed patient population + Increased staff buy-in of the effectiveness and usefulness of Emmi programs 51% reduction in no-show rates 25 hours saved per week for a two person staff Estimated Increased Revenue for a Sample Sleep Center Sleep studies per month Revenue per study No-shows per month No-show reductions Expected no-shows Reduction in no-shows Est. increased monthly revenue Est. increased annual revenue 100 $1,000 10% 50% 10 5 $5,000 $60,000 2

Increasing CPAP Adherence & Reimbursements A randomized, controlled study underway at sleep center within a large health system The Business Challenge Increasing adherence with Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) therapy is a continuous challenge for sleep centers. A sleep center within a large health system is seeking to improve both patient knowledge of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) and the use of CPAP therapy. The Solution Researchers are conducting a randomized, controlled study to investigate the impact of Emmi programs and interactive voice response (IVR) calls on patient knowledge of OSA and CPAP therapy adherence. Prior to scheduled sleep study appointments, the sleep center prescribes the OSA Emmi program and the CPAP Emmi program. After sleep studies, patients identified as candidates for CPAP therapy receive interactive phone calls to follow up on their use. After 5, 8, 11 and 15 weeks, patients are called and asked whether they are using their CPAP device, how often and for how long each night. Patients answers are tracked and documented. Preliminary Results + Reduced patient no-show rate for OSA classes by 17% 5,6 + 30-day CPAP use was significantly greater for Emmi patients 4.6 hours per night compared to 3.5 hours for non-emmi patients 5, + An increase in CPAP usage to over 4 hours per night made the sleep center eligible for Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements 7 31% Increase in CPAP therapy use 17% Reduction in no-show rates CMS Guidelines for Reimbursement Objective, documented evidence of adherence to use of CPAP devices for: + 4 or more hours per night + 70% of nights + During a consecutive 30-day period anytime during the first 3 months of initial use 3

1 Weaver, PhD, RN, FAAN, Terri. Adherence with Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP). Nov. 2013. 2 Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, PAP Devices for the Treatment of OSA, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (revision effective date 9/2013) 3 Based on analysis provided by Mercy Sleep Center; 100 patients x 5-day week, 15 min. x individual consultation prior to implementing Emmi programs 4 Based on analysis completed by Mercy Sleep Center of data from October 2012 - July 2013 5 Analysis conducted and data provided by sleep center 6 70% attendance for Emmi patients vs 60.7% for non-emmi patients 7 Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, PAP Devices for the Treatment of OSA, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (revision effective date 9/2013)