INDIANAPOLIS – People with heart failure and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) can significantly reduce hospitalizations and ER visits, as well as related costs, by being adherent on positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy, according to two studies supported by ResMed and presented at SLEEP 2023.
One retrospective study showed PAP-adherent people with OSA and systolic heart failure had 24% fewer ER visits and incurred 40% lower costs related to hospitalizations and ER visits over one year ($3,500 vs. $5,879) compared to non-adherent patients. The study analyzed 1,472 people, exactly half adherent on PAP, half non-adherent.
The second retrospective study showed people with OSA and diastolic heart failure (and adherent to PAP) had 36% fewer ER visits, 57% fewer hospitalizations, and incurred 18% lower related costs (an average $12,732 vs. $15,610) over 1 year. This study analyzed 1,926 people, again exactly half adherent on PAP, half non-adherent. It also found that converting a non-adherent PAP user in this study to an adherent one would save them an average 1.25 visits.
The studies hold implications for managing heart failure patients, since 76% of them also have sleep apnea.1 “Since 3 out of 4 people with heart failure also have sleep apnea,1 these findings underscore the significant role PAP treatment plays in keeping people healthy and out of the hospital,” said Fatima Sert Kuniyoshi, MSc, PhD, lead author and ResMed clinical research director. “I hope this leads to a greater emphasis on PAP prescription and monitoring for the sake of patients as well as the hospitals and ERs that would otherwise require added beds and resources to care for them.”
Tomorrow Health Closes HME Business
NEW YORK, N.Y. – Tomorrow Health has formally closed its HME supplier business “to remove barriers and unlock new opportunities for its network of home-based care providers.” Tomorrow Health serves as a partner for home-based care with companies such as AdapthHealth, Apria, Home Care Delivered, Lincare, and Rotech Healthcare, providing technology solutions to improve efficiency.
“HME suppliers are a critical lever to shift care to the home, which is often overlooked by payors,” said Vijay Kedar, CEO and co-founder, Tomorrow Health via press release. “Tomorrow Health’s technology and unique position with payors enables change end-to-end, supporting everything from prescription to reimbursement while arming suppliers with valuable insights that can drive business growth and ensure positive experiences for every single stakeholder.”
