2007 Press Releases

Saint Barnabas Medical Center Named
Best Sleep Facility of the Year

ADVANCE for Managers of Respiratory Care, ADVANCE for Respiratory Care Practitioners, and ADVANCEforSleep.com are pleased to announce the winners of our fifth annual Best Sleep Facility of the Year Competition.

Earning the top spot was The Kazmir Center for Sleep Disorders at Saint Barnabas Medical Center, Livingston, N.J. Two centers received honorable mention nods: The Sleep Wellness Institute, West Allis, Wis., and UMass Memorial Sleep Disorders Center, Worcester, Mass.

“At The Kazmir Center for Sleep Disorders, every detail counts — from providing the music and aroma therapy to help patients relax to the latest diagnostic tools,” said Sharlene George, editor of ADVANCE for Managers of Respiratory Care. “ADVANCE commends the team’s commitment to excellence and is honored to name them Best Sleep Facility of the Year for 2007.”

The six-bed lab in the shadow of New York City opened in 2004 with the hopes of providing innovative care in a comfortable environment. With ready Internet access, a stocked fridge, and private bathroom, one sleep lab room proved to be almost too cozy for one patient.

“She didn’t want to leave. She was dead serious,” remembered Maria E. Dimi, MBA, RRT-NPS, with a laugh. “This is like the Hilton for me,” the patient told her. The staff allowed the patient stay for a few much-appreciated extra hours. “We want this to be the kind of place where a patient can come and say, ‘Wow,’” added Dimi, administrative director for respiratory care services and the sleep center. “They can relax and feel like they’re at home.”

The sleep center, which received accreditation from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine in early 2006, strives to make all patients feel just as welcome and at ease. Dimi recalls another individual who had some privacy concerns. The female patient didn’t want to work with a male technologist because of her religious beliefs. She also requested not to be out in the open, roaming the hospital’s halls. The sleep lab’s staff said no problem and sent a female technologist with a cart so setup could be done right in her room.

Staff members expect to see 1,000-plus patients this year, said Mangala Nadkarni, MD, the center’s medical director, and they’re not shy about recruiting more. They recently implemented a program where all patients admitted to Saint Barnabas undergo a quick sleep assessment with a nurse. She will ask three simple questions: Do you snore? Are you sleepy during the day? Do you have difficulty sleeping at night?

If the individual answers “yes” to any of those questions, that triggers a referral for a sleep evaluation, Dr. Nadkarni said. A sleep technologist will then visit the patient, review some basic sleep info, and hand a brochure to him. The technologist also informs the patient’s physician that he may be suffering from a sleep disorder. Dr. Nadkarni believes her sleep center is the only one in the country that has such a program.

Of course, they couldn’t handle this influx of patients (up 15 percent in 2006) without a superb turnaround time. Studies generally will be scored within 24 to 72 hours, said Sindhu Syamaprasad, RPSGT, sleep center coordinator. She has a day technologist who just does scoring and multiple sleep latency tests. Back-up per diems are on hand if she falls behind. A preliminary report comes five to seven days after the patient arrives; within two weeks, a final report usually is issued.

To further speed up the process and improve the overall quality of care, all sleep staff members are enrolled in scoring classes paid for by the medical center. “Our ultimate goal is to get technologists to pass the registry exam,” Dimi said. In addition, they invited the respiratory staff to participate to provide a more comprehensive team approach in the diagnostic arena. About 15 respiratory therapists took on the challenge.

The staff physicians also benefit from this forward-looking approach to expediting care. They already can review and OK the patient’s report electronically offsite, but a system is in the works to give them the ability to remotely access and make changes to the tests. Soon, from their laptop, they’ll be able to look at the results, dial into the transcription service, dictate the report, and sign off on the copy. “And boom, they’re done,” Dimi said. “It will make it more efficient for the physicians and less down time for the patients.”

The Kazmir Center for Sleep Disorders offers a full range of services used in the evaluation, diagnosis and management of sleep-related disorders in adults and children. The Center is equipped with the latest in monitoring equipment, providing the opportunity for daytime testing and full overnight sleep studies. For more information about sleep disorders or The Kazmir Center for Sleep Disorders, please call 973-322-9800.

COMPETITION DETAILS
Nominations for this prestigious award came from the sleep community itself, and experts in the field judged the entries. Facilities selected for recognition were judged on their ability to develop innovative programs, take novel approaches to improve productivity and patient outcomes, effectively cope with the challenges of today’s health care world, implement gold standards of care and new technology, pursue continuing education and certification, improve recruitment and retention of staff, and go above and beyond to reach out to the community.

The awards will be presented in June to coincide with the APSS/AAST annual meetings. The first-place facility will receive a $1,000 cash prize; all three winners will receive a special plaque.

The judges were: the technical and administrative staff of the Sleep Lab at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia; Kristi Lester, BS, RPSGT, manager, Methodist Healthcare Sleep Disorders Center, Memphis, Tenn.; Kevin L. Lewis, MD, medical director, the Sleep Center of Tulsa in Tulsa, Okla. All were winners in last year’s contest.

ADVANCE for Managers of Respiratory Care (www.advanceweb.com/respmanager) is read by more than 20,000 managers and medical directors, pulmonologists, sleep lab professionals, and consultants to the respiratory care department. It’s the only respiratory publication targeted to management-level practitioners and medical directors. ADVANCE for Respiratory Care Practitioners (www.advanceweb.com/rcp) is the most widely circulated publication for respiratory therapists in the U.S. ADVANCEforSleep.com (www.advanceweb.com/sleep) stays on top of the ever-changing world of sleep research, advancements, and technology by offering sleep professionals in-depth articles, up-to-date news coverage, and interactive features.

Merion Publications Inc., whose 31 health care trade magazines and Web sites reach 1.7 million readers, publishes all three. MPI’s corporate headquarters are located in King of Prussia, PA.

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