With start-up funding from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) and a strategic partnership with Somnoware Healthcare Systems, the Welltrinsic Sleep Network will unite sleep physicians and centers to negotiate payer contracts, compile large-scale outcome data, and, ultimately, protect the long-term viability of the subspecialty.
Board certified sleep medicine physicians will soon have an opportunity to join a new network that is uniting sleep specialists to deliver the high quality, coordinated, patient-centered care that is demanded by the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the Welltrinsic Sleep Network announced today. The network received an initial investment from the AASM and the support from the board of directors. Free membership enrollment for sleep physicians begins at SLEEP 2014, the 28th annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies (APSS).
Welltrinsic is an independent corporation that will negotiate contracts for sleep medicine services with insurers, healthcare systems, large employers, and managed care groups to ensure that patients across the country receive coordinated, value-based care from leading sleep specialists. The network also offers a range of clinical and management services to help members stay on the cutting edge of sleep medicine while navigating the changing US healthcare system.
“Promoting and building the sleep field for the future is the heart and soul of the Welltrinsic Sleep Network,” said Dr. Lawrence Epstein, President and CEO. “We’ll ensure that sleep-related healthcare revolves around the expertise of sleep specialists by empowering sleep physicians and sleep centers to provide ongoing, coordinated, quality-based care to our patients.”
As national healthcare reform continues to drive the consolidation of patient care systems and the creation of new physician payment models, the network will ensure that the value of care provided by sleep specialists is enhanced and accessible to the estimated 70M Americans who suffer from sleep problems, among whom nearly 60% have a chronic disorder. Unifying the sleep medicine specialty on a national scale will promote coordinated, integrated care management for patients with a sleep illness such as obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a common and chronic disease that increases the risk of hypertension, heart disease, stroke, and death.
Sleep physicians who join the network will be able to explore the capabilities of Somnoware, a centralized data management platform that streamlines patient care coordination and automates workflow. Member physicians will receive free access to view patient compliance data made available by participating device manufacturers.
“By providing the ability to access diagnostic and therapeutic data through a single portal, Somnoware streamlines the patient data management process and helps physicians improve efficiency,” said Mathew Mammen, Somnoware VP of Engineering, the exclusive patient management software for the Welltrinsic Sleep Network.
According to Epstein, improving outcome data collection and reporting will pave the way for sleep specialists to transition successfully from a fee-for-service payment model to value-based care. “As a national network Welltrinsic is committed to promoting evidence-based care and demonstrating the value of sleep medicine to payers,” said Epstein.
About Welltrinsic Sleep Network
Welltrinsic is a national network connecting sleep physicians and accredited centers to deliver high-quality, integrated care for people with a sleep-wake disorder. We are a single solution linking clinical expertise, practice development, patient management, data collection and outcome reporting, and insurance contracting. Welltrinsic offers a full range of services for sleep physicians, sleep centers and managed care organizations.