For example, a Blue Cross vice president contacted ten of his organization's subscribers who had been evaluated at different sleep centers for sleep apnea, to determine how many were still using their CPAP units. None of them . These unfortunate individuals with a serious illness had undergone assessment at his company's expense, only to be left untreated. They had not received the follow-up support they needed to ensure ongoing control of their breathing disorder and prevention of potentially devastating complications. This circumstance is completely unnecessary.
Sleep disorders tend to be inherently treatable in nearly all cases .
Such delays in the provision of effective treatment have caused deaths, strokes, anoxic brain damage, progressive heart failure and other complications that could and should have been prevented . In such cases, all management responsibility may be dumped in the lap of a primary care physician who understandably may be unfamiliar with current treatments for sleep-related illnesses. Failure to provide patients with both prompt solutions and the support necessary to ensure ongoing effective treatment is a major strike against a sleep center. Patients with serious illnesses need results, not tests . Examples include laser assisted uvulopalatoplasties and somnoplasties .