A telemedicine program for diagnosis and management of sleep-disordered breathing: the fast-track for sleep apnea tele-sleep program.

The objective of this study was to facilitate access to sleep health care for veterans. We designed and implemented a Telehealth program for diagnosing and treating sleep-related breathing disorders (SRBDs). Building on our ongoing out-of-laboratory "Fast Track for Sleep Apnea" program, procedures were modified to accommodate remote operations. This Tele-sleep program was set up at the medical center's community-based outpatient clinics. Home sleep testing and positive airway pressure device technological advances enabled realizing this application for Telehealth. In addition to obtaining appropriated teleconferencing equipment, the program involved implementing systematic processes for (1) six types of clinic visits, (2) training remote-site personnel, (3) making recommendations for inventory management, and (4) evaluating patient satisfaction. Over the past year, we have updated and refined our procedures to optimize program performance and efficiency. To achieve the next step, that is, increasing program scale beyond its current state (e.g., to region-wide), we will need to further develop and formalize quality control indicators to more efficiently monitor operations. The program has helped relieve clinical load at the central sleep program, improved local access to sleep care for veterans, and improved patient satisfaction with health care for SRBDs.